What to eat today?

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Nigerian sausage roll

Every Lagos bakery and supermarket counter has a tray of these, wrapped in paper and eaten mid-morning with a cold soft drink, at school break or on the way to work. The Nigerian sausage roll is made with seasoned minced beef rather than pork sausage meat, flavoured with onion, thyme, curry powder and a little chilli, and wrapped in a rich, short pastry that flakes rather than puffs. Children love them, and they freeze well before baking. The filling goes in raw, so bake until the meat reaches 71 °C in the centre. Chef's tip: keep the butter and water ice cold and stop mixing as soon as the dough comes together; warm, overworked pastry is the common mistake that bakes up tough.

65 min

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Ocho beniseed soup

Beniseed, the local name for sesame, grows widely in Benue, and the Idoma turn it into ocho: a creamy, nutty soup thickened with the ground seeds, cooked with beef, dried fish and green leaves. It has a gentle, toasty flavour and a slightly grainy, pleasant texture, and it is eaten with pounded yam, often at family gatherings and festive meals. Cooks vary the leaves; spinach or ugu are easy to find. Some families add palm oil and some leave it pale; this version uses a little. Chef's tip: toast the beniseed in a dry pan only until it smells nutty and turns light gold; the common mistake is letting it go brown, which makes the whole pot bitter.

80 min

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PinonGari in tomato and onion sauce

On a busy weeknight in Cotonou or Porto-Novo, pinon (also spelled piron) is the answer: gari, the toasted cassava granules every Beninese kitchen keeps on hand, stirred into a hot tomato and onion sauce until it swells into a soft, fluffy, orange mound. Ready in about twenty minutes, it is savoury and tangy from the fermented cassava, with a kick of pepper. People eat it with fried fish or grilled chicken; this meat-free plate pairs it with a pot of beans in red oil or fried plantain. Chef's tip: lower the heat before adding the gari and sprinkle it in gradually, stirring all the time, so every grain absorbs the sauce evenly.

20 minAfrican Vegetarian

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AushNoodle soup with beans and yogurt

Aush is the bowl Afghan mothers make when someone in the house has a cold or the first snow falls on Kabul, a thick, tangy soup of hand-cut noodles, kidney beans and chickpeas, enriched with garlicky yogurt and finished with a spoonful of spiced minced meat and a heavy dusting of dried mint. The broth is slightly sour, creamy and warming with chilli, and the noodles are soft and a little slippery. It is a meal in itself, eaten with nothing more than naan and pickles. For a vegetarian version, leave out the meat sauce and add a handful of cooked mung beans. Noodles dropped into a soup that has gone off the boil stick together into a clump, so keep it bubbling as you add them a few at a time. Chef's tip: stir the yogurt in only after the pan is off the heat, so it turns the broth creamy without splitting.

90 min

Afghan Soups

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Fisherman soup

Fishing families in the creeks of Rivers and Bayelsa made this soup from whatever came in on the boat, and it is still the pride of Port Harcourt and Yenagoa kitchens. Unlike heavier Nigerian soups it is light and brothy, just thickened with a little cocoyam paste, so the sweetness of fresh fish, prawns and periwinkles comes through the scotch bonnet heat and the scent leaf. Eat it with boiled yam, plantain or a light swallow such as eba or starch. Buy shellfish from a reputable fishmonger, discard any periwinkles with broken shells, and if you add clams, throw away any that stay open when tapped before cooking or stay shut after. Chef's tip: add the seafood in order of cooking time, fish first and prawns last, so nothing turns rubbery.

50 min

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Atjar tjampoerSweet-sour mixed vegetable pickle

Atjar tjampoer is the bright yellow pickle in every Dutch-Indonesian toko and on every rijsttafel: crisp cucumber, carrot, cabbage, cauliflower and shallot pickled in a sweet-sour vinegar brine coloured with turmeric, with a little chilli and ginger. It cuts through rich satay and rendang. A common mistake is cooking the vegetables, which makes them soft; they should only be blanched or simply covered with hot brine. Chef's tip: salt the cucumber first and squeeze it, so it stays crunchy for days.

