Skip to content
LoginRegister
WhatToEat.Today
Homemade margherita pizza
Featured recipe

Homemade margherita pizza

A simple dough, a no-cook tomato sauce and the hottest oven you can manage. A heavy baking tray preheated in the oven does a good job of standing in for a pizza stone.

Read more 0 views

What to eat today?

Around the world

Today's trip: Paraguayan

A new country every day, from every cuisine on the site.

Paraguayan

Morcilla dulce

Sweet blood sausage with walnuts 120 minMore from Paraguayan (27) →

This week's collection

Kid-friendly dinners537 recipes · a new collection every Monday

New this week

See all new →

Latest recipes

Maczanka po krakowskuPork roll in caraway juices

Long before burgers reached the Rynek, Kraków's taverns sold maczanka, a soft bread roll split, dunked in the cooking juices of slowly braised pork shoulder and stuffed with sliced meat. The name comes from maczać, to dip, and the dipping is the whole point: the roll should drip, so eat it over a plate with a knife and fork or a stack of napkins. The pork is braised with plenty of onion, caraway and marjoram until it slices like butter, and the juices go glossy and savoury. Serve it with a pickled cucumber and a sharp beetroot and horseradish relish (ćwikła). Where most people go wrong is rushing the braise at a boil, which tightens the meat instead of softening it. Chef's tip: braise the shoulder the day before, chill it in its juices and slice it cold; it cuts neatly and reheats beautifully in the liquid.

150 minPolishMeat
by KrazyBadal 0 views

MadhbiStone-cooked lamb

In the hills around Salalah in Dhofar, southern Oman, madhbi is cooked when families head out into the khareef, the green monsoon season: flat stones are heated on a fire until they shimmer, and pieces of lamb or goat are laid straight on them with nothing but salt. The meat sears hard, keeps its juices and picks up a clean, smoky flavour. At home a heavy cast-iron griddle or skillet heated for a long time does the same job. Eat it with flatbread, raw onion, lime and a fresh chilli. The usual mistake is putting the meat on before the stone is hot enough, so it stews in its own juice. Chef's tip: cut the lamb thin enough to cook through quickly, about 1.5 cm, and keep the bones in for the best flavour.

55 minGulf ArabianMeatGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

MadroubaChicken and rice porridge

Madrouba means 'beaten', and in Doha and across Qatar and Oman it is a Ramadan favourite, cooked in big pots and beaten with a wooden spoon until the rice and chicken become one creamy porridge. It is soft and savoury, warmed by cumin, cardamom and black lime, and finished with a pool of ghee and sometimes crisp fried onion. Families eat it at iftar after dates and soup, or on cold evenings. The mistake is adding all the water at the start and walking away: the rice needs stirring so it breaks down evenly without catching. Chef's tip: use a whisk or a sturdy wooden spoon in the last 15 minutes and beat hard; the texture should be smooth with only tiny threads of chicken.

105 minGulf ArabianChickenGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

MafroumMeat-stuffed potatoes in tomato

Mafroum came to Israel with the Jews of Tripoli, many of whom settled in Netanya, Bat Yam and the moshavim of the south, and it is still the dish that announces a Libyan Friday night: slices of potato are cut almost in two, stuffed with spiced beef, dipped in flour and egg, fried golden and then simmered in a red, paprika-rich tomato sauce until soft. The result is half sandwich, half stew, eaten with bread to wipe up the sauce or with couscous. Many cooks let the potatoes collapse; cut them at least 1.5 cm thick so they hold their shape. Chef's tip: a pinch of caraway and plenty of sweet paprika in the sauce is what makes it taste Libyan rather than simply tomatoey.

120 minIsraeliMeat
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Maizes zupaRye bread dessert soup

Maizes zupa, 'bread soup', is Latvia's way of using up dark rye bread: the bread is soaked and cooked down with dried fruit, sugar and cinnamon into a thick, sweet, deep-brown pudding, cooled and topped with whipped cream. It is on the menu in Riga's canteen-style restaurants and in school lunches, and every Latvian grandmother has her own version. A common mistake is using light rye; it needs dense, dark Latvian or German-style rye for its malty taste. Chef's tip: add a squeeze of lemon and a spoon of cranberries; their sharpness lifts the sweet, heavy soup.

55 minBalticDesserts
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Makarony po-flotskiNavy-style pasta with minced beef

Navy cooks in the Baltic Fleet at Kronstadt fed whole crews on this, and it went on to become the canteen and student-hostel supper of the Soviet Union: tubes of pasta tossed in a frying pan with beef mince and plenty of onion until everything is a little crisp. It is salty, peppery and comforting, and children love it. Eat it straight from the pan with a pickled cucumber or a quick tomato salad. A common mistake is crowding raw mince into a cold pan so it stews grey instead of browning. Chef's tip: fry the drained pasta in the meat fat for the last two minutes without stirring too much, so some tubes catch and turn golden.

30 minRussianPasta & Noodles
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Mákos gubaPoppy seed and bread roll pudding

On 24 December, after the fish soup and before the presents, many Hungarian families bring a dish of mákos guba to the table, because poppy seed is said to bring plenty in the year ahead. Stale crescent rolls (kifli) are sliced, soaked in warm vanilla milk, layered with sugared ground poppy seed and baked until the top crisps, so the inside is soft and puddingy while the edges turn crunchy. It is simple, very cheap and loved by children; serve it warm, with vanilla custard poured over if you want it richer. Older recipes pour honey over it instead of sugar. A common mistake is drowning the bread, which turns it to porridge; it should be moist but still hold its shape. Chef's tip: grind the poppy seed fresh in a coffee grinder, as pre-ground poppy goes bitter quickly.

40 minHungarianDesserts
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Malai botiCreamy grilled chicken pieces

Karachi's BBQ joints, from the big family restaurants on Shahrah-e-Faisal to the tikka stalls of Hussainabad, nearly all have malai boti on the menu, and it is the order for anyone who wants flavour without fire. Chunks of chicken thigh sit overnight in cream, soft cheese, yogurt, white pepper, green chilli and a hint of cardamom, then go over the coals until the outside chars in creamy, golden patches and the inside stays very juicy. It is eaten hot off the skewer with naan, raita and a squeeze of lemon, and children ask for it by name. Too fierce a heat is the trap: the dairy burns black before the chicken cooks, so grill over medium coals. Chef's tip: brush the skewers with melted butter in the last two minutes for the glossy finish you see at the grills.

35 minPakistaniChickenGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Malai koSteamed brown sugar sponge

Cut from a towering round the colour of toffee, wedges of malai ko arrive on the dim sum trolleys of old Hong Kong teahouses alongside the morning's first pot of tea. The crumb is moist, open and bouncy, with a deep caramel note from dark brown sugar and a gentle richness from evaporated milk. The name means 'Malay cake', a nod to the Southeast Asian steamed cakes said to have inspired Cantonese bakers, and it is eaten warm, just as it is, often as the last sweet bite of breakfast. The cake sinks when the eggs and sugar aren't whisked long enough to hold a trail, so give them the full time. Chef's tip: wrap the steamer lid in a tea towel so condensation can't drip onto the top and leave sticky dents.

