Sue Li

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

These meatballs are a take on classic Turkish kebabs in which the ground meat mixture is usually skewered and grilled. Here, the mixture is bulked up with bell peppers and onions — which keeps the meatballs plump and moist — and spiced with cumin, then formed into orbs and baked for a quick weeknight or even party-night meal. The ground meat option is flexible: Using all beef is a great option, rather than using half beef and half lamb. (But don’t swap in ground chicken or turkey, because both have added water and the mixture will be too wet to form meatballs.) You can serve the spread of meatballs, garlicky yogurt and herb salad alongside warm pita bread for guests to make their own sandwiches, or with fluffy rice.

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

An apple pie is evergreen, but it’s best in the fall, when apples are in season. Here, sweet Honeycrisps are cooked down in butter, tossed with rich heavy cream and nestled in a crust that requires no crimping. Instead, the dough for the top crust is cut into squares (or any shape of your choosing), then shingled on top of the filling. As it bakes, the edges will drape naturally. You do want to pay special attention to the filling: Mix the cooked apples with the remaining ingredients right before assembling, since adding them too early will break down the apples too quickly.

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

This easy beautiful pie lets bananas shine. Here, they’re blended with heavy cream and a little sour cream to pull back their natural sweetness, then the filling is nestled into a crunchy phyllo crust for a mix of textures. To keep the dough crunchy, be generous while brushing the phyllo dough with the butter, and bake the pie on a preheated baking sheet. The filling, like a banana, will oxidize and turn brown as it sits. So serve this pie the day it’s made.

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

This rich and hearty, pantry-leaning vegetarian soup is built on layers of flavor: Sweet caramelized cabbage and onions provide the base, complemented by the subtle acidity of tomato paste and wine. The liquid from canned cannellini beans adds texture and body, while a Parmesan rind in the simmering broth contributes savory, nutty complexity. Fresh garlic, added at the end, provides a vibrant kick that brightens this satisfying soup.

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

This rich, autumnal galette takes its inspiration from the flavors of French onion soup. Seasoned with Gruyère and lots of cracked black pepper, the galette dough takes the place of the crostini, and the caramelized onion filling is fortified with beef broth and sherry. The dish is great for entertaining — it can be prepared in advance — but requires a little bit of patience: You’ll need to let the dough rest for at least four hours, which allows the flour to hydrate and will make the dough less crumbly to work with. Let the tart rest for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Eat it while it’s hot or serve at room temperature alongside a salad or steak.

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

Carrots work beautifully in this simple tart, but onions, parsnips, beets, zucchini or pumpkin work just as well. The key is to cook the vegetables before putting them on the tart, since the moisture released by baking raw vegetables would make the puff pastry soggy and prevent it from rising. Once you remove the tart from the oven, let it cool for 10 minutes before cutting to allow the cheese to firm up slightly. The tart can be served warm, or cooled to room temperature, and would make a great addition to a picnic.

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

In this party-friendly appetizer, roasted cauliflower is paired with a shortcut version of the rich, creamy coconut and peanut butter satay sauce often served with chicken. To coax out deep, nutty flavor from the cauliflower, first roast it simply slicked with oil to help it caramelize, then coat it in a blended mixture of coconut milk, shallots, lemongrass and spices to bump up moisture and flavor and roast until tender. While your cauliflower roasts, you’ll prepare a supersimple peanut sauce by simmering coconut milk with red curry paste and peanut butter. (The salt and heat levels in store-bought curry pastes vary widely, so season your satay sauce accordingly.) Intended as an appetizer, this recipe is hearty enough to work as a main course when served with rice, but also pairs well with crispy or grilled tofu, grilled chicken or steamed vegetables, and can dazzle as the centerpiece for a main-course salad.

