Featured recipe

Gavurdağı salatası

Tomato, pepper and walnut salad

Named after the mountains east of Gaziantep, this is the salad that lands on every kebab-house table in the city, chopped so fine it is almost a relish. Tomatoes, onion, green pepper and parsley meet toasted walnuts, sumac and a sour-sweet dressing of pomegranate molasses and olive oil. It cuts through rich grilled meat or bulgur, and is just as good scooped up with flatbread as a meze. Dress it just before serving; if it sits, the salt pulls water from the tomatoes and it swims. Chef's tip: deseed the tomatoes and dice everything to the size of a lentil so each spoonful has a bit of all of it.

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Café con lecheCoffee with hot milk

Every morning from Havana to Miami's Little Havana, breakfast is a big cup of café con leche with a length of buttered, pressed Cuban bread (tostada) to dunk in it. A moka pot of dark espresso-style coffee is whipped with sugar into a pale foam, the espumita, and poured into a mug of hot, lightly salted milk. The usual mistake is boiling the milk, which gives it a skin and a cooked taste; heat it only until it steams. Coffee contains caffeine, so this is a grown-up drink; children traditionally get a cup that is mostly milk. Chef's tip: whisk the first few drops of coffee hard with the sugar to a thick paste before adding the rest; that is what makes the creamy espumita on top.

10 min

Cuban Drinks

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Frijoles coladosStrained black beans

Every cocina económica and family kitchen in Mérida keeps a pot of frijoles colados for the midday meal, the smooth, almost soupy black beans that sit beside cochinita, poc chuc, eggs or simply rice and tortillas across the Yucatán. The beans are cooked soft with epazote, pushed through a sieve, then simmered with onion fried until sweet. Traditionally the onion is fried in pork lard; this version uses oil so it is vegan. The usual mistake is straining beans that are not fully cooked, which gives a gritty, floury purée, so cook them until they crush with no effort. Chef's tip: drop a whole habanero into the simmering purée for 5 minutes for perfume without much heat, then fish it out.

120 min

Mexican Sides

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Đậu hũ khoBraised tofu with shiitake

Đậu hũ kho is the vegetarian cousin of the caramel braises (kho) cooked in clay pots all over Vietnam, and in the south it is a standard of Buddhist fasting days and a good companion for a pot of rice through the week. Golden fried tofu and chewy shiitake are braised in a dark caramel, soy sauce and coconut water until the sauce turns sticky, salty-sweet and peppery. Serve with steamed rice, a plate of fresh cucumber and a light soup. The usual mistake is letting the caramel go too dark, which makes the whole dish bitter; stop when it is the colour of strong tea. Chef's tip: coconut water gives a rounder sweetness than plain water, and the braise keeps for 3 days in the fridge.

35 min

Vietnamese Vegetarian

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BahoSteamed beef, plantain and cassava

Baho, also spelled vaho, is the dish Nicaraguan families plan a Sunday around, especially in Granada and Managua: beef marinated overnight in sour orange and garlic, then steamed for hours in a big pot lined with banana leaves on a bed of green plantain, ripe plantain and cassava. Everything comes out tender and fragrant with the leaves, and it is served with a crunchy, vinegary cabbage salad to cut through the richness. Marinate the beef in the fridge, never at room temperature. The mistake that ruins it is letting the pot boil dry, which scorches the leaves and the plantain at the bottom; top up the water every hour. Chef's tip: keep a few banana leaves back to tuck over the top, so the steam stays trapped inside the parcel.

250 minCentral American Meat

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Badam ka halwaAlmond halwa

In Jaipur, badam ka halwa came out of the royal kitchens and now appears at winter weddings and on cold nights when someone wants a real treat. Soaked, peeled almonds are ground to a coarse paste and cooked slowly in ghee with milk, sugar and saffron until the halwa turns golden, glossy and leaves the sides of the pan. It is very rich, so a small bowl is enough. The common mistake is grinding the almonds too fine, which gives a pasty halwa instead of a soft, grainy one. Chef's tip: stop grinding when the almonds look like wet semolina and add the milk only during grinding, never water.

55 min

Indian Indian Sweets

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Bagoong alamangFried krill paste

Across Luzon, a jar of ginisang bagoong sits in nearly every kitchen. In the hot months from March to May, when green mangoes are sour and crisp, it becomes the classic merienda: thin slices of unripe mango dragged through sweet, salty, garlicky shrimp paste, often shared on a porch in the afternoon. It is also the essential partner to kare-kare and the base of binagoongang baboy. Raw salted alamang (tiny krill or shrimp) is sold pink and wet; frying it with garlic, onion and tomato, then sugar and cane vinegar, turns it deep reddish brown, thick, glossy and rounded, with the briny punch still there. The raw paste is a raw-cured seafood, so this recipe always cooks it right through; pregnant people, babies, older people and anyone with weak immunity should only eat bagoong that has been fully sautéed and kept cold. Common mistake: high heat after the sugar goes in, which scorches it and turns the bagoong bitter. Keep it at a medium-low simmer. It is ready when the oil separates and shines on top and it smells toasty rather than fishy. Chef's tip: a few slivers of crisp pork belly fried first make it richer.

40 min

Filipino Chutneys & Dips

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Kothamalli sadam (coriander rice)

Chennai mothers turn a big bunch of coriander into this bright green rice when they want a lunch box that looks fresh and smells of the market. The leaves and stems are ground with green chilli, coconut, ginger and a little tamarind, then fried in oil until the raw grassy smell goes and the paste turns a deeper green. The mistake is adding the paste and the rice together: the paste stays raw and the rice goes dull and sour. Cook the paste first until it leaves the sides of the pan. Chef's tip: keep the coriander stems; they carry more flavour than the leaves and grind into a smoother paste.

25 min

Indian Rice & Grains

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Bajre ki raabdiFermented pearl millet buttermilk porridge

In the villages of Haryana and the Rajasthan border, raabdi is drunk at midday in May and June to keep cool in the fields. Pearl-millet flour is stirred into buttermilk and left to ferment for a few hours, then cooked slowly until thick, cooled in a clay pot and thinned with more buttermilk and salt. It tastes tangy and earthy, a little like a savoury porridge you can drink. Ferment at warm room temperature (25–32 °C) for 4–6 hours: it should smell pleasantly sour with a few bubbles. Throw it away if you see pink, black or furry mould or it smells rotten or of nail varnish. The common mistake is cooking on high heat, which scorches the millet and leaves raw lumps. Chef's tip: keep the cooked raabdi in the fridge and drink it within 2 days, thinning each glass to taste.

35 min

Indian Drinks

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Masu zushiPressed trout sushi

Masu zushi is Toyama's famous ekiben, the boxed lunch sold at the station for the train ride: a round, flat cake of vinegared rice pressed under a layer of salted, vinegar-cured trout and wrapped in bright green bamboo leaves, cut into wedges like a pie. The fish is cured but raw, so use only fish sold as safe to eat raw and previously frozen, and keep everything cold; this version is not for pregnant women, young children or anyone with a weakened immune system. For a safer version, use hot-smoked trout fillet instead, which is fully cooked. The usual mistake is pressing the rice while it is still warm, which turns it mushy; cool it to body temperature first. Chef's tip: press the cake for a full hour under a heavy weight so it slices cleanly, then cut it with a wet knife.

