Featured recipe

Borș

Fermented wheat bran sour liquid

Before lemons were common in Moldavian and Wallachian villages, every household kept a crock of borș, the cloudy, tangy liquid that turns a plain soup into a ciorbă. Wheat bran and a little cornmeal are steeped in hot water, seeded with a starter and left to ferment for 3–4 days in total, so although the hands-on work is short, plan a long weekend: the timings shown cover only the first two days of waiting. It is naturally vegan and a staple of the fasting (post) kitchen, where it sours nettle, bean and vegetable ciorbe. Where people go wrong is using a jar that is not properly clean, which lets the wrong microbes win and turns the borș slimy or mouldy. Chef's tip: keep a few spoonfuls of the drained bran, dried, as the starter (huște) for your next batch.

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40 min

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In Chilean homes, huevos a la copa are a weekday breakfast and a sick-day comfort: eggs boiled until the whites are just set and the yolks still runny, then scooped out of their shells into a small glass (the copa), broken up with a spoon, salted and eaten with warm marraqueta for dipping. The common mistake is timing from cold water, which makes the result unpredictable; lower the eggs into water that is already boiling. Runny yolks are not suitable for pregnant people, young children, older or vulnerable people; for them, boil the eggs for 9–10 minutes until fully set. If you need it gluten free, serve with gluten-free bread. Chef's tip: a tiny knob of butter stirred into the hot egg in the glass makes it silky.

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Mag ni dal ni khichdi for babiesMoong dal khichdi for babies

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50 min

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Ash-e shalghamTurnip and rice soup

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65 min

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ChigumuBanana maize cake

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75 minSouthern African Baking

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Vary sosoaRice soup with greens

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40 min

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15 minSouthern African Drinks

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50 min

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13 min

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20 min

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140 min

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Maquereaux au vin blancMackerel in white wine

In Brittany and Normandy, mackerel in white wine is a summer starter and picnic dish, made when the boats come in heavy with silver fish in June and July; cafés serve it cold with bread and butter. Fillets are laid in a dish and a hot marinade of white wine, vinegar, carrot, onion, coriander seed and bay is poured over to cook them gently, then they chill for a day. Oily fish, high in protein and suitable as part of a balanced diet; serve with a green salad or a few boiled new potatoes. About 300 kcal and 4 g carbohydrate per portion. It cooks with wine, which boils for 5 minutes; for an alcohol-free version use vegetable stock and add 2 extra tablespoons of vinegar. The usual mistake is using fish that is not very fresh: the eyes should be bright and the flesh firm. Chef's tip: check the thickest fillet after the hot marinade; if it is not opaque, simmer the dish on the hob for 2 minutes.

30 min

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MarraquetaCrusty split bread rolls

Chileans eat more bread than almost anyone, and in Santiago the bread is marraqueta (called pan batido or pan francés in other cities): a crackling, airy roll made of two twin halves, each scored deep so the whole thing breaks into four pieces. It is bought warm from the corner bakery for breakfast and for once, the evening tea, and filled with avocado, cheese or butter. The most common mistake at home is baking without steam: the crust comes out pale and leathery instead of thin and shattering. Chef's tip: press the oiled handle of a wooden spoon right down into each pair of balls, almost to the work surface; a shallow groove disappears as the roll rises.

180 min

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Martín FierroCheese with quince paste

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5 min

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Atol shucoSour black corn drink

In San Salvador's Plaza Libertad and outside churches on cool mornings, atol shuco is ladled from steaming clay pots into gourd bowls. Shuco means 'dirty', for its dusky purple-grey colour: it is made from fermented black corn, so it tastes slightly sour and earthy, topped with ground toasted pumpkin seeds, a few whole black beans and a pinch of chilli salt. It is savoury and filling rather than sweet. The usual mistake is leaving the masa to ferment too long in a hot kitchen; check it after a day and use it as soon as it smells pleasantly tangy. Throw it away if you see mould or it smells unpleasant. Chef's tip: if you can't wait for fermentation, a squeeze of lime at the end gives a similar tang.

40 minCentral American Drinks

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Rum ballsChocolate rum balls

Rum balls are the grown-ups' Christmas sweet in Australia, rolled by the trayful in December and handed round at end-of-year parties from Sydney to Perth. They are made from chocolate cake crumbs or crushed biscuits, condensed milk, cocoa and dark rum, rolled in coconut. They contain alcohol and are for adults only; for children or anyone avoiding alcohol, use rum essence and a splash of orange juice instead. A common mistake is a mix that's too wet; chill it before rolling. Chef's tip: make them a day ahead so the flavours mellow.

30 min

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Mashed matooke for babiesMashed green banana for babies

Matooke, the green cooking banana trucked into Kampala's Owino and Nakasero markets in great bunches, is Uganda's everyday staple, and the first food most Ugandan babies eat. The fingers are peeled, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed until they turn soft and golden, then mashed with a little of the steaming water into a smooth, mild, slightly earthy purée. Families feed it at the midday meal, on its own at first and later with groundnut sauce. Nothing is added for babies: no salt, sugar or honey. It is free of the major allergens. Chef's tip: oil your hands and knife before peeling; green matooke oozes a sticky sap that stains skin and boards.