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

This creamy five-ingredient potato salad features two surprise ingredients: pickled jalapeños, which lend heat and acidity, and blistered corn, which adds sweet and smoky notes. Rather than the usual cookie-cutter cubes of boiled potatoes, chunks of potato are simmered until they are so soft that they break up a little bit when combined with the remaining ingredients, adding extra creaminess to the traditional side. Rubbing mayonnaise on the corn before blistering it in a hot cast-iron skillet helps keep the kernels moist and also seasons them. Pickled jalapeños provide verve, but they vary in acidity and spice, so adjust the seasoning until this salad tastes just right to you.

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

This very quick and hearty chicken soup comes together in just 25 minutes. Ground chicken cooks speedily, but check the label: It’s best to find dark-meat chicken for a richer flavor than leaner breast meat. The soup is warmed up with garlic and ginger, spiced with cumin and crushed red pepper, and gets its golden hue from a dusting of turmeric powder. The soup is also further enhanced by frozen sliced mushrooms, which are a great freezer addition for any last-minute meals that need a little more flavor and texture. If frozen mushrooms are not available in your grocery store, feel free to use sliced fresh mushrooms instead. Quick-cooking quinoa adds texture to the soup — and protein, too.

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

This recipe transforms ground chicken into flavorful meatballs using warm spices, like paprika, cumin and coriander, and fresh herbs, like parsley, mint and cilantro, for binding instead of bread crumbs. Like Turkish kofte, these tender meatballs pair perfectly with a simple, lemony yogurt sauce. Serve them with salad, rice pilaf or on toasted bread for a balanced and satisfying meal.

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

For crispy, perfectly puffed chicken schnitzel, begin by splitting the chicken breasts into cutlets and gently pounding them out until thin. This technique helps the chicken cook evenly in the time it takes the crust to turn golden, and creates more surface area for a crispy crust. While cooking the chicken, shaking the pan gently helps puff up the coating for an airy texture. Don’t forget to season with salt right after it is cooked. This schnitzel is served with an onion and herb salad with fresh cucumbers and sliced pickles, balancing out the fried chicken with some added brightness.

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

This classic recipe shows you how easy — and satisfying — it is to make your own chile oil wontons at home. Here, they’re shaped to resemble gold ingots, a Chinese symbol of good fortune and wealth, but feel free to wrap them however you like. A crucial step here is making the sauce for the wontons, which can be done in advance and starts with mixing your own chile oil. (Save any extra sauce to use with fried eggs, tofu, potatoes, rice, chicken or anything, really.)

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

A fresh twist on an American classic, this Chinese chicken salad delivers all the familiar, sweet soy-and-sesame flavors you love in restaurants like California Pizza Kitchen or Joan’s on Third. The dressing gets a subtle, delightful sweetness from orange juice, making each bite bright and satisfying. You can cook your own chicken for this recipe, or keep it simple with a store-bought rotisserie chicken. (If doing so, just shred 3 to 4 cups of the cooked chicken and toss it with a splash of soy sauce to boost its flavor before adding it to the salad.)

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

This creamy, fluffy dessert, reminiscent of French silk pie, features layers of coffee and chocolate puddings topped with whipped cream, for deep mocha flavor. The only baking required for this largely no-bake pie is for the crust, made from chocolate graham crackers — but if those are hard to find, you can even use chocolate Teddy Grahams. And while the recipe calls for semisweet chocolate chips, feel free to use bittersweet, milk chocolate or a combination.

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

The world may not need another classic Italian American meatball recipe, but this one is truly delicious and simple to prepare. The Pecorino Romano adds a subtle sharpness and funk that elevates the flavor. As for the sauce, passata, an often-overlooked tomato purée, creates a simple yet incredibly fresh tomato sauce that allows the meatballs to be the star. The best part? The sauce only gets better as the meatballs simmer in it. Nothing can replace a beloved family recipe, but the delicate texture of these meatballs, thanks to the ricotta, may convince you there’s another version to love.