85 min

Japanese Fish

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ChhwelaGrilled chicken with mustard oil

Chhwela (also called choila) is a Newar dish from the Kathmandu Valley, served at festivals, feasts and family gatherings, and today in every bar and snack house as a spicy side. Meat is grilled until smoky, cut small and tossed with a dressing of spices and fenugreek seeds fried in smoking mustard oil, plus raw garlic, ginger, chilli, timur pepper and lime. Buffalo is traditional; this version uses chicken, and lean beef works too. It is high in protein and suitable as part of a balanced diet; eat it with a salad of cucumber and radish rather than a big pile of beaten rice. About 290 kcal and 5 g carbohydrate per portion. The usual mistake is pouring the mustard oil on before it smokes, which leaves a raw, harsh taste. Chef's tip: grill the meat until well charred at the edges, because the smokiness is the point.

45 min

Nepali Chicken

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Cà ri chayVegetarian sweet potato curry

Cà ri chay is served at Buddhist temples and vegetarian restaurants across Saigon and the Mekong Delta, and many families cook it at home on rằm days, the first and fifteenth of the lunar month, when they eat no meat. Sweet potato and taro soften into a golden, lemongrass-scented coconut curry with fried tofu and meaty oyster mushrooms; it is mild and fragrant rather than fiery. Mop it up with a crusty baguette, or ladle it over rice vermicelli. The usual mistake is putting all the vegetables in at once: the sweet potato dissolves before the taro is cooked. Chef's tip: fry the taro and sweet potato briefly before simmering, which seals the outside so the chunks hold their shape in the sauce.

55 min

Vietnamese Curries

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TenmusuPrawn tempura rice balls

Tenmusu, short for tempura musubi, began in Tsu and became a Nagoya speciality: small salted rice balls with a crisp little prawn tempura poking out of the top, wrapped in nori and sold in boxes at Nagoya Station as a travel lunch. The common mistake is wrapping hot, crunchy tempura straight into the rice, so it steams soft; let it cool on a rack first. Use raw prawns that smell of the sea; throw away any that smell of ammonia. Chef's tip: brush the cooled tempura with a quick sweet soy dip before you shape the rice round it, which is the Nagoya secret to its flavour.

45 min

Japanese Fish

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BourrideFish stew with garlic sauce

Bourride is the fish stew of Sète and the Provençal coast, a quieter, creamier cousin of bouillabaisse eaten for Friday lunch and summer dinners by the sea. Firm white fish poaches in a broth of fennel, leek, orange peel and thyme, then the broth is thickened with a rich garlic aïoli until it turns silky and pale gold. It is high in protein and suitable as part of a balanced diet; skip the traditional bread or keep it to one thin slice, and serve with steamed greens. About 400 kcal and 8 g carbohydrate per portion. The usual mistake is letting the broth boil after the aïoli goes in, which splits it like scrambled egg. Chef's tip: use pasteurised egg yolks, and stir the broth over a low heat until it coats a spoon and reaches about 72 °C.

50 min

French Fish

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NoribenSeaweed and fish cake bento

Noriben is the humblest and most nostalgic Japanese packed lunch: rice spread with okaka (bonito flakes in soy) and covered with a whole sheet of nori, sometimes twice in layers, then topped with something fried such as chikuwa fish cake or white fish. Convenience stores and bento shops across Japan sell it for a few hundred yen. The usual mistake is laying the nori on steaming rice and closing the lid, which leaves it soggy and torn; let the rice cool a little first. Chef's tip: snip the nori into a few strips before it goes on, so it is easy to bite through with chopsticks.

15 min

Japanese Rice & Grains

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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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Ayote en mielSquash in spiced syrup

Nicaraguan grandmothers set a pot of ayote en miel on the stove on Holy Wednesday, so there is something sweet to share with neighbours right through Easter week, often alongside sweet green mango and coconut. Chunks of squash simmer in dark panela syrup with cinnamon, cloves and allspice until they are glossy and tender and the syrup tastes of caramel and spice. Stirring is the common mistake: a spoon breaks the soft squash into mush, so shake the pot instead. Chef's tip: leave the skin on the squash; it holds each piece together and turns soft enough to eat.

75 minCentral American Desserts

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Bachali kura pappuDal with Malabar spinach

Bachali, or Malabar spinach, climbs over back walls all across Telangana and Andhra, and its thick, glossy leaves go into this everyday pappu that turns up at lunch several times a month with rice, ghee and a pickle. The leaves give the dal a silky body and a faint lemony note. People often overcook it until the greens turn khaki; add them after the dal is soft and cook just long enough to wilt. Chef's tip: use the tender stems too, chopped small; they add a pleasant crunch.

35 min

Indian Curries

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Bandar ladduGram flour and jaggery balls

Bandar laddu is named after Bandar, the old name of Machilipatnam on the Andhra coast, and it is the sweet families carry home after a trip there, offer at Sankranti and give at weddings. Gram-flour pearls are fried, then pounded with jaggery syrup and ghee until the mixture turns dense, smooth and fudgy, unlike the grainy besan laddu of the north. The common mistake is not cooking the jaggery syrup far enough: it needs to reach the soft-ball stage, or the laddus slump and turn sticky. Chef's tip: pound the mix while it is still warm, in batches, in a heavy mortar or food processor, until it clumps when pressed.

60 min

Indian Indian Sweets

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AsierSweet dill pickled cucumbers

Late August in Danish allotments means the asie, a fat yellow-green cucumber left on the vine until its skin turns thick and its seeds big, and the smell of hot vinegar in every kitchen. The cucumbers are peeled, seeded and salted overnight, then sealed in jars with a sweet vinegar lage, dill crowns and mustard seeds. Asier are a fixture of the Danish table all winter: beside frikadeller, flæskesteg and roast duck at Christmas, sliced onto smørrebrød with liver pâté, and with boiled potatoes and brown gravy on any Tuesday. The pickle is crisp yet tender, sweet first and then sharply sour, with dill and mustard on the finish. Common mistake: skipping the overnight salting, which leaves watery, flabby asier that dilute the vinegar. The salt draws the water out so the cucumber stays firm. They are ready after two weeks, when the flesh has turned translucent and sweet-sour right through. Chef's tip: no asier? Use large, overgrown ridge or field cucumbers; ordinary salad cucumbers are too watery.

55 minScandinavian Chutneys & Dips

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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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CuchuflíFilled wafer tubes

Cuchuflí are the thin, crisp wafer tubes filled with manjar that vendors sell from baskets on Chilean beaches and outside football stadiums, and that children beg for at the Fiestas Patrias fondas. At home you can bake the wafers yourself and roll them round a wooden spoon handle. The usual mistake is waiting too long to roll them: the wafers set within seconds and crack. Bake only three at a time. Chef's tip: fill them with a piping bag just before serving, or the manjar softens the wafer; dip the ends in melted chocolate if you like.

30 min

Chilean Desserts

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Asal-o-khamehClotted cream and honey on flatbread

On Friday mornings in Tehran and Isfahan, families queue at the bakery for hot barbari or sangak, then come home to a treat: thick clotted cream, called khameh or sarshir, drizzled with honey and scooped up with the warm bread, alongside glasses of black tea. The mistake is serving it with cold bread; the warmth is what softens the cream into the honey. Honey is not suitable for babies under one. Chef's tip: let the cream sit out for 10 minutes and spread it first, then drizzle the honey in a thin stream so you get sweet ribbons rather than a puddle.

8 min

Persian Breakfast & Brunch

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Ash-e shalghamTurnip and rice soup

In Tehran and Mashhad homes, ash-e shalgham is the pot put on the stove when someone in the family catches a cold in the first frosts of winter. Turnips and rice are simmered together until the turnips melt and the rice thickens the soup, which ends up soft, sweet and peppery, with a fried-onion and turmeric base. Many families add a little lamb; this one is vegan. The usual mistake is using big, old turnips, which taste bitter and woody; choose small, heavy ones. Chef's tip: grate half the turnips and dice the rest, so the soup is creamy yet still has pieces to bite.

