Featured recipe

Xis gaúcho

Loaded pressed burger

Porto Alegre's lancherias and late-night food trucks press the xis (the Portuguese name for the letter X, which sounds like 'cheese', as in X-burger) on a hot griddle with a heavy lid until a giant round bun is flat, crisp and holding everything together: a beef patty, a fried egg, ham, melted cheese, sweetcorn, peas, lettuce, tomato and lots of mayonnaise. It is huge, messy and much loved after a night out or a football match, usually cut in half and shared. Its pork element is the ham. The common mistake is stacking it too high before pressing, so the fillings slide out; spread them in flat even layers right to the edges. Minced beef must be cooked through to 71 °C with no pink in the middle. Chef's tip: press the assembled sandwich under a heavy pan with a weight on top if you have no sandwich press, and turn it once.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Eba (gari swallow)

Students in hostels, office workers at lunchtime buka and families from Warri to Lagos all lean on eba, because it is ready in about five minutes from a bag of gari, the toasted granules of fermented cassava. Stirred into hot water, gari swells into a smooth, firm, slightly tangy dough that you pinch, roll and dip into egusi, okra, ogbono or efo riro. Yellow gari has been fried with a little palm oil and gives a richer, golden eba; white gari is sharper and paler. Chef's tip: pour the gari onto the water, never the water onto the gari, and wait a minute before stirring so every grain soaks evenly.

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Not the stuffed corn patty of Venezuela: in the Dominican Republic arepa means a dense, sweet cornmeal cake that grandmothers once baked in a covered pot with hot coals on the lid. The cornmeal is first cooked with coconut milk, milk, butter, sugar and cinnamon into a thick porridge, then baked until it sets with a dark, caramelised crust and a soft, pudding-like centre. It is eaten at merienda with coffee or a glass of cold milk. The common mistake is not cooking the cornmeal long enough on the hob, which leaves the cake gritty. Chef's tip: let the arepa cool completely before slicing; warm, it is too soft to cut cleanly.

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Curaçao and Aruba use the word arepa differently from their South American neighbours: arepa di pampuna are not corn arepas but small, sweet pumpkin pancakes, fried in a little oil and eaten warm for breakfast, or alongside a bowl of soup or stoba at lunch. The mashed pumpkin makes them tender and bright orange, with cinnamon and a little sugar. The mistake is too much flour, which makes them dense; the batter should be thick but soft. Chef's tip: cook the pumpkin the day before and drain it overnight in the fridge for the lightest pancakes.

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Kunun aya (tiger nut drink)

Street sellers in Jos, Kaduna and Kano keep kunun aya cold in coolers, and on a hot afternoon a glass of the creamy, nutty milk is hard to beat. Tiger nuts, which are small tubers rather than nuts, are soaked until plump, blended with dates, fresh coconut and a little ginger, then strained. Dates do the sweetening, so most people add no sugar at all. Skimping on the soak is the most common mistake; dry tiger nuts give a thin, gritty drink, so soak them for at least 8 hours. Chef's tip: soak them in the fridge and keep everything cold, because the fresh milk sours quickly in the heat.

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AreekaWholemeal bread with ghee and honey

In the green mountains of Asir in south-west Saudi Arabia, areeka is the breakfast for guests, weddings and cold mornings in Abha: thick wholemeal breads are torn while still hot and kneaded with ghee into a smooth, soft dome, then hollowed out and filled with a pool of warm ghee, mountain honey and date syrup. Everyone eats from the same plate, pinching off pieces and dragging them through the sweet centre. It is rich, warm and comforting, with a nutty wheat flavour. The usual mistake is letting the bread cool before kneading; it must be worked hot or it will not bind. Serve with cardamom coffee or milky tea, and a spoonful of cream if you like. Chef's tip: wear clean rubber gloves so you can knead the bread while it is properly hot.

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Garden egg sauce

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Jos potato pottage

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Fah-fah (Djiboutian spicy goat soup)

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KletskoppenLacy almond biscuits

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Ogi (pap, fermented maize porridge)

Early mornings across Nigeria smell of akara frying and ogi being stirred: the smooth, pourable porridge that Yoruba homes call ogi and Igbo homes call akamu. It is made from maize soaked for two or three days, ground, sieved and left to settle into a soft white paste, which is sold fresh in markets wrapped in leaves or plastic. Boiling water turns the paste glossy and thick, with a clean sourness that is often softened with sugar and milk. Water that is merely hot rather than boiling is the usual mistake, leaving the pap thin and chalky; if that happens, stir it over a low flame for a minute. Chef's tip: sorghum ogi (ogi baba) is redder and earthier, and millet ogi is lighter; all three cook the same way.

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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.

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Alkaki (Hausa syrup-dipped twists)

Trays of alkaki are a sign that a Hausa wedding is close: in Sokoto and Kano the twisted fried dough is made in big batches for the bride's family to share out, and again for Sallah visits. The dough is simple flour and water, rolled into ropes and twisted before frying, then dipped in a thick syrup that sets into a thin, crackly white coat. Under it the dough is crunchy at the edges and slightly chewy inside. Frying too hot is the trap; the outside browns while the middle stays raw, so keep the oil moderate and be patient. Chef's tip: boil the syrup until it falls from a spoon in a thin thread, and it will dry glossy rather than sticky.

