Garlic

Dum-style biryani: marinated chicken layered with saffron rice and slow-cooked under a sealed dough lid. The steam does the work.

North African eggs poached in a spiced tomato and pepper sauce. One pan, twenty minutes, feeds a crowd. My go-to for lazy Sunday brunch.

Tuscan bread soup meant to be made the day before and 're-boiled' the next day. Gets better every time.

18-hour pork bone broth. Creamy, rich, cloudy white. This is a weekend project, not a weeknight dinner. Worth every hour.

The crown jewel of Punjabi cooking. Black lentils slow-cooked overnight with butter, cream, and tomatoes. Do not rush this.

From-scratch green curry paste makes all the difference. Worth the food processor. Creamy, fresh, herbal, with just enough heat.

The quesabirria that took over the internet. Beef braised in a chile-tomato consomme, shredded and griddle-fried in a cheese taco. Dip in the consomme.

Sichuan mapo tofu: silken tofu in a fiery, numbing sauce of doubanjiang and Sichuan peppercorns. Finished with a cloud of ground pork.

Silky spinach sauce, golden-fried paneer cubes. The green is preserved by the ice-bath trick. My mother's version, not the restaurant version.

Chicken braised in an entire bottle of Burgundy. The French answer to boredom. Takes 4 hours and cannot be rushed.

Crispy bottom, steamed top, juicy inside. The potsticker technique makes them perfect every time.

Charred marinated chicken in a silky, spiced tomato cream sauce. The tikka and the masala are two separate operations — don't skip the char.