30 min

Dutch Chutneys & Dips

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AthirasaFried rice flour jaggery cakes

Athirasa, a dark, flat disc with a shiny, slightly crinkled surface, is one of the keeping sweets of the Avurudu season: families fry stacks of them in early April, store them in tins and offer them to every visitor for weeks. The dough is simply rice flour stirred into jaggery syrup cooked to the soft-ball stage, flavoured with cardamom and left to rest, then patted into rounds and fried until deep brown. The cook presses each one firmly between two flat spoons or saucers to squeeze out excess oil, which gives athirasa its chewy, toffee-like centre and lacy, crisp edges. The typical slip is undercooking the syrup, which makes the dough too soft to shape and causes the rounds to fall apart in the oil. Chef's tip: shape the discs on a piece of oiled banana leaf or baking paper and slide them straight into the oil from it, so they keep a neat round shape.

60 min

Sri Lankan Desserts

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Maqaw chicken soupMountain pepper chicken soup

High in the mountains of northern Taiwan, in Atayal villages around Wulai and Fuxing, maqaw berries are picked from the mountain litsea tree in summer and dried to flavour soups, grilled meat and tea. In this clear chicken soup, served at home suppers and in Indigenous restaurants with millet or rice and wild greens, the crushed berries give a fresh lemongrass-and-ginger perfume with a gentle peppery tingle. Bone-in chicken simmered slowly makes a light, golden broth. People spoil it by adding the maqaw at the start and boiling it for an hour, which turns it bitter; add it for the last 15 minutes instead. If you can't find maqaw, use black peppercorns, a stalk of lemongrass and a strip of lemon zest. Chef's tip: lightly crush the berries just before they go in; whole ones barely flavour the broth, while powder makes it cloudy.

60 min

Taiwanese Soups

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Atama soupPalm nut and atama leaf soup

From Abak and the Ibibio heartland of Akwa Ibom comes this palm-nut soup with a perfume all its own: atama leaves, which smell somewhere between mint, anise and fresh hay. The palm cream is cooked with assorted meat, stockfish, dried fish and periwinkles until the oil glistens on top, then the atama goes in near the end. It is weekend and visitors' food, eaten with pounded yam, fufu or eba. Dried atama is sold in African shops; dried tarragon is the closest substitute. Periwinkles should be bought cleaned, and any with cracked shells thrown away. Avoid adding the atama leaves too early: long boiling dulls their perfume. Chef's tip: go easy on the atama, as too much turns the soup bitter, so start with the amount below and taste before adding more.

90 min

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Asun peppered goatPeppered grilled goat

Asun started in Ekiti, where goat was roasted whole over an open fire, and it has become the star of Lagos owambe parties and Friday evenings at the bar. Skin-on goat is boiled with seasoning until just tender, grilled until smoky and charred at the edges, chopped into bite-size pieces, then tossed in a hot sauce of scotch bonnet, onion and a little oil. It is chewy in a good way, smoky and very spicy, eaten on its own, with jollof rice or with cold drinks. Cook the goat until tender and no pink remains. Chef's tip: dry the boiled goat well before grilling; wet meat steams and never takes on the charred, smoky flavour that makes asun.

95 min

Cameroonian Snacks & Starters

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Asopao de polloSoupy chicken and rice

Somewhere between a soup and a risotto, asopao is the pot Puerto Rican mothers put on for a rainy Sunday, a cold, or a hangover after a long party night, and it is spooned straight from deep bowls with tostones on the side. Bone-in chicken is seasoned with garlic, oregano and lime, simmered in a sofrito broth, then rice goes in until the whole pot turns thick and brothy, finished with olives, capers, peas and strips of roasted pepper. The common mistake is making it ahead: the rice keeps drinking the broth and turns stodgy, so cook it just before eating, or keep extra stock to loosen leftovers. Chef's tip: take the pot off the heat while the rice is still a touch firm; it carries on cooking in the bowl.

75 min

Puerto Rican Soups

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Sweet potato pone

Potato pone came to Liberia with the settlers who arrived from the American South in the nineteenth century, and it is still baked in Monrovia and along the coast for holidays, church gatherings and Sunday dinner. Raw sweet potato is grated finely, mixed with sugar, butter, eggs, milk and plenty of ginger and nutmeg, then baked slowly until it sets into a dense, sliceable pudding with dark, chewy, caramelised edges. It is sweet, spicy and moist, lovely warm or cold the next day. Chef's tip: bake until the edges pull away and turn almost toffee-dark; those crisp corners are the part everyone fights over.