75 minHong KongDesserts
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Malay achcharuSweet sour vegetable pickle

Sri Lanka's Malay community, whose ancestors came from Java and the Malay peninsula under Dutch rule, gave the island this vivid pickle, and today no Eid biryani in Colombo's Slave Island or Hambantota is served without a bowl of it beside the plate. Carrot sticks, whole shallots and green chillies are blanched in vinegar, then coated in a thick, mustard-yellow paste of ground mustard seed, garlic, ginger, chilli and sugar, with soft dates stirred through for sweetness. It is crunchy, sharp and sweet all at once, a perfect foil for rich rice dishes and fried food. Rushing it to the table is the error most people make; the pickle needs at least a day in the jar for the mustard to mellow and the dates to melt into the sauce. Chef's tip: soak the mustard seeds in vinegar for an hour before grinding, which softens them and gives a smoother, creamier paste.

40 minSri LankanChutneys & DipsVeganGluten freeSpicy
by KrazyBadal 0 views

MaleedaCrumbled flatbread with ghee and sugar

Maleeda is a sweet with a purpose: Afghan women make it as nazr, an offering promised when they pray for something, a recovery, a safe journey or a child's exam, and then share it out among neighbours or at a shrine on a Thursday evening. Thin breads are cooked on a griddle, torn up while still hot and rubbed between the palms with melted ghee, sugar and cardamom until they become soft, fragrant, golden crumbs, a bit like a warm, buttery crumble topping. It is eaten from the hand or with a spoon, sometimes with chopped pistachios. Letting the bread cool before rubbing is where it goes wrong, as cold bread will not soak up the ghee and stays in tough flakes. Chef's tip: a quick pulse in a food processor gives you even crumbs, but finish by rubbing with your fingers so the texture stays soft.

30 minAfghanDesserts
by KrazyBadal 0 views

MalehSalted fish stew

Before refrigeration, fishermen in Ras Al Khaimah and along the coast of the United Arab Emirates packed their surplus catch in salt for weeks, and maleh is still cooked in Emirati homes, especially in winter, with rice and fresh lime. The stew is sharp and deeply savoury, the firm salted fish flaking into a thick onion and tomato gravy warmed with bezar. This home version salts fresh fish in the fridge for 2–3 days, which gives the same firm, briny bite without the long cure; ready-cured maleh from a Gulf grocer is soaked and used in the same way. The mistake people make is forgetting to soak the fish, which leaves the dish too salty to eat. Chef's tip: taste a flake after soaking; it should be pleasantly salty, like an olive, before it goes into the pot.

60 minGulf ArabianFishGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

MallorcasCoiled sweet egg rolls

In Old San Juan's old-fashioned cafés and neighbourhood bakeries serve mallorcas split, pressed on a hot griddle with butter and buried in icing sugar, often with a slice of melted cheese inside for a sweet-salty breakfast (many cheeses are made with animal rennet, so pick a vegetarian one). The dough is rich with egg yolks, milk and butter, coiled like a snail shell so it bakes into soft, pull-apart layers. The common mistake is under-proving the coils, which gives tight, bready rolls instead of feathery ones. Chef's tip: brush the coils with melted butter before the last rise and again straight out of the oven; that buttery skin is what holds the snowy sugar.

60 minPuerto RicanBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Malu paanFish-filled bread buns

Ask any Sri Lankan what they miss from home and malu paan comes up quickly, the soft, slightly sweet triangular bun from the neighbourhood bakery van or a Colombo railway station kiosk, split open to reveal a spicy filling of fish, potato, onion and curry leaves. Office workers buy two with a plain tea for an afternoon snack, children find them in their school bags, and they appear at every short-eats spread. Tinned mackerel is the usual filling at home and gives the right rich, savoury taste, and the dough needs about 1 1/2 hours to rise. Don't make the classic error of using a wet filling, which soaks the dough and stops the buns from baking through at the seams. Chef's tip: cook the filling until it is quite dry and let it cool completely, then pinch the three corners of each bun firmly so they stay closed in the oven.

65 minSri LankanSnacks & Starters
by KrazyBadal 0 views

MalunsRoasted potato crumbs

Maluns is the peasant dish of the Prättigau and Surselva valleys of Graubünden: potatoes boiled the day before, grated, mixed with flour and roasted slowly in plenty of butter, turning constantly with a spatula, until they break down into golden, crisp little crumbs. It is eaten with apple sauce, a slice of Alpine cheese and a cup of milky coffee. A common mistake is using freshly boiled potatoes, which turn sticky; they must be cold and a day old. Chef's tip: keep turning and scraping for the full 40 minutes; patience is what makes maluns crisp. Alpine cheese is usually made with animal rennet; choose a vegetarian one.

60 minSwissSides
by KrazyBadal 0 views

MamparTorn noodle soup with beef

Mampar is a quick, filling noodle soup from Kyrgyzstan's Uyghur and Dungan cooks, popular in Bishkek cafés and Osh markets: a dough is pulled and torn into small, thin squares and dropped straight into a tomato-rich broth with fried beef or lamb, peppers, onion and garlic. It is thick enough to eat with a fork and spicy enough to warm you in winter. A common mistake is tearing the dough into thick pieces, which stay chewy and doughy. Chef's tip: oil the rested dough, flatten it into a long ribbon and tear off thumbnail-sized, almost see-through pieces straight into the pot.

75 minKyrgyzSoups
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Mâncare de prazLeek and rice stew

When the Orthodox calendar calls for a fasting day (zi de post), Wallachian kitchens from Craiova to Bucharest often fall back on a pot of leeks. Thick rounds of leek melt slowly in olive oil with a handful of rice and tomato until the whole thing turns soft, sweet and spoonable, closer to a loose risotto than a soup. It is a vegan post dish, eaten warm or at room temperature with black olives, pickled peppers and a chunk of bread. Where most people go wrong is skipping the washing: leeks hide grit between their layers, so split and rinse them properly or every mouthful crunches. Chef's tip: let the finished pot stand off the heat for 10 minutes before serving, so the rice drinks up the last of the juices.

45 minRomanianVegetarianVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Mandalay mont diRice noodles with chicken curry

Mornings in Mandalay begin at low plastic tables near Zegyo market, where vendors toss mont di to order for students, monks' helpers and traders before the heat sets in. Round rice noodles, a little thicker than spaghetti, are mixed with a spoonful of lemongrass-scented chicken curry, toasted chickpea flour and a drizzle of 'fish oil': garlic fried in oil and sharpened with fish sauce. The result is slick, nutty and savoury, brightened by raw shallot, lime and coriander, with a small bowl of clear broth alongside. A common slip is dressing the noodles while they are wet; water dilutes the oil and the flavour slides off, so drain them really well first. Chef's tip: toast the chickpea flour slowly until it smells like roasted nuts; raw flour tastes chalky and clumps when you toss.

60 minBurmesePasta & Noodles
by KrazyBadal 0 views

MandelbrotTwice-baked almond cookies

Mandelbrot, 'almond bread' in Yiddish, is the biscuit jar staple in Ashkenazi grandmothers' kitchens from Ramat Gan to Netanya, set out with tea after Shabbat lunch and packed for long journeys because it keeps for weeks. Unlike Italian biscotti it is made with oil, so it is tender and crumbly rather than rock-hard, and this version is flavoured with orange zest and dusted with cinnamon sugar. Dip it in hot tea or coffee. Because there is no butter, it can follow a meat meal. The usual mistake is slicing the logs straight out of the oven, which crumbles them; let them cool for 15 minutes first. Chef's tip: use a serrated knife and one firm downward saw, rather than pressing, for clean slices.