65 min

Persian Soups

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Finger bunsIced coconut finger buns

Finger buns are the classic Australian school canteen and tuckshop bun, sold in every suburban bakery and supermarket from Perth to Brisbane: soft, slightly sweet long rolls, sometimes with sultanas, topped with bright pink icing and a scatter of desiccated coconut. Kids eat them split and buttered. A common mistake is icing them warm, which makes it run off; let them cool completely. Chef's tip: brush them with a sugar glaze straight from the oven for a soft, shiny crust under the icing.

45 min

Australian Baking

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Menchi katsuCrumbed meat patties

Menchi katsu, a juicy mince patty of beef and pork in a crisp panko coat, is sold hot at Tokyo butchers' shops like the famous ones in Kichijoji and packed cold in bento across Japan, with shredded cabbage and a drizzle of tonkatsu sauce. Sweet fried onion makes the inside tender. The common mistake is frying in oil that is too hot, so the crumb burns before the pork and beef in the middle are cooked. Chef's tip: chill the shaped patties for 20 minutes before crumbing so they keep their shape and stay juicy.

45 min

Japanese Meat

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TsukuneChicken meatball skewers

Tsukune are the minced chicken patties of yakitori bars all over Japan, and squashed into small ovals they are one of the most loved bento fillers, eaten cold at school or the office. Ginger and spring onion keep them fresh, and a glossy soy tare makes them sticky and sweet. The tare uses mirin, a sweet rice wine; most of its alcohol cooks off as it bubbles, and for an alcohol-free glaze use 1 tbsp sugar and 2 tbsp water instead. The common mistake is a loose mix that falls apart in the pan; knead it until sticky. Chef's tip: add a spoon of grated tofu or potato starch to the mince, which keeps the patties juicy even the next day.

30 min

Japanese Chicken

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Arroz con queso cruceñoCreamy baked cheese rice

Lunch tables in Santa Cruz and Beni regularly carry a dish of arroz con queso next to the grilled meat: rice cooked soft and stirred with milk, butter and plenty of crumbled lowland cheese, then baked until the top turns golden. Cruceño cooks serve it with fried plantain and a tomato salad. Local cheese is usually made with animal rennet, so use a vegetarian mild Cheddar or a feta-style cheese if you need one. The most common mistake is draining the rice; it needs its starch to turn creamy. Chef's tip: hold back a third of the cheese and scatter it on top just before baking, so you get a melted core and a browned crust.

50 minAndean Rice & Grains

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Arroz e feijão amassadinho for babiesMashed rice and beans for babies

Rice and beans are on almost every lunch plate in Brazil, from São Paulo office canteens to family tables in Minas Gerais, and babies join in from about eight or nine months with an amassadinho, a soft fork-mashed version. The beans are simmered with a little onion, garlic and bay leaf for flavour instead of salt, bacon or stock cubes, then mashed into soft rice with their thick broth. It is creamy, earthy and filling. It is free of the major allergens: no milk, egg, gluten, nuts, soya, sesame or fish. Chef's tip: mash the beans well and press them through a sieve the first few times; the skins are the part babies find hardest.

50 min

Brazilian Rice & Grains

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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

Australian Desserts

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Torta de chile rellenoStuffed poblano sandwich

At Mexico City's torta stands and school gates, the chile relleno torta is the meat-free favourite: a whole poblano, roasted, peeled, stuffed with melting cheese, dipped in fluffy egg batter and fried, then pressed into a bolillo spread with refried beans and salsa. People buy them warm mid-morning or wrap them in foil for lunch. The common mistake is frying a wet chile: the batter slides off, so pat it dry and dust it with flour first. Oaxaca cheese and Monterey Jack are often made with animal rennet, so choose a vegetarian melting cheese, and check the refried beans are made without lard. Chef's tip: beat the egg whites to stiff peaks before folding in the yolks; that airy capeado is what makes it puff and stay crisp.

60 min

Mexican Fast Food

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Tarta de zapallitosCourgette and cheese tart

In Buenos Aires every rotisería sells tartas by the slice, and at home a tarta de zapallitos is baked on Sunday evening so that a wedge can go into the vianda (packed lunch) for school and work all week. Zapallitos are round green courgettes; ordinary courgettes work just as well. The common mistake is adding the courgette raw, which floods the pastry; sauté it until the liquid has cooked away. Argentine queso rallado and many hard cheeses are made with animal rennet, so use a vegetarian hard cheese. Chef's tip: bake the tart on a preheated baking tray so the base crisps before the filling soaks in.

70 min

Argentinian Baking

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Arrollado huasoRolled spiced pork belly

Arrollado huaso, the 'countryman's roll', is the pork belly roll of the Central Valley: a flat piece of pork belly spread with ají paste, garlic and cumin, rolled tight, tied and wrapped, then simmered for hours and sliced cold. It is the star of September fondas and Christmas tables, sliced thin with hot bread, pebre and boiled potatoes. The mistake that spoils it is a loose roll, which unwinds and cooks unevenly; tie it every 3 cm. Chef's tip: cool it overnight in its cooking liquid with a weight on top; it sets firm and slices into neat spirals. The pork must reach 71 °C in the centre, as the rolled-in surface is now inside.

190 min

Chilean Meat

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Curried egg sandwich

A school canteen and church-fete favourite across Australia, the curried egg sandwich is soft white or wholemeal bread filled with hard-boiled egg mashed with mayonnaise and a little mild curry powder, often with lettuce or cress. It goes into lunch boxes cut into fingers. The common mistake is mashing the eggs while warm, which turns the mayonnaise oily and the filling runny; let them cool completely. Chef's tip: warm the curry powder in a dry pan for 20 seconds first, and the raw, dusty taste turns sweet and toasty.

20 min

Australian Snacks & Starters

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Aussie salad sandwich

The salad sandwich is the backbone of the Australian lunchbox and the school tuckshop order: soft bread built up with tinned beetroot, grated carrot, tasty cheese, tomato and crisp lettuce, cut into triangles and wrapped in paper. Beetroot is what makes it unmistakably Aussie. The common mistake is laying wet beetroot and tomato straight on bare bread, so by lunchtime it is pink and soggy. Many Cheddar-style "tasty" cheeses use animal rennet; choose one labelled vegetarian. Chef's tip: butter both slices to the edge and put the cheese and lettuce next to the bread, with the wet fillings sealed in the middle.

10 min

Australian Snacks & Starters

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Arrope de chañarChañar fruit syrup

In the oases of the Atacama, from San Pedro to Toconao, the small brown fruit of the chañar tree is gathered in late summer, dried in the sun and boiled for hours into arrope, a molasses-like syrup with notes of dates and caramel. Grandmothers keep a bottle for winter coughs, but most of it ends up on toast, stirred into hot water or over mote (cooked wheat) and fresh cheese. Dried chañar is sold in northern markets and online; it needs no sugar at all. The classic mistake is walking away at the end, when the syrup thickens fast and scorches, turning bitter. Chef's tip: stop reducing when the syrup coats a spoon thinly; it sets much thicker as it cools.

240 min

Chilean Basics

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Pâté en croûtePork and veal pie in pastry

Lyon's charcuteries display pâté en croûte like jewellery: a tall loaf of crisp, golden pastry wrapped around a coarse terrine of pork and veal. A slice wrapped in paper is a picnic and lunchbox luxury, and the whole loaf is a Sunday project eaten over several days. The common mistake is undercooking it for fear of drying it out: as it is made with minced pork, the centre must reach 71 °C, so use a probe thermometer. The classic farce has a splash of cognac; it's optional here, and apple juice or extra stock is the alcohol-free swap. Chef's tip: chill the filled, unbaked loaf for 30 minutes before baking so the pastry keeps its shape and pattern.