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

This recipe provides the essential texture found in a classic wedge salad, but updates the flavors for summer, with a coconut vinaigrette and crunchy, sweet-savory coconut crumbles. Sweetened with agave or maple syrup and baked until crisped, the coconut flakes serve as a plant-based alternative to the usual bacon found in the wedge. The crumble can be prepared in advance, and can even be eaten as a snack on its own or put on top of a scoop of cottage cheese. The coconut-lime dressing is a little nutty and tangy, and makes this cooling salad very refreshing on hotter days and beyond.

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

This tall, very photogenic cranberry and vanilla-honey pie marbles pink and white mousses and recalls yakult, a yogurty drink popular in East Asia. It’s paired with a gingery crust for a little kick. Making it is fairly simple — just make sure to whip the cream to medium-soft peaks (think of a droopy elf hat) before incorporating the flavorings. (If the cream is too stiff, the cream will be lumpy and take away from the tender texture.)

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

Creamy and comforting, this cauliflower soup happens to be vegan, and takes its silky texture from being simmered and thickened with roasted cashews. The nuttiness of the cauliflower and the cashews is balanced by the addition of a tart apple. The preferred thickness of creamed soups varies, so if the soup feels too thick, just adjust it to your ideal level of creaminess, adding more stock or water — and an additional sprinkle of salt — as needed.

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

Kabocha, spiced with coriander, cumin and paprika, is the star of these vegetable wraps. The salad that is added to the wraps is crunchy and satisfying — and so delicious you might want to skip the wrap aspect and let the salad shine. If you want to shift these handheld sandwiches into plated salads, feel free to simply add a little more lettuce to the herb salad mix and top it with the roasted squash. Every component of this dish is great for meal prep; for best results keep the components separate before assembling.

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

There’s so much delicata squash available in the fall. Long and variegated, it has a surprisingly delicate skin that also makes it great for a pie because you don’t have to peel it. For a more beautifully topped pie, with small shingled rings, seek out a skinnier squash.

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

This sweet and spicy snack mix is inspired by furikake snack mix, a Japanese Hawaiian dish that uses a soy-butter blend to coat a cereal mixture and then seasons it with furikake, a traditional Japanese seasoning mix that traditionally combines dried fish, seaweed and sesame seeds, creating deep umami. Taking the original as inspiration, this recipe introduces the use of a pack of store-bought ramen. The ramen seasoning is used to flavor the cereal mix, while its crunchy noodles add texture and flair. The foundation of this snack mix calls for a wide variety of crunchy ingredients, but feel free to streamline your shopping list by skipping one of the snack items listed and doubling up on another.

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

Supremely quick and easy, this is a delightful anytime recipe that enhances the flavor of shrimp with three dynamic ingredients: garlic, ginger and scallions. The shrimp gets coated with cornstarch before cooking, which keeps the shrimp tender and adds body to the pan sauce. Whipped together with little more than tomato paste and water, the pan sauce soaks up the flavors of the scallions, ginger and garlic. This dish is best enjoyed with rice or noodles.

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

With just a few building blocks—seared halloumi, sautéed chickpeas and yogurty rice—this recipe yields a quick and easy dinner in a bowl. Halloumi is coated with a dried spice rub that includes cumin, thyme and oregano, then gets seared until golden and crisp on the outside. Chickpeas seasoned with smoked paprika add a bit of depth to the bowl. Even the base gets an instant flavor boost: The rice is coated with yogurt to make it tangy and a little rich. Cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and lemon give the bowl plenty of brightness and texture.

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

A Japanese toasted green tea with warm, nutty flavor, hojicha is perfect for a sweet pie. This recipe calls for hojicha powder, which is readily available at Japanese grocery stores or online. The hojicha is mixed into a cheesecake filling and baked in a shortbread crust. Make sure to use a metal pie plate here so that the crust will come out golden brown.

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

Lion's head is a traditional Chinese stew, a comforting staple in many Chinese households. The dish features tender meatballs, made even more delicate by the inclusion of silken tofu. The meat mixture is vigorously worked to ensure the meatballs hold their shape and achieve a slightly springy texture. These meatballs are seared then stewed while nestled in napa cabbage leaves. As the cabbage softens, its juices infuse the broth, creating a delicate and delicious flavor profile. Steamed rice is the perfect accompaniment to this stew.