70 minIsraeliBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Manioc curryCassava coconut curry

For generations, manioc has been the filling, cheap breakfast of tea-estate lines and rural kitchens in the hills around Kandy, and a plate of it with a red heap of lunu miris and a cup of plain tea is still a working person's favourite. Cassava roots are boiled until floury, then simmered in coconut milk with turmeric, mustard seed, fenugreek and curry leaves until the edges crumble into a thick golden gravy. It also appears at dinner with a fiery sambol and, in some homes, beside a fish curry. Cassava must always be peeled, boiled thoroughly in plenty of water and the water thrown away, because the raw root contains natural compounds that are harmful; never eat it raw or half-cooked. Overboiling is the other pitfall, since the pieces then dissolve completely into the milk. Chef's tip: take out the woody string that runs down the centre of each piece after boiling, when it pulls out easily.

45 minSri LankanCurriesVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Mangal saladGrilled aubergine, pepper and tomato salad

At every summer kebab grill in the Absheron villages outside Baku, a few aubergines, peppers and tomatoes are thrown straight onto the coals beside the skewers, then peeled, chopped with onion, basil and coriander and dressed with oil. Mangal salad tastes deeply smoky, soft and sweet, and is served with the meat or on its own with bread. A common mistake is pulling the vegetables off before the skins are fully black; the flesh stays firm and lacks smoke. Chef's tip: let the charred vegetables sweat in a covered bowl for 10 minutes; the skins slip off easily and the juices collect for the dressing.

40 minAzerbaijaniSaladsVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Ojojo (water yam fritters)

Ojojo is what Yoruba households do with water yam when they want a snack instead of a pottage, and roadside fryers in the Southwest sell it hot in paper with akara. The grated yam is mixed with chopped onion, fresh chilli and salt, then dropped by the spoonful into hot oil, where it puffs into craggy, golden fritters with a crisp shell and a soft, slightly chewy centre. Eat it hot with a pepper sauce, or with ogi (fermented corn pap) for breakfast. Wear gloves to peel and grate water yam, which makes the skin itch. Chef's tip: grate the yam just before frying and don't let the batter sit; it darkens and loosens as it stands.

30 minNigerianSnacks & StartersVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Gullisuwa (fried milk balls in syrup)

Small kiosks in Kano sell gullisuwa in twists of plastic, and Hausa families make platefuls for Sallah and weddings. Milk powder, a little flour and sugar are worked into a soft dough, rolled into balls and fried slowly until deep golden, then soaked in syrup, which gives a rich, fudge-like centre and a faintly caramel crust. They recall Indian gulab jamun, but they are firmer and less spiced. Milk sugars burn fast, so the common mistake is hot oil that browns the outside in seconds while the inside stays doughy; keep it low. Chef's tip: oil your palms when rolling, so the balls stay smooth and don't crack in the pan.

50 minNigerianDesserts
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Renga (smoked herring with lemon and tahini)

On Sham el-Nessim, the spring festival Egyptians of every faith celebrate on the Monday after Coptic Easter, families head to parks and the Nile banks with coloured eggs, spring onions, lettuce and fish, and renga is on almost every picnic cloth. Golden smoked herring is skinned, boned and flaked, then dressed with plenty of lemon, raw onion, chilli and a garlicky tahini sauce, so the salty, smoky fish is cut by sharp citrus and creamy sesame. It is scooped up with baladi bread and crunchy greens. Shop-bought renga is cold-smoked and eaten without cooking, so it is not for pregnant women, young children or anyone with a weakened immune system unless you heat it first (see the last step). Buy it sealed from a reputable shop, within its date. Chef's tip: soak the fillets in cold water for 10 minutes to tame the salt before dressing them.

25 minEgyptianFishGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Kebda iskandarani (Alexandrian liver)

After dark in Alexandria, carts and tiny shops fry liver to order on blackened griddles, and a couple of small, crackly baguette sandwiches of kebda make a late supper or a working breakfast all over Egypt. The liver is sliced into thin ribbons and seared hard and fast with plenty of garlic, hot green chilli, green pepper and cumin, finished with lemon so it stays juicy, tender and sharp. Stuff it into soft rolls with a smear of tahini and a few pickles. Liver is very rich in vitamin A, so pregnant women are usually advised to avoid it. Chef's tip: soak the strips in cold water for 15 minutes and pat them very dry; they sear rather than stew and taste milder.

25 minEgyptianMeatSpicy
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Gollash meat pie (filo and spiced beef)

Egyptian bakeries sell sweet and savoury gollash, but the minced-beef version is the one home cooks make for Ramadan iftar, Eid visits and big family lunches, cut into neat diamonds on a large round tray. Thin sheets of filo are brushed with melted butter and stacked around a filling of beef cooked dry with onion, pepper and a little allspice, then soaked with a splash of milk and egg so the top layers bake puffed and shatteringly crisp while the middle stays tender. Serve warm with a salad and yoghurt or as part of a spread of mezze. Avoid skimping on butter between the sheets; unbuttered layers bake dry and papery instead of crisp and golden. Chef's tip: let the cooked filling cool completely before layering; hot, steamy mince turns the bottom sheets soggy, which is the most common gollash disappointment.

80 minEgyptianBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Kaware' (cow's trotter soup with fatta)

Old Cairo eateries that specialise in it open early, and kaware' has a loyal following on cold winter mornings and as a restorative after Ramadan nights; at home it is usually made after Eid al-Adha. Cow's feet are cleaned, blanched and then simmered for hours with onion, garlic and whole spices until the meat and skin turn soft and sticky and the broth sets like jelly when cold. It is served over fatta: layers of toasted flatbread and rice drenched with broth and a sharp garlic-and-vinegar sauce, with the tender trotter pieces on top. Ask the butcher to clean the feet and saw them into pieces. Chef's tip: a pressure cooker cuts the simmering to about 1 hour 30 minutes with no loss of flavour.

260 minEgyptianMeat
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Okpa (Bambara nut pudding)

Early in the morning in Nsukka and Enugu, sellers set out wheelbarrows piled with steaming okpa wrapped in leaves or cooked in small tins, and students and workers eat it standing up with a bottle of cold drink or a cup of pap. It is made from Bambara nut flour beaten with palm oil, warm water, pepper and salt into a bright orange batter and steamed until it sets into a firm, dense pudding with a nutty, earthy taste. It is filling and naturally high in protein. Bambara nut flour is sold in African shops as okpa flour. Undercooked okpa tastes raw and bitter and is hard to digest, so steam until a knife comes out clean. A common mistake is a batter that is too thick, which steams into a hard, dry block instead of a soft-set pudding. Chef's tip: mix the oil into the dry flour before adding any water; it keeps the batter smooth and gives okpa its even colour.

95 minNigerianBreakfast & BrunchVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Ewedu (jute leaf soup)

Bright green, light and famously slippery, ewedu is the soup that makes amala slide down so easily, and in Ibadan and across Oyo State it is rare to see one without the other. Only the tender jute leaves are picked from the stems, boiled for a few minutes and then beaten with a small broom until finely shredded and stretchy, with a few locust beans for a savoury, funky depth. Some cooks add crayfish; this version keeps it meat-free. It tastes fresh and grassy and is eaten with amala, gbegiri and a red pepper stew. Frozen chopped ewedu or Egyptian molokhia leaves work well outside Nigeria. Chef's tip: cook it briefly and uncovered; long boiling or a lid turns the bright green an olive drab, the most common ewedu mistake.

