Thai coconut curry soup:

Real Thai flavor can’t be found in a jar, said Kris Yenbamroong in Night + Market (Clarkson Potter). That’s why at Night + Market, my L.A. restaurant, we make our own chile powder and all the other building blocks of our most popular dishes. In the dish below, the curry paste requires the most effort. But it’s “beautiful when done right: earthy, smoky, fragrant, and surprisingly lacking in heat.” Plus, the leftover paste will keep for weeks if refrigerated.