90 minAfrican Desserts

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Nnam ngon with mushrooms

Steamed parcels of nnam ngon turn up at Beti weddings, funerals and big Sunday tables in the Centre, unwrapped to reveal a firm, pale cake of ground pumpkin seeds that slices like a terrine. The seeds are ground with onion, garlic, ginger and hot pepper, then bound with water and steamed slowly in leaves until rich, savoury and almost meaty. Smoked fish is the classic addition; here browned mushrooms take its place, so the parcels are vegan and still very filling. Serve with bobolo, boiled plantain or sweet ripe plantain. Chef's tip: brown the mushrooms in a dry pan first; added raw, they release water inside the parcel and leave the mixture loose.

120 min

Cameroonian Vegetarian

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Aseedat bobarPumpkin pudding with ghee

In Doha and Kuwait City, aseedat bobar arrives on winter evenings and at Ramadan iftar in a shallow dish, smooth and orange, with a little pool of melted ghee in the centre. Bobar is the Gulf word for red pumpkin, cooked down and thickened with toasted flour, sugar and cardamom into a soft, spoonable sweet that tastes a bit like a spiced pumpkin pie filling. Scoop it warm with a spoon or with pieces of bread, alongside Arabic coffee. Stopping the stirring too soon is the usual mistake: the pudding must cook until it pulls away from the sides, or it tastes of raw flour. Chef's tip: toast the flour in a dry pan until it smells like biscuits before it goes in; that nutty note is what makes it.

45 minGulf Arabian Desserts

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Ago glainCrab in tomato pepper sauce

Cotonou sits between the sea and the Nokoué lagoon, and its crabs, ago in Fon, are cooked whole in a thick tomato, onion and pepper sauce for weekend lunches and family gatherings. Ago glain is gloriously messy: you crack the shells with your fingers and teeth, suck out the sweet meat and mop up the sauce with amiwo, akassa or white rice. The sauce is bright, gingery and hot, and the shells give it a deep seafood flavour. Live crabs need careful handling, so buy them from a fishmonger you trust, cook them the same day and keep them chilled until then; ready-cleaned or ready-cooked crab is fine too. The usual mistake is overcooking the crab once it is in the sauce, which makes the meat dry and stringy. Chef's tip: crack the claws before they go into the pot so the sauce seeps in and they cook evenly.

65 minAfrican Fish

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Ukwa (African breadfruit porridge)

Ukwa is festival and family food in the Igbo Southeast, cooked for guests and for the New Yam season, and its price in the market shows how prized it is. The seeds of the African breadfruit are dehulled and slow-cooked with a little potash until soft and creamy, then finished with palm oil, onion, pepper and fragrant utazi or scent leaves, giving a rich, nutty, slightly beany porridge. Dried fish is often stirred in; this version stays meat-free. Some cooks add fresh sweetcorn or cooked maize in the last 10 minutes. A pressure cooker saves an hour of simmering. Chef's tip: add the salt and stock cube only once the seeds are soft; seasoning early, a common mistake, keeps them hard for much longer.

120 min

Nigerian Vegetarian

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Roasted safou

When the rainy season brings fresh maize to Cameroon, the safou trees fruit at the same time, and roadside grills from Douala to Yaoundé sell the violet plums alongside charred corn cobs. A few minutes over embers turns the firm, sour flesh soft, buttery and slightly tangy, which is why safou is often called the African butter fruit. People peel back the skin with their teeth, scrape the pale green flesh off the stone and alternate bites with sweet corn or a chunk of boiled plantain. Look for fresh or frozen safou in African grocers. Chef's tip: a pinch of salt sprinkled on while the fruit is hot brings out its savoury, olive-like side.

12 min

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Banga soup with fresh catfish

Across Warri, Sapele and the Urhobo and Itsekiri towns of Delta State, a pot of banga is what Sunday lunch smells like: fresh palm fruit boiled and pounded into a rich orange cream, then simmered with the region's own banga spice and the dried, slightly minty beletete leaf. Fresh catfish is the favourite fish, cooked gently so the steaks stay whole in a soup that is thick enough to coat a spoon but never pasty. It is eaten with Delta starch, eba or plain boiled rice, and leftovers often become 'banga rice' the next day. Tinned palm-fruit concentrate saves hours and gives a very good result. Chef's tip: once the fish goes in, shake the pot by its handles instead of stirring, so the soft catfish does not break into shreds.