25 minNigerianSoupsVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Gbegiri (Yoruba bean soup)

Order amala at any buka in Ibadan or Oyo and the server will ask "abula?", meaning a ladle of gbegiri and a ladle of ewedu poured side by side, usually crowned with a spoon of pepper stew. Gbegiri itself is smooth, mellow and earthy: peeled black-eyed beans cooked until they fall apart, beaten to a cream and simmered with red palm oil and pungent locust beans. Many cooks add ground crayfish or smoked fish; this is the meat-free way, which loses nothing of its velvet texture. Serve it with amala and ewedu or spooned over boiled yam. The mistake to avoid is leaving bean skins in, which turns the soup grey and gritty, so rub and rinse until the beans are white. Chef's tip: whisk the cooked beans with a balloon whisk or the traditional ijabe broom rather than a blender for the lightest, fluffiest gbegiri.

90 minNigerianSoupsVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Mombar (rice-stuffed beef casings)

Mombar is festival food: in the days after Eid al-Adha, when the butchers have plenty of cleaned casings, families across Cairo and the Delta settle down to stuff them together, and street cooks in popular neighbourhoods sell crisp coils of it by weight. The filling is Egyptian short-grain rice with tomato, onion, dill, parsley and coriander, which swells inside the casing as it simmers, so each bite is soft, herby rice wrapped in a thin, crackling skin. It is eaten hot as a main dish or a side to roast meat, with lemon and a plate of pickles. Buy the casings ready-cleaned from a butcher; this recipe assumes they have been. The commonest mistake is overfilling the casings; packed full, the rice swells and they burst in the pot. Chef's tip: fill each length only two-thirds full; the rice doubles in size and an overstuffed casing bursts in the pot.

145 minEgyptianMeat
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Sayadiya (fisherman's fish and rice)

The name comes from the word for fisherman, and sayadiya is the pride of the fish restaurants along the Alexandria seafront and in Suez, where it is ordered as a platter for the whole table. Its signature is the colour: onions are fried slowly until mahogany, then simmered into a stock that turns the rice a deep brown and fills it with sweet, savoury, cumin-scented flavour. On top go pieces of crisp fried fish and a scatter of toasted pine nuts and almonds, with lemon wedges, tahini and a green salad alongside. Chef's tip: watch the onions closely in the last few minutes and lift them out when they are dark brown, never black; burnt onions make the whole pot bitter.

75 minEgyptianFishGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Moza (Egyptian lamb shanks with rice)

On Eid al-Adha, when there is lamb in every kitchen, and in the grill houses of Cairo where it is a favourite order, moza is the cut people point to: a whole shank per person, standing on a mound of rice. The shanks are first simmered gently with onion, cardamom, bay and a little mastic until the meat is ready to slip off the bone, then roasted in a hot oven so the outside turns brown and sticky. The rice cooks in the fragrant broth, so every grain carries the lamb flavour. A bowl of the remaining broth, a salad of tomato and cucumber and some tahini make it a feast. Chef's tip: skim the pot carefully in the first 15 minutes of simmering; a clear broth makes cleaner-tasting rice.

155 minEgyptianMeatGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Kebab halla (beef braised in onions)

Despite the name, nothing here goes near a grill: kebab halla means "pot kebab", and it is the kind of unfussy Sunday or Friday dish that Cairo home cooks put on the stove and leave to its own devices. Chunks of beef are seared and then buried under a heap of sliced onions, which slowly give up their water and collapse into a glossy, almost jammy brown sauce with cardamom and bay. The meat ends up spoon-tender and the gravy tastes deeply savoury and a little sweet. It is eaten with Egyptian vermicelli rice, crusty bread or chips. Chef's tip: slice the onions into half-moons rather than chopping them; they melt evenly and give the sauce its silky body.

125 minEgyptianMeatGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Ekuru (white bean pudding with pepper sauce)

Pale and plain on purpose, ekuru is moin moin's quiet cousin: the same peeled black-eyed bean paste, but steamed with nothing in it except a little salt, so it comes out white, light and airy. In Ijebu and around Ogun State it is a breakfast and market snack, and all the flavour comes from the sauce served with it, a fried mix of red peppers, scotch bonnet, onion and locust beans in palm oil. The contrast of mild, fluffy pudding and hot, oily sauce is the whole point. This version is entirely plant-based. Chef's tip: beat the bean paste hard for several minutes before steaming; the trapped air is what makes ekuru light rather than dense.

90 minNigerianSnacks & StartersVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Sogo' (Alexandrian spicy sausage)

Sogo' sandwiches are as much a part of an Alexandrian night out as liver: the same street stalls fry coins of hot beef sausage with onion, green pepper, tomato and chilli until the juices turn red and sticky, then pack it into crusty rolls. The flavour is bold, garlicky and cumin-heavy, with fresh crunch from the peppers. Egyptian butchers sell the sausage ready-made; outside Egypt, use any spicy, coarse beef sausage such as beef merguez. Serve it in bread with tahini and pickles, or as a main dish with rice and salad. A frequent slip is crowding the pan, so the sausage stews grey instead of browning with the peppers. Chef's tip: fry the sausage first on its own until browned, then add the vegetables to its fat; you get far more flavour than cooking it all together.

25 minEgyptianMeatSpicy
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Fish singari (Alexandrian baked fish)

Alexandrian fish restaurants list singari next to grilled and fried fish, and families along the coast bake it at home for Friday lunch, usually with sea bream, sea bass or a large bolti. The fishmonger splits the fish down the back and opens it flat, then it is smothered in a garlicky cumin and lemon paste and laid over sliced tomatoes, green peppers, onion and chilli. In the oven the vegetables soften into a juicy sauce underneath while the fish roasts on top, so you get tender flesh, a slightly charred skin and plenty of sauce for spooning over rice. Serve with white rice, tahini and bread. Chef's tip: give the vegetables 10 minutes in the oven on their own first; it drives off water so the fish roasts instead of steaming.

65 minEgyptianFishGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Shorbet lesan asfour (orzo soup)

Bowls of this golden broth start the meal on winter nights all over Cairo, and it is one of the first things set on the table at iftar, when a gentle, warm soup comes before anything heavier. Lesan asfour means "bird's tongue", the Egyptian name for the small rice-shaped pasta the rest of the world calls orzo. Fried in butter until nutty and then simmered in a well-seasoned chicken stock, the grains turn plump and silky, and a squeeze of lemon at the table lifts the whole bowl. Children love it, and it is what many Egyptian households cook for anyone feeling under the weather. Chef's tip: toast the pasta until it is the colour of roasted hazelnuts, not just pale gold; that browning is where all the flavour comes from.

25 minEgyptianSoups
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Jamaican roast yam

Roast yam stands beside roast fish at the beach shacks of Treasure Beach and at the roadside stalls along the Ocho Rios road, long pieces pulled out of the coals with blackened, smoky skins. Yellow yam roasted this way turns dense, dry and nutty, quite different from boiled, and it is eaten hot with a little coconut oil or butter and a sprinkle of salt. The usual mistake is cutting the yam too short or thin, so it dries out; roast it in thick 20 cm lengths with the skin on. Here it is done in a hot oven, with a flame option for a smoky edge. Chef's tip: wrap the pieces in foil for the first 30 minutes so they steam inside, then unwrap them to char the outside.

