Dark mustard oil beef curry
Kala means black, and that is the colour you are aiming for: Chittagong's kala bhuna is beef that is first cooked with spices until tender and then fried and stirred, patiently, for the best part of an hour until the pieces turn dark brown to nearly black and the masala clings to them like a crust. It is a dish from the port city's wedding and Eid kitchens, now a fixture of Chittagong restaurants in Dhaka, eaten with plain rice, khichuri or rice-flour chitoi ruti. The taste is deep and roasted, sharp with mustard oil, black pepper and a little nutmeg and mace, with no gravy at all. The most common slip is turning up the heat to speed up the blackening, which burns the spices bitter rather than caramelising the meat. Chef's tip: it improves overnight, so make it a day ahead and re-fry it briefly before serving.
A new country every day, from every cuisine on the site.
A light Indo-Chinese style fried rice: cooked rice tossed over a medium-high heat with shredded cabbage, french beans, carrots, celery and spring onions, seasoned simply with soy sauce. Serve with sweet and sour vegetables, sweet and sour sauce and chillies in vinegar.
A simple, fresh one-pot rice: chickpeas, beans, peas and cauliflower cooked with turmeric and green chilli, brightened with plenty of chopped mint and a squeeze of lemon. Serve hot with yogurt.
A comforting one-pot khichda of rice, green gram and pigeon pea lentils with little cubes of potato, cooked in cumin-scented ghee with ginger and green chilli. It's soft and mild, everyday food. Serve with Gujarati kadhi or plain yogurt.
The everyday Gujarati khichdi: rice and husked pigeon pea lentils cooked soft with turmeric in a ghee tempering of cumin, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and asafoetida. It's simple, soothing and nourishing. Serve hot with Gujarati kadhi.
A festive, baked khichdi: rice and pigeon pea lentils are cooked with cumin and tinted with saffron, then layered with a garlicky onion and yogurt gravy and crisp ghee-fried onions. It comes out of the oven fragrant and rich. Serve hot with plain yogurt.
Bright green parathas: the dough is kneaded with puréed spinach and lemon, then filled with a gently spiced stuffing of crushed peas, grated cauliflower and crumbled paneer and cooked on a hot griddle. Soft inside with crisp spots outside. Serve hot with yogurt and chutneys.
A colourful, mildly spiced rice cooked in puréed tomatoes and coconut milk with carrots, peas and french beans. Creamy coconut softens the tang of the tomatoes. Garnish with coriander, tomato slices and coconut, and serve with masala yogurt.
A traditional vegetarian biryani with whole baby potatoes cooked in a fragrant paste of onion, coriander seeds, poppy seeds, aniseed and warm spices, layered with saffron rice and crisp browned onions, then slowly baked. Serve hot with masala yogurt.
A fresh, green pullao: sprouted green gram cooked with whole spices, mixed with rice and a vivid paste of coriander, mint, coconut and green chilli, then layered with whisked yogurt. It's light, herby and full of protein. Serve warm.
A rich party pullao: cardamom-and-cumin rice baked in layers with crisp paneer and potato koftas simmered in a tangy tomato and curd gravy. The top is scattered with browned onions and fried cashews. Serve hot with masala yogurt.
A quick vegetable biryani made in a pressure cooker: peas, carrots, potatoes, beans and tomatoes cooked with fresh coconut, yogurt and gentle spices, then steamed with the rice until each grain is separate. Finish it with crisp potato chips and fried vegetables. Serve with masala yogurt.
A bright, quick rice dish: boiled rice gently mixed with sweetcorn and julienned red and green capsicum tempered with cumin and curry leaves, sharpened with lemon juice. It's light and colourful. Serve with plain yogurt or masala yogurt.
A crowd-pleasing baked rice: fluffy grains mixed with steamed vegetables and three colours of capsicum cooked in a gingery tomato and yogurt masala, then covered with cheddar and baked until bubbling. Children love it. Serve it hot, on its own or with a salad.