85 min

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Peppered snail

Peppered snail is a Yoruba delicacy, served on cocktail sticks at Lagos and Ibadan parties and in restaurants as a pricy small chop. The big African land snail has firm, meaty flesh like a cross between mushroom and clam; it is cleaned of its slime, boiled with seasoning, then fried briefly in a hot sauce of scotch bonnet and red pepper. Only use farmed snails that are sold cleaned and shelled, from a reputable African grocer or fishmonger; never collect wild snails, which can carry parasites. Cook them through, and wash your hands, boards and knives well after handling them raw. Chef's tip: do not skip the rubbing with lime and salt; leftover slime is the common mistake, and it makes the sauce cloudy and the snails slippery.

60 min

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Asa watFish in berbere stew

Around Lake Tana in Bahir Dar and on the shores of Lake Hawassa, fresh tilapia, Nile perch and catfish are cheap and plentiful, so fish goes into the same deep red berbere sauce that elsewhere would hold beef or chicken. Asa wat has the familiar long-cooked onion base and warming spice, but it is lighter than a meat wat, with tender, sweet chunks of fish soaking up the sauce. It is eaten with injera, often alongside a lentil or greens dish, and is a popular choice on fasting days for those who eat fish. Stirring once the fish is in is the classic mistake; it breaks into shreds, so shake the pan instead. Chef's tip: add the fish only once the sauce is fully cooked and thick, then give it no more than 10 minutes.

55 min

Ethiopian Fish

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Owo soup with fish

Owo looks almost like custard: palm oil is whisked with a little potash water until it turns from red to a creamy yellow, then thickened with cassava starch and seasoned with crayfish and pepper. Urhobo and Isoko homes in Delta State serve it with boiled unripe plantain or yam, which you dip and scoop rather than swallow, and it is a favourite on market days because it is quick once the fish is ready. Fresh or smoked fish both work; many cooks use both. Too much potash makes the soup soapy and bitter, so add the strained potash water little by little and stop as soon as the colour changes. The usual mistake is pouring in the potash too fast, which splits the palm oil instead of turning it smooth and yellow. Chef's tip: mix the starch with cold water first, then pour it into the pot in a thin stream while stirring, or it will set in lumps.

55 min

Puerto Rican Rice & Grains

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Asa tibsFried tilapia pieces

Down by the fish market on the shore of Lake Hawassa, cooks fry tilapia straight from the boats and serve it with injera, bread and a fiery dip, and asa tibs is the version you can easily make at home. Bite-sized pieces of fillet are dusted, fried until crisp and golden, then tossed briefly with soft onion, green chilli and a spoon of awaze, so the fish is crunchy outside, flaky and sweet inside, and coated in a spicy glaze. It is a favourite on fasting days for people who eat fish, and quick enough for a weeknight. Chef's tip: leave each piece undisturbed until it releases from the pan by itself; moving fish too early is the common mistake, and it tears the coating and breaks the flesh.

27 min

Ethiopian Fish

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Aruban pan batiSweet cornmeal pancakes

Aruban families put a stack of pan bati on the table with almost every bowl of soup or stew, from sopi di pisca to kabritu stoba: thick, slightly sweet pancakes of cornmeal and flour, cooked on a dry griddle and torn to mop up the broth. They are soft, a little grainy and golden at the edges. The mistake is cooking them too fast, so they burn outside and stay raw in the middle. Chef's tip: let the batter rest for 10 minutes so the cornmeal softens and the pancakes come out tender.

30 minCaribbean Breads & Parathas

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Arroz mamposteaoFried rice and stewed beans

Fondas around San Juan put arroz mamposteao on the menu as a way to use yesterday's white rice and the last ladle of habichuelas, and at home it is the Sunday-night fix when the pots from lunch come out of the fridge. The rice is fried in olive oil with a fresh sofrito, then the beans and their sauce go in until every grain is stained pink and the edges catch and crisp. Many cooks add ham or bacon; this version stays meat-free and gets its depth from the sofrito and a little smoked paprika. The common mistake is using freshly cooked rice, which turns to paste; cold, day-old rice keeps separate grains. Chef's tip: leave the pan alone for the last few minutes so a crunchy layer forms on the bottom, then fold it through.