150 min

French Meat

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Jambon-beurreHam and butter baguette

France sells millions of jambon-beurre every working day: half a crusty baguette, split, spread with good salted butter and filled with thin slices of jambon de Paris, the delicate cooked pork ham. Parisians eat it at the office, on a park bench or on the train. The common mistake is a stingy smear of hard butter; the butter is a filling, not a glue, so spread it soft and generous. Some add cornichons, which purists call a different sandwich. Chef's tip: fold each slice of ham loosely in half rather than laying it flat, so the sandwich is airy and every bite has ham.

5 min

French Fast Food

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Arepa pelúaArepa with shredded beef and cheese

Late at night in the areperas of Caracas, the pelúa is the order for the hungry: a split corn arepa packed with carne mechada (slow-cooked shredded beef in sofrito) and a heap of grated yellow cheese that melts into 'hairy' strands, which is what pelúa means. The beef can be made a day ahead, and many families cook a big pot to fill arepas all week. The common mistake is a dry arepa dough that cracks on the griddle. Chef's tip: the dough should feel like soft play-dough and leave your palms just damp; add water a spoonful at a time until it does.

135 min

Venezuelan Snacks & Starters

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Arepitas dulcesSweet fried corn cakes

In Lara and the Andean states of Trujillo and Mérida, breakfast often comes with a basket of arepitas dulces: small, puffy fried arepas made with corn and wheat flour, sweetened with papelón (unrefined cane sugar) and scented with anise seed. They are crisp outside, soft and cakey inside, and are split and filled with salty white cheese or eaten with coffee. The common mistake is frying them in oil that is too hot, so they brown before the middle cooks; keep the oil at about 170 °C. If you fill them with cheese, note that some white cheese is made with animal rennet, so choose a vegetarian one. Chef's tip: dissolve the papelón in the warm water first, so the sugar is spread evenly and doesn't form dark burnt spots in the oil.

40 min

Venezuelan Breakfast & Brunch

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Arroz con palmitoBaked rice with hearts of palm

Hearts of palm grow commercially in Costa Rica's northern lowlands, and arroz con palmito is the creamy, cheesy rice bake that turns up at family birthdays, first communions and Christmas buffets across the country. Cooked rice is folded with sliced palmito, sweet corn and a light white sauce, then baked under melted cheese until bubbling. Overcooking the rice at the start is the usual mistake; it keeps softening in the oven, so cook it just tender. Costa Rica's Turrialba cheese and most mozzarella use animal rennet, so choose a vegetarian melting cheese if needed. Chef's tip: slice the palm hearts into coins rather than chopping them; they keep their delicate, artichoke-like bite.

45 minCentral American Rice & Grains

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Aval kanji for babiesRice flake porridge for babies

In Tamil homes from Madurai to Chennai, aval (flattened rice, the same poha sold in every kirana shop) is one of the first grains a grandmother reaches for when a baby turns six months. The flakes are dry-roasted until they smell like puffed rice, ground to a fine powder and simmered with water into a thin, pale porridge with a gentle toasted flavour, usually given as a mid-morning feed. For babies it is made with no salt, sugar, jaggery or honey. It is free of the major allergens: no milk, egg, gluten, nuts, soya, sesame or fish. Chef's tip: roast a whole cup of aval at once, grind it and keep the powder in a dry jar for up to two weeks, so each feed takes five minutes.

15 min

Indian Breakfast & Brunch

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Bánh da lợnSteamed layer cake

Bánh da lợn is piled up in glistening slabs at the dessert stalls of Bến Thành Market and on the trays of Saigon's afternoon sweet sellers. Thin layers of tapioca and coconut batter are steamed one at a time, alternating fragrant pandan green with nutty mung bean yellow, so every slice shows neat stripes and has a soft, bouncy, slightly springy bite. People peel the layers off one by one, especially children. Chef's tip: let each layer set until it turns translucent before pouring the next, or the colours run into each other.

100 min

Vietnamese Desserts

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DakgangjeongSticky glazed fried chicken

Dakgangjeong is the boxed fried chicken of Sokcho's Jungang market on Korea's east coast, carried home by the tub and packed into lunchboxes the next day, because the double-fried pieces in their sticky glaze stay crunchy even when cold. The common mistake is frying only once; the second fry drives out moisture so the crust holds up to the sauce. Chef's tip: coat with potato starch rather than flour, and let the coated chicken sit for 5 minutes so the starch hydrates into a craggy crust.

55 min

Korean Chicken

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EshabweWhipped ghee sauce

Cattle-keeping families of Ankole in western Uganda serve this pale, fluffy sauce at weddings and introduction ceremonies, where making it well is a point of pride. Soft ghee is beaten by hand while cool salted water is added a spoonful at a time, until it turns from yellow to snowy white and as light as whipped cream, with a rich, buttery, salty taste. It goes over hot matoke, steamed sweet potatoes, katogo or kalo millet bread, and melts into them on the plate. It is vegetarian but not vegan, as it is made from cow's ghee. Chef's tip: everything must stay cool; if the ghee is warm or the water tepid it will never turn white, so chill the bowl and use water straight from the fridge.

20 minEast African Chutneys & Dips

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AppelflapApple puff pastry

An appelflap is the snack Amsterdammers pick up at the bakery counter or the Albert Cuyp market on a grey afternoon: a triangle of flaky puff pastry, packed with soft cinnamon apple and plump raisins, its top crackling with sugar. You eat it from a paper bag on a bench by the canal, or with a coffee at about four o'clock, and the filling is always hotter than you expect. Chef's tip: cook the apple filling first and let it cool completely; warm filling melts the butter in the pastry and you lose the layers.

60 min

Dutch Baking

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Bokkeum kimchiStir-fried kimchi with pork belly

When a jar of kimchi turns very sour in Korean homes, it gets stir-fried with a little sugar and sesame oil, and often with pork belly, into bokkeum kimchi, a deep, mellow side dish that keeps for days and is a favourite in school and office dosirak. For a vegan version, use kimchi made without fish sauce or salted shrimp and leave out the pork. The usual mistake is using fresh, crisp kimchi, which tastes harsh when fried; it needs to be properly sour. Chef's tip: fry the kimchi until the edges just begin to catch and caramelise, which is where the flavour is.

17 min

Korean Sides

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Anjeer pakFig and nut fudge

Gujarati families make anjeer pak for Diwali boxes and for fast days, when it gives quick energy without any grain or refined sugar. Soaked dried figs are cooked down in ghee into a thick jammy paste, mixed with toasted almonds, cashews and pistachios, and rolled into logs that slice into pretty pink-and-green rounds. It keeps for two weeks in the fridge. The common mistake is under-cooking the fig paste, which leaves the logs soft and sticky so they never slice cleanly. Chef's tip: keep stirring until the paste rolls into a ball that no longer sticks to the pan or your greased palm.

40 min

Indian Indian Sweets

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AppelstroopApple syrup

In Dutch and Belgian Limburg, appelstroop is spread on brown bread at breakfast, often under a slice of Gouda, and it goes into the Limburg sour stew zoervleis. It is nothing but apples (with a few pears) cooked to a pulp, pressed and boiled down for hours into a glossy, almost black syrup that tastes sweet, sharp and faintly of caramel. The common mistake is stopping too early: until it coats a cold plate and holds a line, it is apple juice, not stroop. Chef's tip: in the last half hour stir constantly and lower the heat, because the thick syrup catches and burns in seconds.