60 minJamaicanSidesVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Ikokore (Ijebu water yam pottage)

Ikokore is the Ijebu people's own pottage, made in Ijebu-Ode and towns across Ogun State from water yam, the purple-tinged yam that grates into a sticky paste. Spoonfuls of that paste go into a pepper and palm-oil sauce and set into soft, dumpling-like lumps, so it is part soup and part porridge, rich and spicy. Smoked fish and crayfish are traditional; this meat-free version uses mushrooms for their savoury bite. It is eaten as a complete meal, often on its own or with a cold drink. Water yam makes the skin itch, so wear gloves to peel and grate it. If water yam is hard to find, white yam works but sets softer. Chef's tip: drop the paste in and leave it for 10 minutes before you stir; stirring too soon is the mistake that turns the lumps into a smooth paste.

60 minNigerianVegetarianVeganGluten freeSpicy
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Asaro (yam pottage)

Lagos home cooks make asaro on busy weekdays because it needs one pot and very little fuss, and children usually love its soft, sweet-savoury comfort. Chunks of white puna yam simmer in a blended sauce of red bell pepper, tomato and scotch bonnet with palm oil, and as they cook some pieces collapse into a thick, orange porridge while others stay whole. It is often made with crayfish or smoked fish; this meat-free version gets its depth from locust beans and a vegetable stock cube. A handful of greens stirred in at the end turns it into a full meal, and it needs nothing alongside. For children, use half a scotch bonnet or leave it out. Chef's tip: don't stir in the first 15 minutes; mash only a third of the yam at the end, so there is both creamy sauce and tender chunks.

50 minNigerianVegetarianVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Hamam mahshi (stuffed pigeon)

Pigeon towers still rise above villages in the Nile Delta, and stuffed pigeon is a celebration dish there and in Cairo's famous pigeon restaurants; it is traditionally served to newlyweds and at feasts. Each small bird is filled with freekeh (smoky green wheat) cooked with onion, giblets and warm spices, then simmered in a cardamom broth until tender and finished in a hot oven or fried so the skin turns deep brown and crackling. The meat is dark and rich, closer to duck than chicken, and the freekeh soaks up all the juices. Serve one bird each with a salad, pickles and the broth as soup. Use farmed squab from a poultry supplier. Chef's tip: stuff the birds loosely and sew or skewer them shut; freekeh swells as it cooks and an overfilled pigeon bursts.

125 minEgyptianChicken
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Gandofli (Alexandrian garlic clams)

Along the Alexandria Corniche and in the old Anfushi fish quarter, gandofli are a summer seaside snack, often sold by the plateful with lemon and sometimes eaten raw. Raw shellfish carries a real risk of food poisoning, so this home version cooks them: the little clams go into a hot pan with olive oil, garlic, a pinch of cumin and chilli, and steam open in a minute or two, releasing sweet, salty juices that mix with lemon into a sauce for mopping up with bread. Buy them live from a reputable fishmonger and cook them the same day. Chef's tip: soak the clams in salted water in the fridge for 30 minutes before cooking so they spit out their sand; nothing spoils them faster than grit.

25 minEgyptianFishGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Bedouin sage tea

Visitors to a Bedouin camp in the Sinai mountains are handed small glasses of this tea almost before they sit down, brewed in a blackened kettle over the fire and sweetened generously. Wild maramiya, the local sage, is dropped in at the end, giving the strong black tea a soft, herbal, slightly camphor scent that is soothing after a long walk or a heavy meal. Garden sage works well, and dried sage is fine in a pinch. Boiling the sage is the mistake to avoid, because it turns the tea bitter. Sage is best taken in moderation and avoided in large amounts during pregnancy. Chef's tip: pour from a height into the glasses; the froth that forms is how Bedouin hosts like it served.

10 minEgyptianDrinksVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Doum drink

Spice and herb sellers in the Aswan souk pile up the hard, glossy brown fruit of the doum palm, and Nubian households soak it into a cold, sweet drink for the hot months and for Ramadan iftar. The dried flesh gives a cloudy amber drink that tastes surprisingly like gingerbread or caramel, with a faint woody bitterness. Buy it crushed or as coarse powder at Egyptian and African grocers; whole fruit is extremely hard to break. Leaving it to steep too long is the mistake to avoid, because it turns bitter. Chef's tip: strain twice, once through a sieve and again through muslin, to remove the gritty fibre.

15 minEgyptianDrinksVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Sugarcane juice

Juice shops all over Cairo and the towns of Upper Egypt crush sugarcane through clattering steel rollers and serve the pale green juice ice-cold for a few pounds a glass, a favourite in the summer heat and after Ramadan fasting. It is sweet, grassy and refreshing, with a faint lemony edge, and it tastes best within minutes of pressing. Without a press, peeled cane chopped small and blended with a little water gives a very close result at home. Chef's tip: peel the cane completely, because the hard green rind makes the juice bitter and dark.

10 minEgyptianDrinksVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Amala (yam flour swallow)

Amala gets its dusky brown colour from elubo, yam that has been peeled, sliced, sun-dried and milled, which gives it a faintly smoky, earthy taste. Ibadan's amala joints serve it from morning to night, soft and steaming, wrapped in leaves or cling film, with ewedu, gbegiri and stew; it is pinched off with the fingers and dipped, never chewed for long. Making it takes five minutes and a strong arm: the flour goes into boiling water and is stirred and turned against the side of the pot until it is perfectly smooth and stretchy. Lumps are the usual mistake, so add the flour off the heat and stir hard from the first second. Chef's tip: use a sturdy wooden spatula (omorogun) and press the dough against the pot rather than just stirring it round; that is what makes it silky.

15 minNigerianBasicsVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Qolqas (taro with chard and coriander)

Coptic Christians across Egypt eat qolqas for the Feast of the Epiphany (Eid el-Ghitas) in January, together with sugarcane and oranges, and it is a winter favourite in Muslim homes too. Peeled taro is cut into cubes and simmered in chicken or beef stock until soft and almost creamy, then a green paste of chard, fresh coriander and garlic fried in oil is stirred through, turning the broth a deep, herby green. The texture is soft and slightly velvety from the taro's natural starch, and the flavour fresh and garlicky. It is served with white rice and often with the meat from the stock. Raw taro irritates the skin and mouth, so wear gloves to peel it and always cook it until completely tender. The usual mistake is touching peeled taro with bare hands or eating it undercooked; both bring an itchy, scratchy feel. Chef's tip: rub the cut cubes with lemon juice before cooking to keep them pale and reduce their sliminess.

75 minEgyptianCurries
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Egyptian mixed pickles

Every koshari shop, ful cart and shawarma stall in Cairo puts a little dish of mekhalel on the counter, and Egyptians at home keep a jar going all year. Turnip batons are the star, dyed bright pink by a single slice of beetroot, with carrot, cucumber, chilli and lemon packed in alongside for crunch, heat and a bitter citrus edge. This quick fridge version is ready to eat in about 5 days and keeps for a month, cold. A common mistake is using iodised table salt, which clouds the brine and can soften the vegetables, so buy plain non-iodised salt. Chef's tip: cut the lemon into quarters but leave them joined at the base, so they flavour the brine without turning the whole jar bitter.