80 min

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Danwake (bean flour dumplings)

Roadside danwake sellers in Kano and Kaduna ladle the little dumplings out of big pots, then dress them on the plate with groundnut oil, a dusting of fiery yaji, raw onion and tomato. The dough is bean flour stiffened with baobab leaf powder and a pinch of potash or bicarbonate, which gives the dumplings their dark colour and springy bite. Boiled eggs are often served alongside; leave them out, as here, and the dish is fully vegan and still satisfying, thanks to the beans. A dough that is too soft falls apart in the water, so boil one test dumpling before you shape the rest. Chef's tip: drop the cooked dumplings into cold water straight away; it stops them sticking together and firms the surface.

50 min

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Masa (Hausa fermented rice cakes)

Before sunrise in Kano, Sokoto and Katsina, women set out clay or cast-iron pans with round hollows and fry masa by the dozen for breakfast, and during Ramadan they are a favourite at the breaking of the fast. Soaked rice is ground with a little cooked rice, left to ferment until bubbly, then cooked in the hollows, so each cake is crisp and brown underneath and soft and spongy inside, with a gentle sourness. They are eaten with sugar syrup, yaji pepper or miyan taushe (honey is common too, while syrup keeps them vegan). A thin batter is the classic mistake: it spreads and fries flat, so aim for the thickness of a thick pancake batter. Chef's tip: start the night before, since the rice soaks 8 hours and the batter ferments 4–8 hours more, and use an aebleskiver or paniyaram pan if you have no masa pan.

60 min

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Miyan zogale (moringa leaves with groundnut)

Moringa trees grow by the compound walls of many northern Nigerian homes, and their small, round leaves end up in this quick, nourishing relish. The leaves are blanched, then cooked down with onion, tomato and dawadawa and bound with groundnut paste, giving a green, slightly peppery dish with a nutty finish. Families in Kano, Katsina and Zaria eat it with tuwo, or as a light meal on its own. Because only a little groundnut goes in, it stays light. Chef's tip: strip the leaves off their stalks completely, since even thin stems stay stringy after cooking.

40 min

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Antiguan ducanaSweet potato coconut dumplings

In Antigua, ducana turns up beside saltfish and chop up on Saturday plates and at Independence celebrations in November, little leaf-wrapped parcels of grated sweet potato and coconut with sugar, raisins and spice, boiled until set. It cuts through the salty fish with a soft, sticky sweetness. Many cooks add a little flour; this version keeps to sweet potato and coconut and is gluten free. The common mistake is wrapping the parcels loosely, so water seeps in and they turn mushy. Chef's tip: grate the sweet potato finely on the small holes and the ducana will hold together without any flour.

75 minCaribbean Desserts

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Maple-glazed ham

At the cabanes à sucre of Quebec in March and April, a smoked pork ham baked in maple syrup is the centrepiece of the long tables, carved alongside pea soup, beans and omelette. At home it is an Easter favourite in the Eastern Townships. The ham is simmered, then glazed and baked, basted again and again until it shines. Check the label: most smoked hams are already cooked and only need heating, while uncooked ones need full cooking. A common mistake is glazing too early, which burns the sugar before the ham is hot. Chef's tip: a splash of cider vinegar in the glaze balances the sweetness.

150 min

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Meatball stew

Ragoût de boulettes is a Quebec Christmas Eve and New Year dish, simmered in big pots for the réveillon in the Saguenay and Beauce, often served with pork hocks and boiled potatoes. The meatballs are made from minced pork, gently spiced with cinnamon, clove and nutmeg, and simmered in a gravy thickened with flour toasted dry in a pan until brown. That toasted flour gives the stew its colour and nutty taste. A common mistake is toasting the flour too quickly so it burns; keep the heat moderate and stir constantly. Chef's tip: it tastes even better the next day, so make it ahead and reheat until piping hot.

150 min

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Queen Elizabeth cake

Queen Elizabeth cake has been a favourite in Canadian homes and Quebec bakeries since the 1950s, especially around coronations and royal visits, and it still turns up at Montreal family birthdays and Sunday teas. A moist, tender date cake is baked, then covered in a bubbling coconut and brown-sugar topping and put under the grill until it caramelises. It is humble, rich and keeps well for days. A common mistake is walking away from the grill; the topping goes from golden to burnt in under a minute. Chef's tip: soak the dates in boiling water with the bicarbonate so they melt into the crumb.

65 min

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Puffed wheat squares

Puffed wheat squares are the Prairie kids' party treat, made in Alberta and Saskatchewan kitchens for hockey bake sales and lunchboxes since the 1950s. Puffed wheat is stirred into a quick toffee of butter, brown sugar, golden syrup and cocoa, pressed into a pan and cut once set. They are chewy rather than crunchy and very hard to stop eating. A common mistake is boiling the syrup too long, which sets them rock hard; one minute of boiling is enough. Chef's tip: butter your hands, not just the pan, to press the mix down evenly.

15 min

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