260 min

Dutch Basics

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Katsu sandoPork cutlet sandwich

Katsu sando began in Tokyo tonkatsu shops in the 1930s as a cutlet you could carry, and is now a fixture of department-store food halls, train-station kiosks and lunchboxes all over Japan: a crisp panko pork loin cutlet soaked in sweet-sour tonkatsu sauce between pillowy white bread, crusts trimmed off. The common mistake is slicing it while hot, which squashes the bread and makes it soggy; let it rest under a light weight first. Pork loin is a whole cut, so cook it to 63 °C and rest it for 3 minutes. Chef's tip: butter the bread with a little mustard mixed in; it stops the sauce soaking through and adds a gentle kick.

35 min

Japanese Meat

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MufeteGrilled fish with beans and plantain

On the Ilha de Luanda and at the beach restaurants of Mussulo, mufete is the weekend feast: a whole grilled cacusso (tilapia) laid across a platter heaped with beans in palm oil, boiled plantain, sweet potato and cassava, with a sharp sauce of raw onion, vinegar and oil spooned over everything. The fish is smoky and juicy, the roots soft and sweet, and the onion sauce cuts through the richness of the beans. It is eaten slowly, with cold drinks and plenty of conversation. Ask the fishmonger to gut and scale the fish. Cassava must always be peeled, cored and boiled until fully soft, never eaten raw. Chef's tip: oil the grill bars and the fish well and don't try to turn it until the skin releases on its own, or it will tear.

90 minSouthern African Fish

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CaluluDried and fresh fish stew

Calulu is what Luanda families cook when the whole family comes for Sunday lunch, and the Ilha's fish sellers know the order by heart: a piece of dried fish for depth, a firm fresh fish for sweetness. The two are layered in a pot with onion, tomato, okra, aubergine and sweet potato leaves, then simmered in red palm oil until the sauce turns silky from the okra and tastes of the sea, smoke and greens all at once. It is served with funge, feijão de óleo de palma and a little hot sauce. Salted dried fish needs a long soak to draw out the salt, so start it the day before; skipping that step is the classic way to ruin the pot. Chef's tip: lay the fresh fish on top and leave it alone, shaking the pot rather than stirring, so the pieces stay whole.

75 minSouthern African Fish

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Feijão de óleo de palmaPalm oil beans

No Saturday table in Luanda feels complete without a pot of these beans next to the funge, and the deep orange colour of the dende oil tells you they are ready. Soft, creamy beans are simmered with onion, garlic, tomato and a generous pour of red palm oil until the broth thickens and every bean is coated, earthy, faintly smoky and rich. Serve them with funge de bombó (cassava) or funge de milho, with fried plantain, or with rice and greens. Buy unrefined red palm oil from an African grocer, ideally certified sustainable; it is not the same as the pale refined kind. Chef's tip: hold back the salt and tomato until the beans are truly soft, because both firm up the skins and are the usual reason a bean pot never gets creamy.

90 minSouthern African Curries

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Atol de plátanoWarm plantain and milk drink

In Guatemalan markets, steaming pots of atol are sold from early morning: thick, sweet, drinkable porridges made from corn, rice, oats or, in this case, very ripe plantain blended with milk and cinnamon. Atol de plátano is creamy and fruity, a filling breakfast in a mug. The common mistake is boiling it hard after the milk goes in, which catches and burns on the bottom; keep it at a gentle bubble and stir. Chef's tip: simmer the plantain with the cinnamon in water first, then blend; this cooks the starch fully and gives a silky drink without any raw-banana taste.

30 minCentral American Drinks

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Ardeh shirehTahini and grape molasses spread

In Iranian homes, especially in Yazd and the central provinces, a small dish of ardeh shireh sits on the winter breakfast spread: smooth tahini swirled with dark grape molasses into a marbled, sticky spread that tastes like a grown-up peanut butter and jam. It is mopped up with warm flatbread and washed down with tea. The mistake is beating the two together until uniform; you lose the swirls and the spread turns dull. Fold just a few times. Chef's tip: stir the tahini jar well first, because the oil separates, and use runny, well-stirred tahini for the best ribbons. Serve with flatbread, or gluten-free crackers if you need it gluten free.

3 min

Persian Breakfast & Brunch

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Chikuwa isobe-ageSeaweed-battered fish cake

Isobe-age, "fried in the style of the rocky shore", means anything coated in a batter speckled with green aonori seaweed, and chikuwa isobe-age is the one every Japanese parent tucks into a bento: tubes of chikuwa fish cake fried until puffed and crisp. It is just as good cold and takes ten minutes. The common mistake is a thick batter, which turns bready; it should be like single cream. Chef's tip: dust the chikuwa with a little flour before dipping, so the batter clings and does not slide off in the oil.

15 min

Japanese Fish

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AmbalSweet and sour pumpkin

Ambal belongs to the Dogra dham of Jammu, the feast cooked by the hereditary siyan cooks for weddings and festivals and served on leaf plates in a fixed order. Yellow pumpkin is softened with fenugreek seeds and fennel, then simmered in a dark tamarind and jaggery sauce until it is sticky, sour and sweet at once, which is what the name, from 'amla' for sour, promises. It is eaten with rice alongside the dham's dals and madra. The common mistake is stirring hard once the pumpkin is soft, which turns it to mush; shake the pan instead. Chef's tip: let it rest an hour before serving, as the tamarind settles and the flavour deepens.

40 min

Indian Curries

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Ambot tikSour-hot fish curry

Ambot tik means sour and spicy in Konkani, and that is exactly what this Goan Catholic curry is: firm fish, often shark or catfish in Goa (any firm white fish or kingfish at home), in a thin, brick-red gravy of Kashmiri and hot chillies ground with garlic, cumin, turmeric and vinegar, soured further with tamarind and kokum. It is a weekday lunch with rice, and many say it is better the next day. The common mistake is boiling the fish hard once it goes in, which breaks it into flakes before it reaches the plate. Fish is done when the flesh is opaque all the way through and flakes when pressed. Chef's tip: marinate the fish in salt and turmeric in the fridge for 15 minutes; it firms the flesh and seasons it to the bone.

45 min

Indian Fish

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Berinjela refogadaSauteed aubergine with tomato

Brazilian home cooks make berinjela refogada on Sunday and spoon it into the week's marmitas beside rice, beans and a piece of grilled chicken or an egg; it reheats beautifully and tastes even better on the second day. The aubergine cooks down until silky with garlic, onion, tomato and oregano. The common mistake is pouring in more oil every time the pan looks dry; aubergine soaks it up and turns greasy. Add a splash of water instead and cover the pan so the cubes steam soft. Chef's tip: a squeeze of lime and a little chopped parsley just before packing lift the flavour after a night in the fridge.

30 min

Brazilian Sides

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Ambadyachi udda methiHog plum coconut gravy

Udda methi is a Goan Saraswat curry named for its two roasted seasonings, urad dal and fenugreek seeds, and in the monsoon months the best version is made with tart green hog plums, ambade. The plums simmer whole in a coconut gravy that is sour, a little bitter, hot and faintly sweet from jaggery, and it is eaten with plain rice on rainy days or at a Shravan meal. The common mistake is burning the fenugreek: it should be roasted only until reddish, because dark seeds make the whole pot bitter. Raw mango works in place of ambade outside the season. Chef's tip: crush each hog plum lightly with a pestle before cooking so the gravy can soak into the flesh around the stone.