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

Toasty black sesame and bittersweet matcha come together in this not-too-sweet holiday cookie. The two doughs are pressed and rolled together to make an impressive slice-and-bake shortbread that’s also a cinch to prepare ahead. Make and freeze the logs whenever you like in advance of the holidays, then simply thaw and bake for effortless hosting.

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

This recipe combines the classic flavors of chocolate, strawberry and vanilla — reminiscent of Neapolitan ice cream — all in one bite. While the assembly may seem daunting at first, it can be a fun project, and the end result is graphic and delicious. In making a perfect checkerboard pattern, you’ll inevitably have some scraps. Roll them into a log, which can then be sliced and baked into marbled shortbreads.

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

Great on its own, this rice dish makes for a light, low-effort vegan meal, but it can also be served alongside seared tofu or grilled chicken. Kabocha wedges are shingled over a base of coconut rice seasoned with garlic and ginger. You’ll marvel at how the rice cooks through in the time it takes for the squash to tenderize. There’s an art to cooking rice in a pot, and the details make a difference. First, be sure to wash the rice thoroughly before cooking to rinse out the starch from the grains for a fluffier texture. Be patient and try not to peek under the lid while the rice is cooking, as you’ll want to keep the hot steam inside the saucepan. If the brand of coconut milk you’re using does not have any stabilizer, the liquid may appear curdled. Don’t be alarmed: It’s all fine and will still taste delicious.

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

This buttery shortbread showcases the classic combination of candied orange and dark chocolate. The cookie ages very nicely and is even better in the days after it is baked. The cookie dough will feel crumbly when it’s removed from the mixing bowl but pressing the dough into the baking pan and allowing the dough to hydrate over the course of a few hours will help it come together.

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

Inspired by the Payday bar, this simple cookie mimics the flavor of the candy’s caramel nougat center through a brown butter-infused dough. Once shaped, the dough is then rolled generously in salted roasted peanuts for crunch and an irresistible nod to the candy.

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

Delicious and well-balanced, this silky noodle recipe starts with a no-cook peanut butter sauce seasoned with pantry ingredients. Bouncy bucatini props up the garlicky-peanut sauce, and the textural and lightly spicy tofu crumble makes the whole dish a meal. The spicy tofu, on its own, can also be eaten with rice or tucked into a banh mi-style sandwich. If you only have regular, sweetened peanut butter, skip the added brown sugar in the recipe. The recipe doubles easily to serve four if desired.

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

This is my version of a traditional pan-fried dumpling that I buy from a stand at the base of Elephant Mountain, a popular spot in Taipei, Taiwan, after early morning hikes. I always make that pit stop because they are so good. The simple ground-pork filling is flavorful and juicy thanks to garlic chives, a wide, flat variety with a strong garlic flavor and leek-like texture. There isn’t an easy substitute for the garlic chives, but they are readily available at East Asian grocery stores. Making your own dumpling wrappers requires a bit of practice — and a wooden dowel, a small, thin rolling pin that provides you with better control when rolling the wrappers. You could also use store-bought wrappers, but the extra effort really pays off with a slightly chewy and tender texture, and the bonus of knowing you made the dumplings entirely from scratch.

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

Easy to bake and totally gluten-free, these pumpkin cheesecake bites are inspired by Japanese soufflé pancakes, which fold in whipped egg whites to create a fluffy, cloud-like texture. For best results, there are a few things to note when making these cheesecake bites: The ingredients you use should be room temperature, especially the cream cheese. (This helps them blend together smoothly and keeps you from having a lumpy cheesecake.) This recipe also asks for a water bath, which will help the cheesecakes bake evenly. The results will be well worth the effort.