25 min

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Nkwobi (cow foot in spicy palm-oil sauce)

Pieces of cow foot, cooked for hours until gelatinous and sticky, are what make nkwobi so popular in bars and small restaurants across Anambra, Enugu and Lagos. The meat is tossed in the same kind of thick, peppery palm-oil and potash sauce used for isi ewu, spiked with ehuru and crayfish, then finished with sliced onion and bitter utazi leaves. It is eaten as an evening dish in its wooden bowl, slowly, with plenty of conversation. Undercooking the cow foot is the mistake to avoid; it should be soft enough to pull from the bone with a fork, so give it the full time or use a pressure cooker. Chef's tip: add the potash liquid to the oil slowly and stop when the sauce is thick, as too much potash makes it taste soapy.

170 min

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Ofe oha (oha leaf soup)

Tender oha leaves, with their mild, slightly sweet taste, are prized in Enugu and Anambra, and ofe oha is the soup many Igbo families bring out for Christmas, weddings and Sunday visits. Boiled cocoyam is pounded and melted into a palm-oil broth rich with beef, stockfish, dried fish and crayfish, giving a thick, velvety soup with the oha folded in at the very end, to eat with pounded yam, fufu or eba. Adding all the cocoyam at once is a frequent mistake that turns the soup gluey; add it in stages and stop at the thickness you want. Stockfish needs an overnight soak first unless you buy it pre-soaked. Chef's tip: tear oha leaves by hand rather than cutting them, as cooks traditionally do, and add them in the last 2 minutes.

120 min

Pakistani Snacks & Starters

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Aloo tukTwice-fried pressed potatoes

Aloo tuk is the crunch on a Sindhi plate, the thing children steal first: small potatoes boiled, fried, squashed flat and fried again until they are craggy and crisp at the edges and fluffy within, then showered with red chilli, tangy amchur and salt. In Sindhi homes from Karachi to Shikarpur they sit beside Sindhi kadhi and rice or dal and bhuga chawal, and they are also served on their own as a teatime snack with green chutney. The most common error is pressing the potatoes while they are still raw-centred or too hot and wet, which makes them tear instead of flatten neatly. Chef's tip: after the first fry let them cool for five minutes, then press each one under a flat-bottomed bowl so it cracks at the edges, since those cracks become the crispest bits. For children, go easy on the chilli and use more amchur.

40 min

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Gizdodo (gizzards and plantain in pepper sauce)

No Lagos owambe buffet is complete without a tray of gizdodo, where chewy fried chicken gizzards and caramelised cubes of ripe plantain (dodo) are tossed together in a glossy, fiery tatashe and scotch bonnet sauce. It is sweet, hot and savoury all at once, and served as a starter, a side to jollof or a snack. Gizzards must be boiled until tender before frying, and for safety they should reach 74°C in the thickest part, which they easily do by the end of the simmer. Frying plantain that is too green is a common mistake, leaving it starchy instead of sweet, so choose yellow fruit with black spots. Chef's tip: fry the plantain last, just before tossing, so it stays crisp-edged rather than soggy.

70 min

Nigerian Chicken

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Kunun zaki (millet and ginger drink)

Chilled kunun zaki is what people reach for in the heat of Kano and Kaduna afternoons, and at Ramadan iftar it is one of the first things poured. Millet is soaked, ground with fresh ginger and cloves, then partly cooked; the uncooked portion stirred back in sweetens the drink naturally and gives it a light, refreshing tang. It is creamy-looking but thin, spicy at the back of the throat and best ice cold. Pouring boiling water over all the slurry is the classic mistake, since it stops the natural sweetening, so always keep a third raw. Chef's tip: start a day ahead (12 hours soaking, 4–6 hours resting) and strain twice through a fine cloth for a silky drink with no grit.

55 min

Nigerian Drinks

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Arroz con maízRice with sweetcorn

In central Cuba, when the fields are full of young corn, families cut the kernels straight off the cob into the rice pot with a sofrito of onion, pepper, garlic and annatto, cooking everything together until golden and sticky at the base. Many farm cooks add salt pork; this vegan version leans on cumin and a little smoked paprika. A common mistake is using too much water, as fresh corn releases its own milk, so keep to the amounts given. Serve with black beans or a tomato and avocado salad. Chef's tip: scrape the cobs with the back of the knife after cutting off the kernels and add that milky pulp; it gives the rice a creamy sweetness.