45 min

Indian Curries

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Portuguese sausage, eggs and rice

In Hawaii, a breakfast plate at a diner in Honolulu or Hilo, or at a drive-in on Maui, often means slices of smoky, garlicky, paprika-red Portuguese pork sausage (brought to the islands by Madeiran and Azorean immigrants in the 1800s) fried until caramelised, two eggs, and two scoops of short-grain rice. A splash of shoyu on the rice is optional. The common mistake is frying the sausage over a high heat so the sugar in it burns before it heats through; fry it steadily over a medium heat until sizzling and piping hot (71 °C if your sausage is uncooked rather than smoked). Cook the eggs fully set for pregnant people, young children, older or vulnerable people. Chef's tip: fry the eggs in the red fat the sausage leaves behind; they come out lacy and full of flavour.

20 minPacific Islander Breakfast & Brunch

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AmrusuRice porridge with chicken and greens

Amrusu is the Ao Naga porridge of Mokokchung in Nagaland, cooked for the sick, for cold mornings and for long community workdays: rice simmered with chicken, ginger, chilli and leafy greens until thick and soothing. It is filling yet light. Chicken must reach 74 °C; cook bone-in pieces until the meat pulls easily from the bone. The common mistake is adding the greens too early, so they turn grey; add them in the last few minutes. Chef's tip: lightly crush the rice in your hand before cooking for a creamier texture.

65 min

Indian Rice & Grains

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Paruppu urundai kuzhambuLentil dumpling gravy

Paruppu urundai kuzhambu is a Sunday-lunch treat in Tamil homes from Chennai to Coimbatore: coarse balls of soaked chana and toor dal, spiked with fennel, chilli and shallot, dropped raw into a bubbling tamarind gravy where they steam and firm up. The dumplings come out soft inside and soak up the sour, spicy sauce, and the crumbs that escape thicken the gravy. Serve it with plain rice, a spoon of sesame oil and a vegetable poriyal. The usual mistake is stirring as soon as the balls go in, which breaks them; leave them alone until they float and feel firm. Chef's tip: drop one test ball in first; if it cracks, knead a spoon of rice flour into the mixture before shaping the rest.

65 min

Indian Curries

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Aloo sadekoSpiced potato salad

Sadeko means marinated, and aloo sadeko is the sharp, tingly potato salad served in every khaja ghar, the little snack houses round Asan Tole and New Road, as afternoon khaja beside beaten rice and a cup of tea. Cool boiled potatoes are dressed with mustard oil heated with fenugreek seeds until they turn dark and nutty, then timur (Nepal's numbing Sichuan pepper), green chilli, toasted sesame and lots of lime. Contains sesame and mustard. Chef's tip: fry the fenugreek seeds until reddish-brown, not black; burnt fenugreek makes the whole bowl bitter.

30 min

Nepali Snacks & Starters

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Aloo seddho bhaat for toddlersRice and potato mash for toddlers

In Kolkata homes, from north Kolkata's old paras to the flats of Salt Lake, aloo seddho bhaat is what you cook when someone is tired, ill or very small: a potato boiled right in the rice pot, mashed with hot rice. Grown-ups add raw mustard oil, green chilli and onion; for toddlers from 12 months it is mashed instead with a spoon of ghee, so it's soft, buttery and mild. Gobindobhog rice gives it a lovely fragrance. It contains milk (ghee); there is no gluten, egg, nuts or soya. Chef's tip: mash the potato and rice with a fork or your fingers, never a blender, or it turns gluey.

25 min

Indian Rice & Grains

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Naengchae jokbalCold sliced pork trotter

Busan's Jokbal Alley in Bupyeong-dong, beside Kkangtong Market, is where braised pork trotter was first served cold as a salad, a summer trick that spread across Korea. The pork trotters are simmered for hours in soy, ginger and spices until the skin turns sticky and tender, chilled, sliced thin and tossed with cucumber, shredded jellyfish and a nose-tingling dressing of Korean mustard, vinegar and garlic. It is evening food, shared from a big platter. Chef's tip: slice the meat only once it is fully cold; warm trotter meat tears instead of cutting into clean slices.

190 min

Korean Meat

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Aloo pitikaMashed potato with mustard oil

Aloo pitika is the first thing on many Assamese lunch plates, a rough mash of boiled potato sharpened with raw mustard oil, onion, green chilli and coriander, eaten with the first mouthfuls of rice and dal. Guwahati families make it daily, and in winter it may be mixed with roasted aubergine or a boiled egg. The usual mistake is making it smooth like a Western purée; it should be coarse and hand-mashed so the onion and chilli stay crunchy. Chef's tip: use pungent kachi ghani mustard oil and rub it in last, so its heat hits the nose.

25 min

Indian Sides

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AmadumbeBoiled taro

Market women in Pietermaritzburg and along the KwaZulu-Natal north coast sell amadumbe by the bucket, hairy brown corms that look unpromising until boiled and peeled to reveal dense, creamy white flesh with a nutty, almost chestnut-like flavour. They are eaten hot as a starch with a stew, cold as a snack, or simply split and buttered; this vegan version dresses them in oil warmed with spring onion and chilli. Peeling them raw is the mistake to avoid, because the sap irritates the skin and leaves your hands itching. Always cook taro right through: undercooked corms taste scratchy in the throat. Chef's tip: boil them in their skins and slip the skins off while still warm, when they come away cleanly with a small knife.

40 min

South African Sides

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Angakar rotiThick rice flour roti

Angakar roti takes its name from angaar, the glowing coals of a village chulha in Chhattisgarh, where a thick round of rice dough is sandwiched between palash or banana leaves and buried in the embers until smoky and crusted. Farmers carry it to the fields with chutney and a green chilli, and it is still a winter breakfast across Bilaspur and Raipur. At home a heavy tawa and a lid do the job. The common slip is making the dough too wet; it should be soft but hold a fingerprint, or the roti stays gummy in the middle. Chef's tip: mix in a spoon of leftover cooked rice for a softer crumb, just as Chhattisgarhi grandmothers do.

35 min

Indian Breads & Parathas

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Arepa andina de trigoPuffy wheat flour arepas

Up in Mérida and Táchira, where wheat grows on the terraced slopes, breakfast arepas are made from flour rather than corn: thick, lightly sweet griddle cakes that puff as they cook and split open like a scone. Andean families eat them hot with butter, a slab of smoked or fresh white cheese and a mug of milky coffee, often beside a bowl of pisca. Most commercial white cheeses are made with animal rennet, so look for one labelled vegetarian if that matters to you. The usual mistake is a griddle that is too hot, which scorches the outside before the thick centre has cooked through. Chef's tip: knead only until smooth and rest the dough for 15 minutes; overworked dough gives tough, flat arepas.

50 min

Venezuelan Breads & Parathas

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Akoho sy sakamalaoGinger and garlic chicken

Sakamalao means ginger, and Malagasy cooks are generous with it: this everyday braise from family kitchens across the island uses a whole fist of the root, along with a full head of garlic and soft onions. Bone-in chicken is browned, then simmered gently in its own juices until the meat slides off the bone and the sauce turns golden, sticky and warming, with ginger heat that lingers rather than burns. Serve it with a big plate of rice, a dish of romazava greens or lasary, and sakay for anyone who wants more fire. Many people rush the onions; give them time to turn soft and golden, because they become the body of the sauce. Chef's tip: pound the ginger and garlic together into a coarse paste rather than slicing them, so they melt into the sauce and coat every piece of chicken.

