Featured recipe

Lontong sayur

Rice cakes in coconut vegetable broth

In Jakarta, lontong sayur is what the morning carts sell before offices open: firm slices of pressed rice sitting in a thin, golden coconut broth with chayote, long beans and squares of tofu and tempeh. Betawi families also cook a big pot of it for Lebaran morning. Street versions often add dried shrimp to the spice paste; this one keeps the flavour with candlenuts, galangal and salam leaf instead. Serve with sambal, fried shallots and crackers. Chef's tip: cook the lontong the day before and chill it overnight; cold rice cakes slice cleanly and soak up the broth without falling apart.

What to eat today?

Around the world

Today's trip: Persian

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

Persian

Tas kabab

Layered meat, potato and quince stew 150 minMore from Persian (131) →

This week's collection

Kid-friendly dinners541 recipes · a new collection every Monday

New this week

See all new →

Latest recipes

ZardaSweet saffron rice

Its name comes from the Persian word for yellow, and at a Pakistani shaadi the great degh of zarda arrives after the biryani and korma, glowing gold and fragrant with cardamom, cloves and kewra. The grains should be long, separate and glossy with ghee, sweet but not syrupy, studded with almonds, pistachios, plump raisins and often a few cubes of crumbled khoya or glacé cherries. Families also cook a smaller pot for Eid, for a new baby or to send round to neighbours on a happy day, and it is eaten warm or at room temperature on its own. The classic error is boiling the rice all the way before adding the sugar; the sugar then melts into syrup and the over-soft grains break into mush. Chef's tip: boil the rice only until it is two-thirds cooked with a firm centre, because it finishes cooking in the sugar's own moisture during the dum.

80 min

Pakistani Desserts

by KrazyBadal 0 views

VermicellesChestnut purée with cream and meringue

Every autumn, Swiss cafés and supermarkets fill with vermicelles: sweetened chestnut purée pressed through a ricer into long brown strands like spaghetti, piled over whipped cream and crisp meringue. Chestnuts grow in the valleys of Ticino and Valais, and the dessert is so loved that it appears as cakes, tartlets and even ice cream from September to December. A common mistake is a purée that is too soft, which collapses instead of holding strands. Chef's tip: chill the purée well before pressing it, and use a potato ricer or a piping bag with a multi-hole 'vermicelles' nozzle.

75 min

Swiss Desserts

by KrazyBadal 0 views

VětrníkCaramel cream choux bun

Ask anyone in Prague about the old-fashioned cukrárna and they will mention větrník, the "windmill": a big, puffed choux bun split and filled with two creams, a caramel one below and a light vanilla one above, under a shiny caramel icing. It is the cake people order with coffee on a Sunday afternoon, or buy in a paper box for a name day. Crisp shell, soft clouds of cream and a deep, buttery caramel flavour make it rich but not heavy. The usual slip is pulling the choux out too soon: it must be dark golden and feel light and dry, or it collapses as it cools. Both creams start from one custard, cooked until it bubbles so the eggs are fully set. Chef's tip: make the custard and caramel the day before; on the day you only bake and fill.

150 min

Czech Desserts

by KrazyBadal 0 views

VínartertaLayered cardamom prune cake

Vínarterta, 'Vienna cake', is the Icelandic Christmas cake: six or seven thin layers of cardamom-scented biscuit dough sandwiched with thick prune jam spiced with cinnamon and cardamom, then left to mature for a few days before slicing into narrow strips. It is still baked by Icelandic families in Reykjavík and by the descendants of Icelanders in Manitoba, where it became a symbol of home. A common mistake is slicing it the same day; the layers are crisp until the jam softens them. Chef's tip: wrap it and leave it for 3 days in a cool place, so the biscuit softens into a fine cake.

110 minScandinavian Baking

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Viška pogačaAnchovy and onion bread pie

Vis, the most far-flung inhabited island of Croatia, has a fishing town, Komiža, that gave the world this pie: two thin layers of olive-oil bread dough wrapped around onions stewed until jammy with tomato, and fillets of salted anchovy or sardine. Fishermen took wedges of it to sea, and it still turns up at island festivals and in bakeries, eaten warm or at room temperature with a tomato salad. The salted fish is bought ready-cured from a good fishmonger and is baked inside the pie until piping hot. Where most people go wrong is a wet filling: the onions and tomato must cook down until thick and jammy, or the bottom crust goes soggy. Keep leftovers in the fridge and eat within 2 days. Chef's tip: soak the salted fillets in cold water for 15 minutes to take the harsh edge off the salt, and don't add any more salt to the filling.

