Secrets of the Best Chefs

Thoren with Carrots and Green Beans ...

Serves 4 When you don’t have a frame of reference for a recipe, it can seem ...

very exotic and even scary. That’s how I felt about thoren—an unexpected combination of green beans, carrots, garlic, cumin seed ...

seeds. Add the coconut and the chili and continue to work until everything is relatively blended, though not mashed to pieces. I ...

Yogurt Rice ...

Serves 4 Rice, by itself, is normally a vehicle for something else. Not so ...

here, where rice is cooked, fluffed, and then added to a pan of olive oil, mustard seeds, curry leaves, and yogurt. Suddenly the ...

You can make the rice ahead and refrigerate it until you’re ready to make the yogurt rice. ...

Chuy Valencia Chef, Chilam Balam Chicago, Illinois Like most twenty-four-year-olds, chef Chuy Valencia is a scattered whirlwind ...

marlin that he’s marinated in lime juice for forty-five minutes. These are both great, but Valencia’s crowning achievement is hi ...

this down?” I nod. “Oh God, my mom’s going to kill me.” ...

“If you can’t find duck fat or lard, move from wherever you’re living.” Valencia’s Kitchen Know-How ...

IF YOU HAVE leftover corn cobs, don’t throw them out: you can use them to make a flavorful corn stock. Place the cobs in a stock ...

Tomatillo Chicken Tamales ...

Serves 4 Forgive me, you who like shortcuts; I’m about to be ...

uncompromising. To make extraordinary tamales at home, you’re going to have to track down an ingredient that’s hard to come by. ...

1 white onion, chopped Kosher salt 1 or 2 habaneros, chopped (depending on how spicy you like it) FOR THE TAMALES 4 cups fresh c ...

the meat. Discard the bay leaf*. To make the tomatillo sauce, heat the broiler. Place the tomatillos in a cast-iron skillet and ...

the reserved strip. Set aside and continue making tamales until you’ve used up all the masa, the chicken, and the corn husks. Pl ...

Ceviche Serves 4 Refreshing is the word that comes to mind when I think of this ceviche, a cooling, citrusy combination of fish, ...