60 min

Malagasy Chicken

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AkibiyeCreamy taro with fermented soybean

Akibiye is Sumi Naga comfort food from Nagaland: colocasia boiled until it melts into a thick, creamy stew, flavoured with chilli and axone, the fermented soybean that gives Naga cooking its deep savour. It is eaten with rice, especially in winter. For homemade axone, keep boiled soybeans wrapped in leaves at 30–40 °C for 3–5 days until sticky and pungent, then dry or use fresh; discard if black, green or pink mould appears or it smells rotten. The mistake is handling raw taro with bare hands, which itches; wear gloves or oil your hands. Chef's tip: bought axone, kinema or natto work well.

45 min

Indian Vegetarian

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AlkubusSteamed wheat bread

In Kano, Katsina and Sokoto, alkubus is a breakfast bread you steam rather than bake: a soft yeasted wheat dough set in small cups or tins over boiling water until it puffs into fluffy, slightly sticky domes. It is eaten warm, pulled apart and dipped into groundnut oil with yaji, the peanut and chilli spice mix, or with a bowl of miyan taushe or other soup. The common mistake is lifting the lid during steaming; the rush of cold air makes the breads sink and turn dense. Yaji contains peanuts. Chef's tip: wrap the pot lid in a tea towel so condensation can't drip back and leave wet craters on the tops.

95 min

Nigerian Breads & Parathas

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Ají de tomate de árbolTamarillo chilli sauce

No Ecuadorian table in the Sierra, from Quito to Cuenca, is complete without a small bowl of ají, and the tamarillo version is the household favourite. Tomate de árbol, the egg-shaped, wine-red tree tomato, is blanched and peeled, blended with fresh hot chilli, salt and a little water, then finished with finely chopped onion and fresh coriander. It is spooned over locro de papa, llapingachos, empanadas de viento, hornado and fritada at the long Sunday family lunch, and onto everything at the street stalls of the Saturday markets. The flavour is tangy, fruity and slightly bitter-sweet, more sour than a tomato salsa, with a fresh bite of onion and a clean chilli heat. The common mistake is blending the tamarillos with their skins on, which makes the sauce bitter; blanch them until the skins split and slip off. It is ready when it is bright orange-red, loose and juicy, and the onion is still crisp. Abroad, tamarillos turn up in larger supermarkets; ripe plum tomatoes with the pulp of a passion fruit are the best stand-in. Chef's tip: rinse the chopped onion in salted water first, which tames its sharpness, as Ecuadorians do.

20 minAndean Chutneys & Dips

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Ají amarillo pasteYellow chilli paste

In Lima's markets ají amarillo is sold fresh all year, and most Peruvian cooks keep a tub of this paste in the fridge the way others keep tomato purée: it is the golden base of causa limeña, ají de gallina, papa a la huancaína, chupe and the sauce for tiraditos. The chillies are seeded, de-veined and blanched in three changes of water, which tames the heat and the raw grassiness, then peeled and blended with oil into a thick, silky, saffron-orange paste. It tastes fruity and sunny, almost like apricot and passion fruit, with a rounded, medium heat. Abroad, buy whole frozen ají amarillo from Latin grocers; dried ají mirasol, soaked, gives a darker, earthier paste. Common mistake: skipping the peeling; the thin skins leave papery flecks and a bitter edge. It is ready when it is completely smooth and holds a soft peak like thick hummus. This is a low-acid paste: keep it in the fridge for a week or freeze it, never on the shelf. Chef's tip: freeze it in an ice-cube tray; one cube is about a tablespoon, just right for a pot of ají de gallina.

40 min

Peruvian Basics

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Ají de papalisaUlluco in yellow chilli

Papalisa, the glossy pink-and-yellow tuber called ulluco in Peru, has a crisp, slightly slippery bite that holds up beautifully in this ají from the La Paz highlands. The tubers are cut into fine sticks and stewed with onion, tomato and yellow chilli until tender, then served with white rice and a boiled potato. Highland cooks often add shredded dried beef; this vegan version keeps all the flavour with extra onion and cumin. Look for papalisa fresh or in jars in Latin American shops; waxy new potatoes cut the same way are a fair stand-in. The mistake most people make is skipping the soaking and rinsing, which leaves the sauce gummy. Chef's tip: cut the papalisa into matchsticks as thin as you can, so they soak up the chilli sauce like noodles.

55 minAndean Curries

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Ajmeri kadhi kachoriDal kachori in spiced kadhi

In Ajmer, near the dargah and in the lanes around Naya Bazaar, the breakfast crowd orders kadhi kachori: a crisp moong dal kachori broken open on a leaf plate and drowned in hot, thin, spicy kadhi, then topped with green chutney, sweet tamarind chutney and raw onion. The kachori soaks up the kadhi but keeps some crunch at the edges. The kadhi here is thinner and hotter than Gujarati kadhi, without sweetness. The common mistake is letting the kadhi boil hard before the gram flour cooks, which splits it; stir until it comes to the boil. Chef's tip: make the kachoris a day ahead and re-crisp them in a low oven, so only the kadhi is cooked fresh.

90 min

Indian Snacks & Starters

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Alle belleCoconut-filled pancake rolls

Alle belle are the tea-time sweet of Goan Catholic homes: soft, lacy pancakes, sometimes tinted with a little green from pandan or turmeric leaf, rolled up around a sticky filling of fresh coconut and dark palm jaggery (godd). They appear at feast-day teas, at village fairs and in school tiffin boxes, and they contain egg in the batter. The common mistake is a thick batter, which gives heavy pancakes that crack when rolled; it should pour like single cream and spread thinly with a swirl of the pan. Chef's tip: cook the filling until it is sticky but still soft, then add a pinch of salt, because the salt makes the palm jaggery taste richer.

45 min

Indian Desserts

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Mochai kottai kuzhambuField bean gravy

Across Tamil Nadu, from Madurai to Tirunelveli, mochai kottai kuzhambu is a winter and weekend curry: dried field beans and small brinjals stewed in a thick tamarind and sambar-powder gravy with shallots and garlic. It is cooked in a big batch, because everyone agrees it tastes better the next day, and eaten with rice, a spoon of sesame oil and appalam or a simple keerai. The beans turn creamy and the brinjal melts into the sauce. Dried field beans must be soaked and boiled until completely soft; never eat them undercooked. The usual mistake is adding the tamarind before the beans are tender, because acid stops them softening. Slow-cooker: boil the soaked beans hard on the hob for 10 minutes first, then cook everything on low for 6 hours. Chef's tip: fry the brinjal in the oil before the gravy goes in, so it holds its shape instead of dissolving.

85 min

Indian Curries

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ÄggostEgg cheese

Äggost, egg cheese, belongs to the farm kitchens of Västergötland and Halland in west Sweden, where it is made for Christmas, Easter and midsummer tables and the leftovers become breakfast with cloudberry or lingonberry jam. Eggs and milk are heated until soft, sweet curds form, which are drained in a holed mould so they keep its pattern. It is creamy, mild and slightly sweet. The common mistake is rushing the heat: boiling the milk too hard makes rubbery curds, so keep it at a gentle simmer. Chef's tip: this version sets the curds with buttermilk, not rennet, so it is suitable for vegetarians; drain it overnight in the fridge for the firmest slice.

45 minScandinavian Breakfast & Brunch

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Ägg och kaviarBoiled eggs with fish roe spread

Open any fridge in Stockholm or Gothenburg and you'll find a blue tube of kaviar, a salty, smoky, slightly sweet spread of smoked cod roe, and at breakfast it goes on halved boiled eggs on crispbread or buttered bread. It's a combination Swedes love from childhood, eaten every day and at Easter. The kaviar is smoked and pasteurised, so it is safe for most people; boil the eggs fully for pregnant people and young children. The common mistake is over-boiling the eggs to a grey, chalky yolk; 8 minutes gives a set yolk that's still bright and slightly fudgy. Chef's tip: plunge the eggs into iced water straight away; they peel cleanly and the yolks stay sunny yellow.