30 minEgyptianChutneys & DipsVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Egyptian stuffed pickled aubergines

Pickle shops in old Cairo stack jars of these small dark aubergines next to the turnips and lemons, and at home they are sliced beside ful, falafel or a plate of koshari. Each one is boiled until just tender, split down one side and packed with a sharp, hot stuffing of garlic, chilli and green pepper, then left in vinegar for several days until it turns silky and tangy. Only about 40 minutes of the work is active; the jar then needs 5 days in the fridge. Keep the pickle refrigerated and eat it within 3 weeks. The usual mistake is undercooking the aubergines before stuffing, so they stay spongy and never absorb the brine. Chef's tip: press the boiled aubergines under a weighted plate before stuffing, so they hold the vinegar rather than their own bitter water.

40 minEgyptianChutneys & DipsVeganGluten freeSpicy
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Ila asepo (Yoruba okra soup)

Ibadan and Abeokuta buka ladle ila asepo over amala at lunchtime: a bright, chunky okra soup cooked in a palm-oil pepper base, rather than the plain boiled okra of other regions. Iru and crayfish give depth, assorted meat and smoked fish give body, and prawns go in at the end, so every spoonful is drawy, savoury and loaded. It is just as good with eba or pounded yam. Cooking the okra too long is the usual mistake; it loses its stretch and its green colour, so add it last and give it only 4–5 minutes. Chef's tip: chop the okra by hand into small dice instead of blending it, and the soup keeps its pleasant crunch.

85 minNigerianMeatGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Chapman (Nigerian fruit punch)

Order a chapman in a Lagos club house or at an owambe party and it arrives in a tall glass full of ice, glowing red and crowded with slices of cucumber, orange and lemon. Lemon-lime and orange sodas are mixed with blackcurrant cordial and grenadine for a sweet, fruity, fizzy drink with a fresh edge from the cucumber. The classic recipe adds a few dashes of aromatic bitters, and those bitters contain alcohol; leave them out (or use an alcohol-free bitters) and it is fully alcohol-free and fine for children. Adding the soda too early is the usual mistake, as it goes flat, so mix the syrups and fruit first and top up just before serving. Chef's tip: chill every bottle well beforehand, so less ice melts into the drink.

10 minNigerianDrinksVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Spris (layered fruit juice)

Juice houses all over Addis Ababa, with their towers of fruit stacked in the window, are famous for spris: a tall glass of thick purées poured in stripes, usually green avocado, golden mango and orange papaya, with a wedge of lime on the rim. It is closer to a spoonable smoothie than a juice, and people often eat the layers one by one before stirring the rest together. It makes a filling breakfast or an afternoon pick-me-up, and children love the colours. Chef's tip: blend each fruit separately and keep every purée thick enough to hold a spoon; runny purées bleed into each other and the stripes vanish.

15 minEthiopianDrinksVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Rokak bel lahma (Eid meat pie)

When Eid comes round, Egyptian shops stack up rounds of rokak, a very thin, brittle unleavened pastry baked on a hot dome, and cooks turn them into this layered pie for the family lunch. Each sheet is moistened with hot meat broth and a little ghee, layered with beef mince fried with onion, then baked until the top crackles and the inside turns tender and savoury, somewhere between a pie and a lasagne. It is cut into squares and served with rice, salad and pickles. If you cannot find rokak, sheets of filo baked dry for a few minutes are the nearest substitute. Chef's tip: soak each layer just enough to soften it; too much broth makes a heavy, soggy pie, and too little leaves dry shards, the mistake most people make the first time.

90 minEgyptianBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Grilled bolti (Nile tilapia)

From the Nubian villages near Aswan to the fishing camps on Lake Nasser, bolti caught that morning is gutted, slashed and grilled over charcoal for lunch, and fish grills all over Egypt cook it the same way. The rub is simple: crushed garlic, plenty of cumin, lemon, chilli and oil, which toasts on the skin and seasons the sweet, mild flesh. A stuffing of onion and parsley in the belly keeps it moist. Eat it with your hands, picking the flesh from the bones, alongside tahini, green salad and rice or bread. Chef's tip: oil the grill bars as well as the fish and leave it alone for the first 6 minutes; fish moved too early tears and sticks, which is the usual grilling mistake.

40 minEgyptianFishGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Trida (steamed pasta squares in chicken sauce)

Making trida is an afternoon's work shared around a Constantine kitchen table, especially before Mawlid or a family celebration: a firm semolina dough is rolled paper-thin, cut into small squares, dried, and then steamed twice over a pot of chicken and chickpea sauce flavoured with cinnamon and a touch of tomato. The squares come out tender with a slight bite, glossy with butter and sauce, and are piled on a platter under the chicken. A pasta machine saves a lot of rolling. Chef's tip: dust the cut squares well with semolina and let them dry for half an hour; damp squares are the usual mistake and stick into a single mass in the steamer.

120 minAlgerianPasta & Noodles
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Chakhchoukha (torn flatbread in lamb sauce)

Biskra claims chakhchoukha as its own, though Constantine and the whole east cook it for weddings, Eid and the arrival of guests: sheets of thin rougag are torn into small pieces, softened with steam and soaked in a fiery red sauce of lamb, tomato, chickpeas and whole green chillies, then served from one big wooden or clay dish. The bread turns soft and silky, almost like pasta, and soaks up the peppery, deeply savoury sauce. Use homemade rougag or the dried sheets sold in Algerian shops. Chef's tip: moisten the bread with sauce a ladle at a time and toss between additions; pouring it all over at once is the usual mistake, and the bread turns to paste.

120 minAlgerianMeatSpicy
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Chbah essafra (almond fritters in lamb sauce)

Cooks in Algiers bring out chbah essafra for weddings and grand family dinners, where it is served as the sweet main course: diamonds of almond paste scented with lemon and cinnamon are dipped in egg, fried golden and laid around tender lamb in a pale, buttery sauce sweetened with sugar and orange-blossom water. The contrast of savoury meat and soft, sweet almond is the point, and the dish is rich, so small portions with bread are usual. Chicken can replace the lamb, with a shorter cooking time. Chef's tip: warm the fritters in the sauce only at the table; dropping them into bubbling sauce is a common mistake, and they fall apart.

130 minAlgerianMeat
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Tlitli (Algerian rice-shaped pasta with chicken)

Tlitli is a tiny pasta shaped like grains of rice, once rolled by hand and now sold dried, and in Algiers and Constantine it is cooked for family feasts such as Ennayer, the Amazigh New Year, or the return of a pilgrim. The pasta soaks up a red sauce of chicken, onion, tomato, paprika, cinnamon and chickpeas, and is piled on a platter with the chicken and halved boiled eggs on top. Expect a cosy, gently spiced dish, a bit like a red risotto, with soft pasta and tender chicken. Orzo is a good stand-in if you cannot find tlitli. Chef's tip: toast the pasta in oil before adding sauce; untoasted tlitli tends to clump and turn mushy, a common mistake.

75 minAlgerianPasta & Noodles
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Sfiria (cheese croquettes in chicken sauce)

Sfiria belongs to the old bourgeois cooking of Algiers, served on Ramadan evenings and at family celebrations: little croquettes of soaked bread, grated cheese and egg, scented with cinnamon, are fried golden and then laid in a pale chicken and chickpea sauce flavoured with cinnamon and white pepper. The croquettes are light and spongy, soaking up just enough sauce to be juicy, and the dish tastes delicate and faintly sweet. Day-old white bread without crusts gives the best texture. Chef's tip: add the croquettes to the sauce only at the last minute; leaving them to simmer is the common mistake, and they swell, go soggy and fall apart.

