Red miso paste, more fermented than its blond counterparts, adds piquancy to pork belly cooked with brown sugar, mirin, and sesame seeds.

This spicy, delicious Thai noodle soup is enhanced with a touch of crimson pig’s blood. Get the recipe for Thai Boat Noodle Soup (Kuaytiaw Reua) »

Mild ingredients—mushrooms, tofu—are nestled in a fiery, vinegar-laced broth.

This Tokyo-style ramen, made with a rich, chile- and sesame-spiked chicken stock, is served with ground pork and topped thinly sliced scallions.

This clean-tasting, simple miso soup from chef Chris Fischer is made with dashi, a fish broth reinforced here with kombu and bonito flakes. Get the recipe for Miso Soup with Scallions and Shiso »

Chengdu noodle shop owner Ma Yingjun shared his recipe for this dish of stewed pork over noodles. See Matt Gross’s article Flavors of Sichuan for information on hard-to-find ingredients.

Any root vegetable—squash, carrots, turnips, potatoes—can be used to make this silky, umami-rich soup from award-winning Japanese cookbook author Hiroko Shimbo. Get the recipe for Makombu-Squash Soup »

A homemade chicken broth flavored with ginger, garlic, and scallions, is the key to this soup’s richness.

Of Fukien origins, this noodle dish is now synonymous with Tainan—thanks to the expertise of noodle cooks like those at Slow Season, who gave us this recipe.