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

As easy as it is delicious, this chowder bypasses celery in favor of fennel, which gives the soup a little anise flavor and some extra heft. The vegetables are thinly sliced and cooked together to help speed up the cooking process; using a mandoline can accelerate your prep even more. Half-and-half is a lighter option than heavy cream and helps finish the soup with a little richness. Cod is recommended here (or flounder or halibut, depending on what’s available), but feel free to substitute with shrimp or clams, adjusting cook times as needed. The crushed saltines are flavored with hot paprika, which is a smoky substitute for the bacon that is usually found in a classic chowder.

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

Quick and easy, this five-ingredient weeknight recipe yields flavorful, flaky fish with minimal effort. If gochujang (spicy Korean fermented soybean paste) or doenjang (a milder bean paste) are not available, feel free to substitute with harissa paste or miso. Because salmon is already an oily fish, it doesn’t need extra fat to protect it from overcooking in the oven. Once cooked, the salmon fillets can hold up to 4 days, refrigerated, and are equally great eaten at room temperature. Enjoy warm with rice, torn into salads, or tucked into a sandwich.

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

Built for ease, this recipe uses kitchen staples like frozen peas, canned anchovies and garlic to make a quick side dish in minutes. Build flavor by melting anchovies and garlic into olive oil, then add frozen peas directly into the pan and simply stir until seasoned and warmed. (The peas do not have to be thawed prior to cooking, and they’ll thaw quickly in the pan.) If fresh peas are in season, please use them and cook them until they’re bright green. You can also substitute the peas with hearty greens like kale, Swiss chard or collard greens; just strip them off their stalks and tear them into bite-size pieces before adding them to the pan. This green side pairs well with roasted chicken, or toss it with cooked pasta, a few tablespoons of olive oil and a flurry of grated Pecorino to turn it into a meal.

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

This light and easy dish improves as the shrimp marinates in a bright and briny dressing that uses both the rind and pulp of a lemon. The recipe calls for just a couple of thin slices of lemon for verve; they provide vibrant acidity and subtle bitterness that create a harmonious balance. Enjoy the shrimp with a light salad with butter lettuce, served in lightly toasted rolls as sandwiches, or tossed with cooked pasta to make a quick pasta salad. It’s equally delicious with bread.

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

A simple, meatless weeknight recipe, this tofu and kimchi braise has deep flavors but comes together in just 30 minutes. The two main ingredients are tofu and kimchi. Equally delicious warm or at room temperature, this tofu braise makes a fun addition to meal prep. Serve it with rice, to soak up the delicious kimchi sauce, or tuck the tofu and kimchi into a sandwich. Store-bought kimchi vary in flavor and salt level and the more fermented kimchi will be softer, juicer, and a bit more sour. The recipe can take all levels of fermentation, but adjust seasoning as you see fit, sweetening with sugar or salting with extra soy sauce.

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

This sesame candy is a traditional Chinese candy that is available year-round but also eaten during the Lunar New Year celebrations. This recipe produces a slightly chewy candy, with some crunch on the sides. It’s a relatively easy candy to make, but you’ll want to follow the directions closely when preparing the syrup. The addition of water helps to evenly dissolve the sugar as the syrup cooks. Do not stir the sugar as it cooks or it will crystallize, forming small clumps instead of a smooth syrup. It can be hard to see a visual cue when toasting black sesame seeds. A subtle indication that they are toasted is that they feel a bit hollow compared to before they are toasted — or you can simply trust their scent: They’ll smell fragrant and toasted.

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

These wondrous, quick and easy biscuits taste very much like sour cream and onion potato chips. But even though the name of this recipe mentions sour cream and onion, the ingredient list does not include either: The tangy element is the buttermilk, and the actual sour cream flavor comes from grated Parmesan. Along with chives, the combination sort of tricks our brains into perceiving the beloved duo that is sour cream and onion. The effort required for these buttery biscuits is minimal, and the results are spectacular.