120 minBalkan Fish

by KrazyBadal 0 views

VispipuuroWhipped lingonberry semolina

Vispipuuro, 'whisked porridge', is a Finnish childhood favourite: semolina cooked in lingonberry juice and water with sugar, then cooled and whisked hard until it turns pale pink, light and fluffy like a mousse. It is eaten for breakfast, as a dessert at school, or as a snack, with cold milk poured around it. Cranberries or redcurrants work too. A common mistake is whisking it while still hot, which never lightens it. Chef's tip: cool the porridge in a sink of cold water, then whisk with an electric mixer for 10 minutes; it will double in volume. Serve with oat milk to keep it vegan.

30 minScandinavian Desserts

by KrazyBadal 0 views

WachipaChicken and toasted rice

Among the Rai people of Khotang, Bhojpur and the eastern hills, wachipa is a dish of honour, cooked at Sakela and other festivals and for a returning family member: rice cooked together with finely chopped chicken, bones and all, and darkened with the ash of the bird's own feathers, which have been singed and ground. The ash gives a grey-black colour and a smoky, bitter edge that Rai elders say is the soul of the dish. Feather ash is not something we can recommend at home: shop-bought birds come without feathers, and burnt feathers are hard to make clean, gritty and not food-safe. This version gets a close smoky, toasty bitterness from rice that is dry-roasted until dark brown and ground, plus charred chicken skin. A common mistake is making it too wet; wachipa should be a sticky, moist rice, not a porridge. Chef's tip: chop the chicken by hand rather than buying mince, for the authentic coarse, chewy texture.

60 min

Nepali Chicken

by KrazyBadal 0 views

WallenbergareVeal patties

Wallenbergare are named after the Wallenberg banking family of Stockholm, and they are the city's grandest patty: finely ground veal mixed with egg yolks and cold cream into a soft, almost mousse-like paste, rolled in fresh breadcrumbs and fried gently in butter. They come with buttery mashed potato, green peas, melted butter and lingonberries, and Stockholm's old restaurants still serve them every day. A common mistake is overworking or warming the mix, which makes the patties dense and greasy. Chef's tip: keep everything ice-cold and work quickly, and fry over a medium-low heat so the crumb turns golden while the inside stays tender. Minced veal must reach 71 °C.

50 minScandinavian Meat

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Wambatu mojuFried aubergine pickle

No wedding buffet or almsgiving lunch in the Colombo suburbs feels complete without a dish of wambatu moju, the dark, glossy aubergine pickle that people go back for long after the curries have run out. Strips of long purple aubergine are coloured with turmeric, fried until they shrink and turn deep gold, then tossed with whole shallots and green chillies in a hot, sweet-and-sour paste of ground mustard seed, vinegar and sugar. It is eaten in small spoonfuls with rice, and it tastes even better a day later, once the flavours have soaked in. The point that trips most cooks up is under-frying the aubergine: pale pieces soak up the vinegar like a sponge and go soggy, so fry until they are properly brown and slightly shrivelled. Chef's tip: grind the mustard seeds with some of the vinegar rather than buying ready-made mustard; the fresh paste gives the pickle its pleasant nose-tingling bite.

50 min

Sri Lankan Chutneys & Dips

by KrazyBadal 0 views

WasawasaSteamed yam flour granules

Yam is dried and milled in the Upper West Region around Wa, and wasawasa turns that dark, earthy powder into a quick staple: moistened, rubbed into small granules, steamed, then tossed with oil, ground pepper, raw onion and salt. The result is brown, chewy and savoury, rather like a rustic couscous, eaten for lunch or supper, often with a fresh tomato and pepper relish and sometimes fish. Shea butter is the traditional fat; groundnut oil is easier to find. Chef's tip: add the water slowly and stop when the powder feels like damp sand; the common mistake is making it too wet, which steams into a single solid lump.

45 min

Ghanaian Rice & Grains

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Weli thalapaRice flour and coconut sweet

Weli means sand, which perfectly describes the texture of this old-fashioned Sinhala sweet: soft, crumbly and slightly gritty on the tongue, packed with coconut and the dark, smoky sweetness of kithul jaggery. It is made in many southern and western homes for the Avurudu table and for pirith ceremonies, pressed into a tray and cut into squares or diamonds, and its simple ingredients make it a quick, frugal treat. Grated coconut is cooked in melted jaggery until it soaks up the syrup, then roasted rice flour is stirred in until the mixture clumps and leaves the pan. Overcooking at the end is a frequent slip, turning it hard and chewy instead of sandy, so take it off the heat as soon as it starts to come together. Chef's tip: roast the rice flour well in advance and let it cool; warm flour clumps and stops the sweet from getting that loose, sandy crumb.

