Ginger

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

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

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.

Korean twist on gyoza: kimchi and glass noodles in the filling, no pleating required. Just fold and pinch.

For those who think the original isn't spicy enough. Green chilies in the tempering plus extra kashmiri chili. Not for the faint-hearted.

Swap chicken for homemade paneer. Better charring on the tikka, richer sauce that absorbs into the cheese.

2-hour version using chicken backs instead of pork trotters. Still rich, still real. For when you can't do the full 18-hour odyssey.

Add a separate tadka (tempering) of whole spices and dried chiles fried in ghee, poured at the table. Drama and flavor.

Coconut cream replaces the heavy cream, vegan butter for the tadka. Casein-free. The lentils are the star anyway.

Cubed lamb shoulder marinated and grilled. The same masala sauce but richer. Better the next day.

Minced shrimp filling with ginger and chives. Pan-fried and steamed the same way. More delicate than pork, quicker to cook.