Here the rice is 'brown' because sugar is caramelised in the oil before the rice goes in, which gives it a deep golden colour and a gentle toasty sweetness. It's layered with crisp matchstick vegetables tossed in a sharp, spicy vinegar marinade and ketchup, then baked. A good party dish; serve it with yogurt or raita.
Five kinds of lentil cooked together, then simmered in a gravy of browned onion, tomato, garlic and ginger under a fragrant tempering of cumin, cloves, cinnamon, red chillies and curry leaves. It's thick, hearty and full of protein. Serve hot mixed dal with chapaties or paratha.
A light, everyday dal of husked and whole masoor lentils cooked with onion, tomato, ginger and garlic, blended smooth and seasoned with jaggery and lemon. A simple cumin and asafoetida tempering finishes it. Serve hot masoor dal with stuffed potato paratha.
A quicker bhatura that needs no long rising: soaked bread and yogurt with a pinch of bicarbonate make the dough soft and puffy, and wholemeal flour and fresh fenugreek add flavour. Deep fried until golden, they're ideal with channa paneer masala.
Fresh sweetcorn is ground to a smooth paste with ginger and chilli and cooked into thin, lacy pancakes, covered so they steam and turn light brown. They're naturally gluten free and sweet-savoury. Serve hot with tomato ketchup or mint chutney.
Crisp brown-sugar biscuit rings sandwiched with an orange butter cream, then half dipped in melted chocolate and sprinkled with chopped pistachio. They look like they came from a smart bakery and are perfect for gifting.
Rich, crunchy biscuits made with equal weights of flour, sugar, butter, cashews and desiccated coconut. Simple to make and very more-ish with tea or coffee.
A small, moist chocolate cake made without eggs, using condensed milk and fresh orange juice and rind for a lovely chocolate-orange flavour. Serve with chocolate sauce.
An eggless carrot cake made with condensed milk and oil, with chopped cashews, mixed peel and cinnamon. Moist and lightly spiced; serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped fresh cream.
A rich coffee and cocoa ring cake made moist with ground almonds and sour cream, spread with a coffee butter icing and toasted flaked almonds. Contains egg.
Crisp, golden finger biscuits flavoured with aniseed, made in the book with a biscuit press (No. 4 disc) to give long ridged strips. Without a press, shape small ovals and mark them with a fork.
A soft eggless cake with chopped banana, passion fruit pulp, cashews and yogurt, lifted with a little cider vinegar. It is served with a passion fruit custard sauce, so it makes a good warm pudding as well as a tea-time cake.
A moist, oil-based carrot cake spiced with cinnamon and full of chopped nuts and mixed peel. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream. For a change, use 2 cups drained, chopped tinned pineapple instead of the peel. Contains egg.
Wholemeal pastry sweetened only with honey, sandwiching a thick filling of dates, lemon and mixed nuts. Glazed with milk and sprinkled with sugar, it is like a home-made fig roll in slice form.
An eggless coffee sponge made with condensed milk, split and soaked in a cocoa, coffee and brandy glaze, then filled and covered with vanilla whipped cream, flaked almonds and grated chocolate. A grand party cake; use brandy essence instead of brandy for an alcohol-free version.
Quick no-bake squares of crushed digestive or marie biscuits, chopped cashews and almonds, bound with butter, golden syrup and drinking chocolate. Ready in two hours with no oven.
Crisp, lemony biscuits flecked with passion fruit seeds and glacé ginger, sandwiched with a passion fruit butter cream and dusted with icing sugar. A tangy, tropical treat for tea parties.
A chocolate cornflake base, a layer of peppermint icing (tinted green if you like), and a smooth topping of cooking chocolate. The book uses Scotbloc cooking chocolate; any plain cooking chocolate works.
A cinnamon and lemon honey shortbread base, spread with a lemony condensed-milk coconut filling and topped with grated frozen dough and cinnamon sugar. Crisp on top, soft and tangy in the middle.
