Tejal Rao

3 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Tejal Rao

Image Tejal here, filling in for Melissa!I was so sick last week that I had to hide away completely, living on miso soup and rice. It's such a relief to scramble back up into the world and find that it is really and truly spring in Los Angeles. In my garden, the nasturtiums and lemon verbena are coming up, and the wisteria and borage are blooming. The peas are fat and sweet, the radishes are small and peppery and I found a big, beautiful piece of trout in the freezer.

3 weeks ago | cooking.nytimes.com | Tejal Rao

We'll teach you how to master the technique, and how to tweak it to get each batch the way you like it. [This article was first published on Feb. 28, 2018.] Karsten Moran for The New York Times A hot, tender heap of rice is comfort food, just the way it is. There are so many ways to define a perfect batch, and as many ways to achieve it, but cooking basic rice on the stovetop is arguably the most versatile method.

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Tejal Rao

This article contains key details from previous episodes of "Severance." It does not include any spoilers for the Season 2 finale. It wasn't your imagination: Something was off about the food from the start. That first glimpse of cantaloupe and honeydew, arranged in the office to welcome Helly R., played by Britt Lower, was a little unnerving: Melons in jagged halves - severed! - filled with anemic, out-of-season fruit.

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Tejal Rao

What was I in the mood to eat? Pacing inside Luv2Eat Express, a Thai restaurant in Hollywood, I sized up a dozen steel vats shimmering with curries and braises. A server behind the counter saw me agonizing over which three dishes to choose. "You can taste," he said cheerfully, gesturing toward a stack of tiny bowls. Imagine an ice-cream parlor with unlimited tastes, a scooper who wanted you to try as many things as possible. It was generous, impractical, thrilling.

2 months ago | nytimes.com | Tejal Rao

This orange chicken has not been waiting for you on the steam table. It has not been bouncing and sweating in the darkness of a clamshell container while you wheel your luggage to the gate. At Panda Inn, the Pasadena restaurant that started Panda Express, the orange chicken is made to order, strewed with whole dried chiles, scallions and a few threads of orange zest. It arrives craggy and glistening on a blue stoneware plate. Is it good? Trick question! It is sticky, and it is familiar.