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

This pantry-friendly recipe exists for people who love Dijon mustard. The sauce uses Dijon as its foundation — creamy and heady — whisked with little more than garlic, shallots, vinegar and olive oil, and is shockingly versatile: It complements the richness of a New York strip steak but can also be used to dress a leafy green salad you may want to serve with your steak. You’ll end up with extra Dijon sauce; save it to dress a soft-boiled egg, fold it into a potato salad, or serve it alongside a roasted chicken. A few notes to keep in mind when cooking the steak: Seasoning it with salt and pepper and letting it sit at room temperature helps pull out a little moisture from the meat and encourages caramelization. Heating the pan until it is nice and hot is also key to getting a good sear. Finishing the steak in the oven after searing it allows for a gentler and more even cook throughout the steak.

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

This spiced fried chicken is a staple in the night markets of Taiwan. You can order the chicken in cutlet form or small bites like these, which are served in paper bags with wooden skewers. This recipe uses a few spices that cannot be skipped: five-spice powder and white pepper. The Sichuan peppercorns are a bonus, adding a little numbing tingle. If you can’t find Sichuan peppercorns, use black peppercorns instead. You won’t get the same tingly feeling, but the chicken will be just as good. This fried chicken recipe happens to be gluten-free thanks to the tapioca flour, which imparts the dish’s signature crunch.

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

Salty with soy sauce and spiced with fresh ginger, this tofu and broccoli dish captures the comforting flavors of your favorite takeout, but can be made fresh, with minimal effort, at home. It comes together in no time and is incredibly satisfying. Tofu lightly tossed in cornstarch and then crisped up absorbs the simple soy-and-sugar glaze to create the most satisfying texture. And the lightly charred broccoli only deepens the flavor. Serve it over a bed of steamed rice for an inexpensive dinner that is as quick as it is delicious.

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

These crispy but delicate fritters are a riff on pajeon, savory Korean pancakes that can include vegetables (like these vegetable pajeon), meat or seafood (like these scallion pancakes with squid). This version, inspired by Thanksgiving, features leftover turkey and fresh green beans, along with common pajeon ingredients like scallions and kimchi. The ingredients are bound by a light batter using flour, egg and water and then fried. Serve the pancakes right away, while hot and crunchy, but if you happen to have any left, they can be reheated in the oven at 350 degrees on a baking sheet to recrisp.

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

This creamy, protein-packed dressing uses silken tofu as its base, offering a vegan alternative to the buttermilk or mayonnaise commonly used in more traditional green goddess dressing. This dressing’s velvety texture pairs perfectly with crisp winter greens and vegetables such as romaine hearts, Little Gems, radishes, endives and celery. For a satisfying vegetarian meal, consider drizzling this dressing over a hearty bowl with shredded lettuce, cooked grains, legumes and sliced avocado.

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

Zha jiang mian is a popular Chinese noodle dish that is the quintessential pantry meal: Staples in many Chinese households, the fermented soybean pastes are like richer, deeper misos, and add significant depth to this quick dish. Traditionally, zha jiang mian is made with pork belly, but this vegan version captures a similar texture with sautéed eggplant, which cooks down to become soft and creamy, adding to the body of the sauce. Crumbled tofu helps the sauce coat the noodles when mixed. Chinese soybean pastes vary in saltiness, so season lightly with salt in the beginning to help build flavor without overdoing it. (You can always adjust the seasoning at the end if you need more salt.) These noodles are typically served with mung beans and slivered cucumber, but a variety of fresh vegetables could step in; shredded romaine lettuce or carrots would also be delicious.

Sue Li · NYT Cooking

Like so many bean salads, this one is delicious the day it's made, but gets even better as it sits. You can marinate the beans in the dressing ahead of time, and they’ll soak it up and become more flavorful in the fridge. When you're ready to serve, simply fold in the onion, fennel, celery and dill. This salad is a satisfying vegan dish on its own, but it also pairs beautifully with seared tuna. To make it more substantial, consider adding a jar of olive oil-marinated tuna or some roasted salmon.