A slice version of florentines: a layer of dark chocolate topped with a chewy bake of cornflakes, almonds, glacé cherries and sultanas bound with condensed milk. Cut into small squares; it is rich.
A no-bake white chocolate slice full of crunchy rice crisps, currants, mixed peel and toasted almonds. Children love helping to make it.
Crunchy muesli bars of oats, oat bran, coconut and roasted peanuts, held together with honey and crunchy peanut butter. A healthier snack for school or work.
A crisp ginger shortbread base spread with a hot toffee topping of golden syrup, butter, roasted cashews and glacé ginger. Cut into fingers once set.
A chewy, buttery flapjack of oats and coconut with a layer of chopped dried apricots in the middle. Press it firmly so the slices hold together, and leave them to cool in the tray before lifting out.
Crunchy energy bars of oats, rice krispies, bran flakes, pecans, raisins and apricots, baked and then topped with swirled dark and white chocolate. Great for a lunchbox or after sport.
A no-bake chocolate fudge loaf layered with plain biscuits and packed with brazil nuts, ground almonds, apricots, peel and glacé cherries, finished with scribbles of white chocolate. Make it the day before: it needs 8 hours to set. Serve in thin slices.
A chocolate pastry base topped with a chewy brown-sugar, coconut and mixed nut layer, then drizzled with dark chocolate and cut into squares. Rich and satisfying with a cup of coffee.
Wholesome oval biscuits made with wholewheat flour, wheat bran, crushed cornflakes and a mix of seeds, then coated in more sesame and linseed. Crunchy and only lightly sweet, with unrefined sugar.
Golden butter biscuits flavoured the Indian way with saffron and coarsely ground cardamom, each topped with flaked almonds. Light and crisp, they are lovely for Diwali tins and with tea. For plain biscuits leave out the flavourings, or add 1 tsp vanilla essence instead to make vanilla biscuits.
Chewy, golden oat bars bound with butter and golden syrup and studded with walnuts, sultanas and chunks of chocolate. They are cut in the tin and keep well in an air-tight container, so they are handy for lunchboxes.
Pretty slice-and-bake butter biscuits with a chocolate and vanilla chequerboard in the middle, wrapped in a plain border. They take some patience to build, but the dough is simple and the result always impresses on a biscuit plate.
No-bake squares of crushed cornflakes, rice crisps and coconut held together with peanut butter and golden-syrup toffee. Quick to make and great for parties.
Chewy-crisp cookies made with crunchy peanut butter, honey and condensed milk, with rice crisps for crunch and roasted peanuts on top. No creaming needed: everything is melted together.
Buttery cookies with chopped pistachios, crushed rice bubbles, coconut and a hint of chocolate, each topped with more pistachio. Crunchy outside and tender inside.
Chewy brown-sugar cookies loaded with roasted macadamia nuts, white chocolate chunks, oats and coconut. A bakery favourite that is easy to make at home.
Warmly spiced butter biscuits with cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg and a kick of freshly ground black pepper, made rich with ground almonds and cream. Dusted with icing sugar, they are perfect at Christmas.
Hearty wholemeal cookies with rolled oats, mixed nuts and coconut. Pressed with a fork and baked until brown, they are a wholesome tea-time biscuit.
Soft golden butter cookies, brushed with warm plum jam after baking and dipped in desiccated coconut. Bright, simple and loved by children.
Big, crunchy cookies made with jumbo porridge oats and desiccated coconut, then rolled in more oats and coconut before baking. Wholesome and filling, perfect for lunchboxes.
Wholesome, lightly sweet biscuits with wheat bran flakes, wholewheat flour and chopped dates, warmed with nutmeg. A good mid-morning snack.
Classic crunchy ginger biscuits made with golden syrup and plenty of ground ginger. Good for dunking in tea, and they keep for weeks in an air-tight tin.
Showing 54 of 10,569 recipes
Show more recipesPage 1,140 of 1,175
Indian
Italian
French
Chinese
Japanese
Mexican
Korean
Spanish
Peruvian
British
American