45 min

Cuban Rice & Grains

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Arroz con dulceCoconut rice pudding

From the start of December to the Three Kings in January, trays of arroz con dulce cool on Puerto Rican kitchen counters, sliced into squares and handed round at parrandas when carollers arrive at the door late at night. Unlike a milky rice pudding, it is cooked in a water steeped with fresh ginger, cinnamon, cloves and star anise, then finished with coconut milk and raisins, so it is fragrant, firm enough to cut and dairy free. The common mistake is adding the sugar too early, which keeps the rice grains hard; sweeten only once they are soft. Chef's tip: soak the rice for an hour first, and it cooks evenly and absorbs the spiced coconut far better.

120 min

Puerto Rican Desserts

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Beans and plantain porridge

A big pot of this sweet-and-savoury porridge feeds a family through Saturday breakfast and beyond, and it is cooked from Lagos to Port Harcourt. Brown or honey beans (oloyin) are boiled until they start to break up, then finished in palm oil with blended pepper, onion and chunks of ripe plantain, which melt into the beans and sweeten them. Crayfish is common in the pot; this version is vegan and still rich. Tomatoes and salt added too early slow the beans down, so stir in the pepper base only once they are soft. Avoid adding the plantain at the start: it collapses into mush before the beans are soft. Chef's tip: draining the first 10-minute boil of the beans makes them gentler on the stomach.

90 min

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Arroz a la cubanaRice with tomato and egg

Havana cafeterías put this plate on the lunch board when cooks want something cheap, fast and filling: a mound of plain white rice, a ladle of garlicky tomato sauce, a fried egg with a runny yolk and slices of caramelised ripe plantain. Breaking the yolk into the rice and sauce is the whole point, so the eggs should be fried at the last minute. The usual mistake is using plantains that are still yellow-green; they need black-spotted skins to turn soft and sweet in the pan. Serve with a simple avocado salad. Chef's tip: baste the egg whites with hot oil from the pan so they set with lacy edges while the yolks stay liquid.

30 min

Cuban Rice & Grains

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Amba maluwaSweet spicy mango curry

Maluwa usually means a fish curry, yet in Matara and the southern villages the name also goes to this mango dish, perhaps because it is cooked with the same bold spices and was once a stand-in for fish on fasting days. Half-ripe mangoes are cut into chunks with their skin on, then simmered with dark roasted curry powder, chilli, cinnamon and a sharp paste of ground mustard seed and vinegar, sweetened with sugar and finished with coconut milk. The result is hot, sweet and tangy at once, and it is a favourite on wedding and almsgiving spreads, eaten in small amounts with yellow or white rice. Fully ripe mangoes are the wrong choice, because they collapse into jam; pick fruit that is just turning yellow and still firm to the touch. Chef's tip: keep the skin on the mango pieces, as it holds them together during cooking and adds a pleasant, slightly chewy texture.

40 min

Sri Lankan Curries

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Polish-style cauliflower

‘Po polsku’ on a Polish menu means one thing: a vegetable topped with crumbs fried in plenty of butter. In Warsaw canteens and on Sunday tables, a whole cauliflower arrives this way next to potatoes and a salad, and children who claim to hate cauliflower eat it happily. The florets are tender and sweet, the crumbs nutty and crisp. A common mistake is boiling the cauliflower until it falls apart; it should keep a slight bite in the stalk. Chef's tip: a pinch of sugar and a splash of milk in the boiling water keep the cauliflower white and sweet.

20 min

Polish Sides

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Ofe Owerri (festive ugu and okazi soup)

Owerri people speak of their soup with pride, and it is famous for how much goes into the pot: goat meat, tripe, stockfish and dried fish, simmered in palm oil and thickened with cocoyam, then finished with two leaves, chewy okazi and soft, sweet ugu. It is festive food for weddings, Christmas and big family gatherings across Imo State, and it is served with pounded yam or fufu. Adding the ugu too early is a common mistake that leaves the leaves dark and mushy; it goes in last, after the okazi has had time to soften. Stockfish needs an overnight soak first unless bought pre-soaked. Chef's tip: soak dried okazi in warm water for 10 minutes before cooking so it softens evenly.

140 min

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Ofe nsala (catfish white soup)

No palm oil goes into ofe nsala, which is why Igbo cooks in Anambra, Enugu and Imo call it white soup: a light, peppery broth of fresh catfish thickened with pounded yam and perfumed with uziza seeds. It is warming and clean-tasting, often cooked for new mothers and for anyone feeling under the weather, and served with pounded yam. Stirring hard after the fish goes in is the usual mistake, as catfish breaks up easily, so swirl the pot instead. Chef's tip: scrub the catfish with hot water and a little salt before cooking to remove the slime, which keeps the broth clear.