80 minAlgerianChicken
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Chorba beida (Algerian white chicken soup)

Unlike the red chorba of the rest of the country, the 'white' chorba of Algiers has no tomato at all: chicken, onion and a cinnamon stick are cooked gently in butter, simmered with chickpeas and fine vermicelli, then thickened at the end with egg yolks and lemon. It is a classic of Ramadan tables in the capital, and is also cooked for guests at weddings and family gatherings. The soup is silky and pale gold, mild and comforting, with a soft lemony tang. Serve it with bread and a squeeze of extra lemon. Chef's tip: once the egg yolks are in, never let the soup boil; boiling is the common mistake that curdles it into scrambled threads.

60 minAlgerianSoups
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Djelbana (Algerian lamb and pea stew)

Spring markets in Algiers fill with sacks of fresh peas and violet artichokes, and that is the moment for djelbana, a light, pale stew of lamb, peas, artichoke hearts and potatoes cooked with onion, garlic and a little turmeric, finished with fresh coriander. Families serve it at lunch with plenty of bread to soak up the sauce; on meat-free days it is made the same way without the lamb. It tastes fresh, sweet and gently peppery rather than heavily spiced. Frozen peas and artichoke hearts are fine out of season. Chef's tip: add the peas only for the last 10 minutes; peas put in with the meat are the usual mistake and turn grey and mushy.

90 minAlgerianCurries
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Ayamase (ofada green pepper stew)

Ofada rice, the short, fragrant local rice from Ogun State, is almost always served in Lagos with ayamase, a stew so green and so hot it is sometimes called designer stew. Green bell peppers and green scotch bonnets are blended coarse, dried out in the pot, then fried in palm oil that has been bleached clear, with plenty of iru for a deep, funky savouriness. Assorted meat (beef, tripe and cow skin) and boiled eggs are folded in. Watery pepper is the mistake that makes it taste sour and raw, so boil the blended pepper dry before it meets the oil. Chef's tip: bleaching palm oil makes heavy smoke; open the windows, keep the lid nearby and never leave the pot.

120 minNigerianMeatGluten freeSpicy
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Molasses with tahini

Upper Egypt grows the country's sugarcane, and its dark molasses, asal eswed or black honey, has found its way onto breakfast and supper tables from Aswan to Alexandria. Spooned over tahini and swirled together, it becomes a glossy, bittersweet, nutty dip that children love and grown-ups eat after a light evening meal, scooped up with warm aish baladi or fino. Many families eat it in winter, when they want something warming and filling. A frequent slip is stirring the molasses and tahini together completely; leave them swirled so each bite gets both. Chef's tip: stir the tahini jar thoroughly first; the thick paste at the bottom and the oil on top must be mixed, or the dip comes out stiff and dry.

5 minEgyptianBreakfast & BrunchVegan
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Rouz jerbi (Djerban steamed rice)

Djerba islanders cook rice the way the rest of Tunisia cooks couscous, in the top of a couscoussier: raw rice is mixed with small pieces of lamb, chopped spinach, a mound of herbs, chickpeas, tomato paste, harissa and spices, then steamed over boiling water until every grain is tender and stained red-gold. Rouz jerbi is a Friday and family-gathering dish on the island, served from one large platter. The rice stays separate and fluffy, the greens melt in, and the lamb picks up the scent of mint and tabil. Chef's tip: stir the rice from the bottom every 20 minutes; leaving it untouched is a common mistake, as the bottom turns soggy while the top stays hard.

100 minTunisianRice & Grains
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Chorbet hout (Sfax fish soup)

Along the coast around Sfax, a bowl of chorbet hout often opens the meal at Ramadan iftar, after dates and water: a red, peppery broth of tomato, harissa and caraway, thick with tiny bird's-tongue pasta and flakes of white fish, finished with a squeeze of lemon. Grouper, sea bream or mullet are the local choices, and any firm white fish works. The soup is warming and spicy with a fresh lift from parsley and celery, and goes well with bread and a brik. Chef's tip: poach the fish briefly, lift it out and only return the flakes at the end; leaving it to boil with the pasta is the common mistake, and it breaks into threads.

50 minTunisianSoupsSpicy
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Osban (Tunisian stuffed lamb sausages)

Eid al-Adha in Tunisia means using every part of the sheep, and osban is how the tripe is honoured: cleaned pieces are sewn into pouches and packed with rice, chopped liver and lamb, chard, a big bunch of parsley and coriander, dried mint and harissa, then simmered in a red chickpea sauce and served over couscous. Families all over the country, from Tunis to the south, make a batch and freeze some for later. The filling cooks into a soft, herby, peppery sausage and the tripe turns tender. Buy tripe that the butcher has already cleaned and scalded, or use natural sausage casings for an easier version. Chef's tip: fill the pouches only two-thirds full and prick them with a needle; the rice swells as it cooks, and overstuffed osban burst, which is the most common mistake.

180 minTunisianMeat
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Kammounia (Tunisian cumin beef stew)

Cumin, kammoun in Arabic, gives kammounia its name, and the dish uses it boldly: chunks of beef, or in many Tunis homes lamb's liver, simmer in a thick, dark sauce of garlic, tomato paste and a generous amount of ground cumin until the meat is tender and the sauce clings to it. It is everyday family food in Tunis and Sfax, scooped up with crusty bread or served alongside a salad and olives. The flavour is earthy, warm and garlicky with a gentle heat from harissa. The usual mistake is adding the cumin at the start and frying it hard, which makes it bitter; it goes in once the sauce is simmering. Chef's tip: add half the cumin at the start and the rest in the last 10 minutes; all of it at once risks a flat, slightly bitter sauce, while the late addition keeps the aroma bright.

90 minTunisianMeatGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Bkaila (Tunisian spinach and beef stew)

Tunisian Jewish families in Tunis, and those who carried the dish to Paris and Israel, cook bkaila for Rosh Hashanah and for Friday-night dinners: a heap of spinach is fried in olive oil for over an hour, until it shrinks to a dark, almost black, crumbly paste, then simmered for hours with chunks of beef, white beans, garlic and dried mint. The result looks dramatic and tastes deep and earthy, a little like a long-braised green sauce, with tender meat and creamy beans. It is eaten with couscous or bread, and is even better reheated the next day. Start the beans soaking the night before. Chef's tip: fry the spinach over a medium-low heat and stir often; turning up the heat to save time is the classic mistake, scorching the leaves so the whole pot turns bitter.

240 minTunisianMeatGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Djouzia (walnut and honey nougat)

Shops in old Constantine wrap djouzia in twists of paper and sell it by weight, a soft, pale caramel-coloured nougat of honey, whipped egg white and plenty of walnuts. It is chewier and darker than white Provençal nougat, with a deep honey flavour and the slight bitterness of walnut skins. Djouzia is a gift sweet, carried to weddings and offered with coffee to visitors, and keeps for weeks. A sugar thermometer makes it reliable. Chef's tip: cook the honey syrup to 125 °C; syrup that is pulled off too early is the most common mistake, and the nougat stays sticky and will not set enough to cut.

55 minAlgerianDessertsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Date squares

Date squares are on the tea table in every Canadian church hall and school bake sale, called carrés aux dattes in Quebec and matrimonial cake in the West. A buttery oat crumble is pressed into a tin, spread with a soft date filling and covered with more crumble, then baked until golden. They keep for days and freeze well. A common mistake is spreading the dates while hot onto loose crumb, which makes the base soggy; press the base firmly. Chef's tip: add a strip of orange zest to the dates for a brighter flavour.