35 min

Sri Lankan Desserts

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Wild boar curry (pork)Hill-country pork curry

This is a pork curry. In the villages around Kandy, Matale and the hill country, wal uru, wild boar, was once hunting-season meat, cooked over wood fires in clay pots with goraka, black pepper from the home garden and a dark roasted curry powder; today most cooks make it with pork shoulder, which works beautifully, and wild boar if you can find it from a licensed game supplier. The goraka gives a sour, slightly smoky edge that cuts through the richness of the fat, and the pepper builds a slow, warming heat rather than a sharp sting. Serve it with red rice, a pol sambol and a cooling cucumber salad. One error people make is cutting the pork too small, which dries it out during the long simmer. Chef's tip: cook it the day before; the gravy thickens and the pepper and goraka flavours deepen overnight in the fridge.

120 min

Sri Lankan Meat

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Schmoo tortePecan sponge with cream and caramel

Schmoo torte is Winnipeg's own celebration cake, served at bar mitzvahs, weddings and birthday parties in the city's Jewish community since the 1950s and now found in bakeries all over Manitoba. A light angel-style sponge made with ground pecans is split into layers, filled and covered with whipped cream, then drizzled with a warm butterscotch caramel and more nuts. It is a project but most of it can be done the day before. A common mistake is opening the oven too early; the egg-white sponge collapses. Chef's tip: cool the sponge upside down in its tin so it stays tall.

110 min

Canadian Desserts

by KrazyBadal 0 views

WodzionkaGarlic and rye bread soup

Miners' families in Upper Silesia made this from almost nothing: a few slices of yesterday's rye bread, a garlic clove, a knob of butter and boiling water poured straight into the bowl. Called brotzupa by some older Silesians, it still turns up in Zabrze and Ruda Śląska homes as a cheap, soothing supper, and newer versions use vegetable stock and add caraway or a fried onion. The bread softens into a rich, garlicky porridge with crisp-edged croutons on top. The usual slip is using fresh bread, which turns to slime; it has to be properly dry. Chef's tip: toast the cubes in butter first for a nuttier flavour and a little crunch.

15 min

Polish Soups

by KrazyBadal 0 views

WuzetkaChocolate sponge with plum jam cream

Warsaw's own cake took its name from the W-Z route, the east–west road rebuilt through the ruined city in 1949, and the cake shop beside it that sold the first slices. It is still the cream cake of the capital's patisseries: two dark cocoa sponges, a tart layer of plum jam, a thick band of whipped cream and a shiny chocolate glaze, topped with a swirl of cream. A common mistake is assembling while the sponge is warm, so the cream slumps and slides. Chef's tip: brush the sponge with a little cooled tea before adding the jam so the slices stay moist.

80 min

Polish Desserts

by KrazyBadal 0 views

KhingalPasta squares with lamb mince

Khingal is Baku comfort food: squares or diamonds of thin homemade pasta boiled and layered with lamb mince fried with plenty of onion, then topped with garlicky yogurt and a sprinkle of sumac or dried mint. It is the dish Absheron grandmothers make for a crowd, rolling the dough on the big kitchen table. A common mistake is draining the pasta until dry; a little cooking water keeps the layers loose and silky. Chef's tip: fry the onion until deep brown before the mince goes in; that sweet, almost caramelised onion is what makes Baku khingal. Mince must reach 71 °C.

75 min

Azerbaijani Pasta & Noodles

by KrazyBadal 0 views

YakeyakeSteamed grated cassava

Yakeyake comes from the Volta Region, where grated cassava is pressed dry, broken into crumbs and steamed until it turns into a light, slightly chewy grain that looks like coarse couscous. It is pleasantly neutral, a little sweet, and in Ewe homes it is often eaten with fried fish and a hot tomato and pepper sauce; for a meat-free plate, serve it with that same pepper sauce, sliced avocado and fried ripe plantain. Fresh cassava must be cooked thoroughly and never eaten raw. Chef's tip: squeeze the grated cassava in a cloth until no more liquid comes out; wet cassava is the common mistake and steams into a gummy paste instead of separate crumbs.

65 min

Ghanaian Basics

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Yakhni pulaoMutton stock pulao

Where biryani shouts, yakhni pulao murmurs: basmati rice cooked in a clear, aromatic mutton stock (the yakhni) with fennel, coriander seed, garlic and whole spices, so every grain is light brown, separate and scented, with tender pieces of meat folded through. Many Pakistani families, especially in Peshawar, Rawalpindi and Karachi's older neighbourhoods, prefer it to biryani for Eid lunch and wedding dinners, and it comes with raita, kachumber salad and sometimes a shami kebab on the side. Its depth comes only from the stock, so that part cannot be rushed. Getting the liquid ratio wrong is what spoils it most often; measure the strained stock exactly rather than pouring it in by eye. Chef's tip: tie the fennel and coriander seeds in a muslin bag for the stock, so you can lift them out and keep the rice clean.