60 min

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Fura da nono (millet balls in cultured milk)

Fulani women carry fura da nono to markets across the north in calabashes balanced on their heads: balls of spiced, cooked millet dough sold next to nono, cow's milk that has been left to sour. Crumbled into the milk and sweetened, the fura makes a thick, cooling drink that is part breakfast, part refreshment, tangy with ginger and a gentle heat from the spices. Traditional nono is made from raw milk; this home version uses pasteurised yoghurt and milk for safety, and it should be kept in the fridge. Mashing the fura straight into all the milk leaves lumps, so crumble it with a little milk first. Don't crumble the fura balls coarsely; large lumps stay chalky in the drink. Chef's tip: dust the shaped fura in millet flour and it keeps for 3 days in the fridge, ready to mix.

55 min

Nigerian Drinks

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ArishtaButtered egg noodles

In Gyumri and the villages of Shirak, grandmothers still roll arishta by hand, cut it into thin strips and dry it in the sun to store for winter. To serve, the noodles are first toasted in butter until they turn golden and nutty, then boiled until tender and topped with garlicky matsun yogurt. It is simple, filling food for cold days on the Shirak plateau. A common mistake is skipping the toasting step, which gives soft, plain noodles without the characteristic roasted flavour. Chef's tip: dry the cut noodles for at least an hour before toasting, so they brown evenly instead of clumping.

60 min

Armenian Pasta & Noodles

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ArikanchanTaro leaf rolls in mustard gravy

Arikanchan is a monsoon speciality of Maithil kitchens in Janakpur and the eastern Terai, cooked when the taro plants in the courtyard put out huge, tender leaves. A spiced chickpea-flour paste is spread over the leaves, which are rolled up tight like a Swiss roll and steamed, then the rolls are sliced into spirals, fried and simmered in a punchy gravy of ground mustard seed, garlic, chilli and tomato cooked in mustard oil. The result is soft and layered, with a gentle sourness and the nose-tingling heat of fresh mustard, eaten with rice and a dal. The biggest risk is undercooking the taro leaves, which can leave an itchy, scratchy feeling in the throat. Chef's tip: use only young leaves, strip the thick ribs, and always include the tamarind in the paste, because the sourness neutralises the irritant in the leaves.

70 min

Nepali Vegetarian

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Kunun gyada (groundnut and rice gruel)

Breakfast sellers in Kano and Zaria pour kunun gyada from big flasks into bowls, steaming hot on cool mornings and at Ramadan suhoor. Raw groundnuts are blended into a milk, boiled with rice until it thickens, and then soured with tamarind, which gives a creamy, nutty, sweet-sour gruel with soft grains of rice. It is filling enough to stand as breakfast on its own, or with a few pieces of kosai. Groundnut milk foams up just like dairy milk and is the cause of the most common mishap, so use a big pan and stay close. A frequent slip is adding the tamarind too early, which can make the groundnut milk curdle; stir it in at the end. Chef's tip: add the tamarind off the heat; boiling it hard can make the gruel split grainily.

45 min

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Boiled yam with egg sauce

Saturday breakfast in many Nigerian homes means thick slices of boiled white yam and a pan of egg sauce, eggs gently scrambled into a quick fried sauce of tomato, onion and fresh chilli. The yam is fluffy and starchy, the sauce juicy, peppery and soft, and the two are made in the same half hour. It is just as popular for supper. Overcooking the eggs is the usual mistake: take the pan off the heat while they still look slightly wet and they finish in their own warmth. Chef's tip: wear gloves or oil your hands while peeling yam, since the raw skin and flesh can make your hands itch.

30 min

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Agidi (set fermented maize in leaves)

Wrapped in green leaves and stacked in pyramids, ẹ̀kọ (Yoruba) or agidi (Igbo) is the solid form of ogi: the same fermented maize paste cooked much thicker, then left to set into a cool, wobbly block. It tastes gently sour and very clean, which is why it suits a hot pepper stew, moi moi, akara or a bowl of efo. Buka in Lagos and Ibadan sell it at breakfast and lunch. Undercooking is the most common mistake, and the agidi then stays soft and runny, so cook until a spoon leaves a clear trail across the pot. Chef's tip: pass banana leaves quickly over a flame until they turn shiny and supple, and they will fold without tearing.

45 min