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In Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj, in the far west of Bangladesh, mashkalai dal is eaten with thick kalai ruti flatbreads and a fiery bhorta, especially on winter mornings and evenings. Split black gram is cooked until creamy and slightly sticky, flavoured with ginger, then crowned with onion and garlic fried crisp in mustard oil. It is filling and earthy with a gentle heat. The usual mistake is boiling it too hard: mashkalai foams over and catches, so keep the lid ajar and the heat low. Chef's tip: fry the onion and garlic separately and add them just before serving, so they stay crisp on top of the dal.

50 min

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45 min

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MatbuchaCooked tomato and pepper relish

Matbucha came to Israel with Moroccan Jewish families, and it is on almost every Friday-night and Shabbat table among the salads served with challah, as well as in Jerusalem breakfast spreads. Ripe tomatoes and roasted peppers cook down slowly with garlic, chilli and olive oil for over an hour, until thick, sweet, jammy and spicy. Eat it as a dip, beside eggs or grilled fish, or spooned over beans. Suitable as part of a balanced diet. About 90 kcal and 8 g carbohydrate per portion. The pinch of sugar is optional, and a sweetener works too. The usual mistake is rushing it on high heat: it catches and tastes scorched instead of sweet. Chef's tip: stir more often in the last 20 minutes, when the sauce turns glossy and starts to spit; that's when it's nearly done.

110 min

Israeli Chutneys & Dips

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Bred songeBraised taro leaves

Songe is the island's name for the taro plant, and its big heart-shaped leaves end up in many Creole and Indo-Mauritian kitchens on a weekday night, braised down into a dark, silky tangle that tastes somewhere between spinach and artichoke. Buy the leaves from an Indian or Asian grocer, where they are sold as arbi or patra leaves; never pick them wild. Raw taro leaves contain needle-like crystals that make the mouth and throat prickle, and the commonest mistake is pulling them off the heat too soon, so they are blanched first and then cooked until completely soft, with a little tamarind to help. Spoon it next to rice, dholl and a fresh chatini, or tuck it into a farata. Chef's tip: taste a small piece before serving; if you feel even a faint scratch at the back of the throat, cover the pan and give it another five minutes.

40 min

Mauritian Sides

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Bouillon brèdeGreens broth

Ask a Mauritian what they eat when they are tired or under the weather and the answer is often a bowl of bouillon brède: a clear, gingery broth with soft greens, poured over plain rice next to a fried fish or a dish of lentils. The greens change with the market, from petsai (Chinese leaves) to watercress, pak choi or the leaves of the chayote vine, and the broth is never thickened, so it stays clean and almost sweet. It is done in under twenty minutes, which is why it turns up on so many weeknight tables from Rose-Hill to Mahébourg. People often boil the greens until they turn khaki and stringy; add them at the end and stop as soon as the stems are just tender. Chef's tip: crush the garlic and ginger, don't chop them, and fry them for just a minute so the broth smells warm without turning brown.

20 min

Mauritian Soups

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AyampacoLeaf-steamed chicken and palm heart

From Macas and the Shuar communities of Morona Santiago comes ayampaco: chicken with palm heart, garlic, culantro and spring onion wrapped in bijao leaves and cooked over the fire, so everything steams together into a fragrant, juicy bundle. It is a celebration dish at festivals and family gatherings, served with boiled cassava and a sharp chilli sauce. Banana leaves stand in for bijao at home. The usual mistake is packing the parcels too full, so the middle stays undercooked; keep them flat and check the chicken reaches 74 °C. Chef's tip: let the chicken marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes so the garlic and herbs flavour it right through.

75 minAndean Chicken

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Glaçon râpéShaved ice with syrups

On a hot Sunday at Flic en Flac or Mon Choisy, families queue at the glaçon râpé man, who shaves a block of ice into a cup, then pours over bright red and green syrups and, if you ask, a thick ribbon of sweetened condensed milk. The ice should be fluffy and dry like fresh snow, so the syrup sinks in and streaks the colours together, and the condensed milk turns the bottom of the cup into a sweet, milky slush. A home blender makes a fine version if the ice is very cold; the common mistake is using ice straight from a bag that has half-thawed, which turns to watery slush. Chef's tip: put the cups and the blender jug in the freezer for 20 minutes first, then pulse in short bursts rather than running the motor.

10 min

Mauritian Desserts

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MerengadaStrawberry milk shake

Ask for a batido in Venezuela and you get fruit blended with water; ask for a merengada and it comes with milk, frothy and pale. The name is said to come from the old habit of beating in a little egg white like a meringue, which few cooks do now. Every panadería and fuente de soda from Maracaibo to Barcelona has a row of fruits on the counter, and strawberry from the Andes of Mérida, banana and guava are the favourites, ordered with a cachito or a pastelito at breakfast or as an after-school treat. A good merengada is cold, light and foamy, tasting clearly of fruit, not just of sweet milk. The common mistake is too little ice and too much milk, which gives a thin, warm drink with no froth. Blend the fruit with part of the milk first until perfectly smooth, then add the ice and the rest of the milk and blend hard. It is ready when a thick layer of pink foam sits on top and no fruit pieces are left. Banana or guava (strain the guava for seeds) work the same way. Chef's tip: frozen strawberries make it frostier; cut the ice by half if you use them.

5 min

Venezuelan Drinks

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