60 minCanadianBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Maple syrup pie

Tarte au sirop d'érable closes many a family meal in Quebec at Easter and through the sugaring season, a cousin of the sugar pie made with real maple syrup. The filling of syrup, cream and egg bakes into a soft, trembling, caramel-brown layer that tastes deeply of maple. Slice it thin; it is rich. A spoonful of crème fraîche or plain whipped cream cuts the sweetness. A common mistake is skipping the blind bake, which leaves a soggy base. Chef's tip: take the pie out while the centre still wobbles like jelly; it sets as it cools and over-baking makes it weep.

70 minCanadianDesserts
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Lac-Saint-Jean blueberry pie

Around Lac-Saint-Jean in Quebec the low wild blueberries ripen in August, and the region is so proud of them that locals are nicknamed bleuets. Every church supper and roadside casse-croûte there sells a deep tarte aux bleuets with a flaky top crust and a dark, jammy filling that holds when sliced. Wild berries are smaller and more intense than cultivated ones and frozen wild berries work well. Serve slightly warm with vanilla ice cream or a jug of cream. A common mistake is skimping on the cornflour, which leaves a soupy filling. Chef's tip: let the pie cool for at least three hours so the juices set; cut it hot and the filling runs all over the plate.

100 minCanadianDesserts
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Maple cream

Crème d'érable is sold in little jars in every Quebec market from Jean-Talon to the Beauce farm stands, and despite the name there is no cream in it: pure maple syrup is boiled to the soft-ball stage, cooled without stirring and then beaten until it turns pale and creamy. It is spread on toast, crêpes and warm bagels. Patience and a thermometer are the whole trick. The common mistake is stirring the syrup while it cools, which sets off large grainy crystals instead of a smooth cream. Chef's tip: use a light, golden syrup; dark syrups taste stronger but can stay runny.

65 minCanadianChutneys & DipsVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Bak chor meeMinced pork noodles

Queue at almost any Teochew noodle stall in a Singapore kopitiam before work and the order you hear most is a bowl of bak chor mee, dry, with extra vinegar. Springy flat mee pok is tossed at the bottom of the bowl in black vinegar, chilli paste, soy and a spoon of pork lard, then crowned with loosely poached minced pork, slices of pork liver, fish balls and sweet braised mushrooms, with a small bowl of clear pork soup on the side. It should taste sour first, then hot, then rich, and the noodles must stay bouncy rather than soft. Where most home cooks go wrong is cooking the noodles in one long boil: they turn limp and soak up the sauce instead of carrying it. Chef's tip: blanch the noodles twice, plunging them into cold water in between, which is how the hawkers get that al dente snap.

45 minSingaporeanPasta & Noodles
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Bein montJaggery coconut rice pancake

When the November nights cool down for the Tazaungdaing festival, food stalls outside pagodas in Yangon and Mandalay start cooking bein mont in small, lidded iron pans with embers piled on top, so the cake bakes from above and below at once. The batter is rice flour sweetened with dark jaggery, so it cooks into a thick, springy, brown pancake with a crisp base, studded on top with shreds of coconut and sliced peanuts; some vendors still scatter poppy seeds, the bein that may have given the snack its name. It is eaten warm in wedges with hot green tea. High heat is what usually goes wrong: the base scorches while the centre stays raw, so keep the flame low and the lid on. Chef's tip: a small cast-iron pan finished under the grill copies the charcoal top heat at home.

45 minBurmeseDessertsVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Barley water

Ask for 'barley' at any drinks stall in a Singapore kopitiam and you get a tall glass of cloudy, faintly sweet barley water, the drink older relatives swear by on the hottest afternoons because it is said to cool the body. Home cooks simmer pearl barley for an hour with knotted pandan leaves, and in Teochew and Cantonese households chunks of winter melon go in as well for a gentle, cucumber-like sweetness. The result is light and clean, ideal beside a plate of chicken rice, char kway teow or anything greasy and salty. The usual mistake is boiling it hard, which turns the liquid starchy and slimy instead of smooth and pale; keep it at a gentle simmer. Chef's tip: don't throw away the softened barley grains; spoon some into each glass, as the stalls do, or eat them warm with a little rock sugar as a light dessert.

65 minSingaporeanDrinksVegan
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Singapore breakfast fried bee hoon

Before office hours in Toa Payoh or Ang Mo Kio, the economy-rice stalls already have a steel tray of pale-brown fried bee hoon on the counter, and people point at it, then add a side or two from the trays beside it: a fried egg, fried tofu, braised cabbage, a curry potato. The noodles themselves are kept deliberately simple, springy and lightly savoury from soy sauce, threaded with cabbage, carrot and crunchy bean sprouts, then finished with a spoon of sambal chilli. Because it is plain, every strand needs to be seasoned evenly and still separate. The usual mistake is over-soaking the vermicelli, which then clumps and breaks in the wok; soak it only until bendy. Chef's tip: toss the noodles with tongs or chopsticks in a lifting motion rather than stirring with a spatula, so the soy coats every strand without breaking it.

25 minSingaporeanPasta & NoodlesVegan
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Salt and pepper squid

Late at night in Temple Street, or at a seafood restaurant on Lamma Island after a ferry ride, someone at the table always orders the jiu yim squid: tender pieces under a thin, shattering coat, wok-tossed with a heap of fried garlic, chilli and spring onion and showered with a peppery spiced salt. It is crunchy, salty and a little fiery, ideal with a cold soft drink or as one of several dishes with rice. Squid cooks in seconds. The most frequent mistake is crowding the oil, which drops its temperature so the coating turns soggy and the squid goes rubbery while you wait; fry in small batches. Chef's tip: score the inside of the squid in a criss-cross pattern so it curls up and catches more of the salt.

25 minHong KongFishSpicy
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Nova Scotia oatcakes

Nova Scotia oatcakes are nothing like the plain Scottish kind: Cape Breton bakers, with their Highland roots, made them sweeter and richer, with butter and brown sugar, so they crunch like a cross between a biscuit and shortbread. They are sold at every coffee shop in Antigonish and Baddeck and eaten with tea, or with a slice of sharp cheddar. A common mistake is rolling them thick; 5 mm gives the proper snap. Chef's tip: chill the rolled dough before cutting so the squares stay sharp.

35 minCanadianBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Aiyu jelly with lemonAiyu fig jelly with lemon

Squeezing a little cloth bag of seeds in a bowl of water until it turns into jelly sounds like a magic trick, yet that's how aiyu has been made for well over a century in Chiayi, at the foot of the Alishan hills where the climbing fig grows wild. The pectin in the dried seeds sets the water into a soft, glassy, pale-gold jelly with almost no taste of its own, so it's cut into cubes and served icy cold with tart lemon juice and honey syrup, the most refreshing thing on a sticky Taipei summer afternoon. The classic failure is a bowl that won't set, usually because the bowl was oily or the water was distilled or very soft; it needs ordinary tap or mineral water. Chef's tip: rub the bag steadily for 8–10 minutes and stop as soon as it feels slippery and nothing more comes out, or the jelly turns cloudy and bitter.

30 minTaiwaneseDrinksGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Showing 81 of 7,762 recipes

Show more recipes

Page 306 of 863