15 minScandinavian Breakfast & Brunch

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Agra dalmothFried lentil snack mix

Agra is famous for two sweets and one namkeen, and dalmoth is the namkeen: soaked masoor and chana dal fried until crunchy and tossed with chilli, black salt, dry mango and a little sugar, sold in big tins near the Taj and packed for every train journey. It is eaten with tea in the afternoon and handed round to guests at Diwali. The dal is fried dry, without any batter coating. The common mistake is frying the dal straight from soaking water; any moisture makes the oil spit dangerously and the dal chewy, so dry it on a cloth for at least an hour. Chef's tip: fry the masoor and chana separately, as they need different times to turn crisp.

50 min

Indian Snacks & Starters

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Aam telMango pickle in mustard oil

In Bengal the summer of kal-baishakhi storms is also the season of aam tel, mango oil. Slices of hard green mango are salted and sun-dried until leathery, then sunk in mustard oil with roasted panch phoron and chilli and left to steep for a couple of weeks. The mango turns chewy, salty and sour; the oil turns golden, sharp and fruity, and that oil is the real treasure. A spoonful goes into jhalmuri (spiced puffed rice) on every Kolkata street corner, over plain rice with a fried egg or mashed potato, or into a bowl of panta bhat in the heat. The common mistake is not drying the mango enough: if it still feels wet when pressed, it will grow mould under the oil. Dry it until the slices are shrunken, leathery and bend without releasing juice. The pickle is ready when the oil has turned golden and smells strongly of mango and spice. Because the mango is salt-cured and acidic and stays fully under the oil in a dry jar, with no garlic, it keeps up to a year in a cool cupboard; in hot, humid weather keep it in the fridge. Chef's tip: no strong sun? Dry the salted slices in the oven at 60–70 °C with the door propped open, for 5–6 hours.

50 min

Indian Chutneys & Dips

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LapenaPigeon peas in sesame paste

Lapena comes out for Christmas, weddings and the days when relatives arrive in Gulu from Kampala: dried pigeon peas boiled until soft, then cooked slowly in roasted sesame paste until thick, earthy and nutty, with a faint bitterness from the sesame that balances the sweetness of the peas. Some families mash it smooth, others keep the peas whole; both are eaten with kwon millet bread, rice or boiled cassava. Dried pigeon peas are sold as toor or arhar (whole, not split) in Indian grocers. The common mistake is adding salt before the peas are tender, which keeps the skins tough. Chef's tip: if you can only find light tahini, toast it in a dry pan for a minute or two until it darkens to get closer to Acholi sesame paste.

120 minEast African Curries

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Agua de chilacayoteFig-leaf squash drink

When the big, mottled chilacayote squashes ripen at the end of the rains, cooks in Oaxaca's valleys and the Mixteca of Puebla turn them into a drink you eat with a spoon. The flesh is cooked with dark piloncillo and cinnamon until it falls into translucent threads, then cooled and loosened with water; in Oaxaca it is ladled out of clay jars at fairs, weddings and the Day of the Dead, often with a little pineapple. It tastes like cinnamon-scented panela, with soft, slightly crunchy strands that slide up the straw. The usual mistake is boiling it to mush; overcooked flesh goes cloudy and the strands disappear. Simmer gently and stop when the threads separate easily with a fork but still have a little bite. It is ready when the syrup is amber and the strands look glassy. Chilacayote is hard to find outside Mexico; spaghetti squash is the best substitute and gives the same threads. Keeps 3 days in the fridge. Chef's tip: grate a little orange zest into the pot in the last minute to brighten the piloncillo.

60 min

Mexican Drinks

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Aloo bhindiPotato and okra stir-fry

Aloo bhindi is the sabzi that Delhi children are happiest to find in their dabba with soft phulkas: okra fried until its edges crisp, potato cubes browned alongside, and sliced onion cooked sweet, all dusted with amchur and cumin. The single big mistake is washing the okra and cutting it wet, which releases slime that never cooks off. Wash it, dry every pod with a cloth and wait half an hour before slicing. Chef's tip: add the salt only at the very end; salt draws moisture out of the okra and makes it sticky.

35 min

Indian Sides

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Arepa peladaHand-peeled corn arepas

Before bagged flour reached every shop, arepas in Lara and across the Llanos began with whole dried corn boiled with a spoon of food-grade lime until its skins slipped off; 'pelada' means peeled. The dough has a deeper, slightly smoky corn taste and a coarser crumb than flour arepas, and on cattle ranches it is still eaten at breakfast with butter or avocado. Handle the lime (calcium hydroxide) with care: keep it off your skin and away from children. The common mistake is rinsing too lightly, which leaves the dough yellow, soapy and bitter. Chef's tip: grind the corn twice and add water a spoonful at a time; a dough that is too wet slumps on the griddle.

180 min

Venezuelan Breads & Parathas

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Bánh khúcCudweed sticky rice dumplings

Long before sunrise, vendors walk Hanoi's Old Quarter with steaming baskets, calling out for xôi xéo and bánh khúc. These are soft green dumplings coloured and scented with rau khúc, a grassy, herbal cudweed, wrapped around mung bean paste and peppery pork belly, then rolled in sticky rice grains and steamed until the grains turn glossy. They are eaten hot from a scrap of banana leaf with a pinch of sesame salt, often on a cold winter morning. Look for frozen or dried cudweed at Vietnamese grocers. Chef's tip: keep the green dough thin but even; thick dough cracks and lets the filling escape.

120 min

Vietnamese Snacks & Starters

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Dousha bao (red bean buns)

All over China, from Beijing breakfast stalls to Shanghai school bags, dousha bao are the sweet buns people grab in the morning and tuck into a lunch box for later: fluffy white yeasted dough wrapped around smooth red bean paste and steamed until springy. They freeze beautifully, so families make a big batch on Sunday. The mistake is opening the steamer lid as soon as the timer goes; the sudden cold makes the buns wrinkle and collapse. Turn off the heat and wait five minutes before lifting the lid. Chef's tip: chill the bean paste and roll it into balls before wrapping; a firm filling is much easier to seal neatly.

55 min

Chinese Baking

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Café de higoFig and grain coffee

In the farmhouses of central Chile, in the Maule and O'Higgins valleys, people have long drunk café de higo: a dark, caffeine-free "coffee" made from dried figs roasted with grains such as barley and wheat, then ground. It's mellow, fruity and slightly caramel-like, and many Chileans still prefer it with milk at breakfast. The fig granules are sold in Chilean and Latin grocers. The common mistake is brewing it like instant coffee, with a quick stir; it's a ground blend, so simmer it briefly and strain. It contains grains, so it is not gluten free. Chef's tip: a strip of orange peel in the pan brings out the fig flavour.

10 min

Chilean Drinks

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Chouris paoSpicy pork sausage in a bun

Chouris pao is Goa's favourite pork snack, sold from feast-day stalls at Mapusa's Friday market and village church fairs, and made at home whenever a string of chouriço comes out of the larder. The Goan pork sausage is cured with red chilli, garlic, spices and toddy vinegar (vinegar, not alcohol), then crumbled out of its casing and fried with onion and potato until sticky and red. The common mistake is frying it fiercely from the start: the fat needs a splash of water and gentle heat to render, otherwise the outside burns while the pork stays raw. Cook until the pork is no longer pink and reaches 71 °C. Chef's tip: soak the sausage links in hot water for 10 minutes first; it softens the casing and takes away harsh salt.

30 min

Indian Meat

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