120 min

Pakistani Rice & Grains

by KrazyBadal 0 views

MasoubMashed bread and banana with honey

Masoub is a rich breakfast from Aden and the Tihama coast of Yemen, now just as loved in Saudi Arabia, where it is served in cafés on Friday mornings in big bowls. Torn flatbread is mashed with ripe bananas and ghee into a warm, sweet, slightly chewy pudding, then topped with thick cream, honey and sometimes dates or cheese. It is soft, sticky and very filling, a good use for bread that is a day old. The usual mistake is using bananas that are not ripe enough: they need brown-freckled skins to mash smoothly and give sweetness without much honey. Chef's tip: toast the bread pieces in the dry pan first until they are crisp at the edges; they take up the ghee better and give the mash a nutty taste.

20 minGulf Arabian Breakfast & Brunch

by KrazyBadal 0 views

YangbenTree lichen curry

High in the forests of Taplejung, Panchthar and Ilam, Limbu families gather yangben, a pale grey-green lichen that grows on oak and rhododendron trunks, dry it in the sun and keep it for winter, when it becomes one of the most prized dishes of Limbu cooking. It is cleaned, soaked and boiled to remove its bitterness, then fried with mustard oil, onion, tomato, garlic, ginger and chilli, and finished with timur; at feasts it is very often cooked with fatty pork, which soaks up the flavour, but this meat-free version is common too. The texture is springy and chewy, the flavour earthy and smoky, and it is eaten with rice or millet dhido. Outside eastern Nepal yangben is hard to buy, so for a stand-in use dried wood-ear mushrooms, which give a similar bite. The most common fault is not washing the lichen enough, which leaves grit and bitterness. Chef's tip: boil the lichen twice in fresh water and rinse it until the water runs clear.

45 min

Nepali Vegetarian

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Dominican yaniquequesFried dough discs

Boca Chica, just east of Santo Domingo, is where vendors walk the sand with trays of yaniqueques (the name comes from "johnny cakes"): wide, thin discs of dough fried until they puff, blister and crack like a cracker, sprinkled with salt or sugar and eaten with fried fish and a cold drink. The dough is just flour, baking powder, salt and water with a spoon of oil. The common mistake is rolling them too thick, which gives a bready fritter instead of a shatter-crisp one. Chef's tip: prick each disc a few times with a fork before frying so it blisters evenly instead of ballooning.

30 min

Puerto Rican Snacks & Starters

by KrazyBadal 1 views

YantykCheese and herb griddle pastries

Crimean Tatar cafés from Bakhchysarai to the family-run places that opened in Kyiv and Kherson after 2014 make yantyk to order: a paper-thin unleavened dough folded over a filling, cooked on a dry hot griddle and brushed with butter as it comes off. Unlike chebureki, nothing is deep-fried, so the pastry is soft and blistered with charred spots and the cheese inside melts with dill and spring onion. They are eaten hot with sweet black tea or a glass of ayran. Brined white cheeses such as brynza and feta are often made with animal rennet; choose one labelled vegetarian. The common mistake is rolling the dough too thick, which gives a doughy, pale yantyk; it should be thin enough to see the board through. Chef's tip: stack the buttered yantyk on a plate and cover with a bowl for a minute, so the steam softens the pastry the way Crimean cooks like it.

60 min

Ukrainian Snacks & Starters

by KrazyBadal 0 views

YarmaCracked wheat and lamb porridge

Yarma is a filling porridge of cracked wheat cooked slowly with lamb until the grains break down and the dish turns thick and creamy, a dish of Turkmen homes and of religious gatherings, when it is cooked in huge pots and shared out. It is seasoned simply with salt, pepper and onion fried in butter or fat poured over the top. A common mistake is not stirring enough, which lets the wheat catch on the bottom. Chef's tip: beat the yarma hard with a wooden spoon in the last 15 minutes, so the lamb shreds into the grain and it turns smooth and creamy.

120 min

Turkmen Rice & Grains

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Ye-beg kikilLamb on the bone soup

On chilly highland mornings, Addis Ababa's small eateries ladle out bowls of ye-beg kikil: chunks of lamb on the bone simmered slowly with onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric and whole green chillies until the meat slips off and the broth turns golden. There is no berbere, so it is gentle and clean-tasting, a welcome change from the red wats, and people sip the broth on its own as a pick-me-up after a long night or an illness. It is eaten with injera or bread, often with a little awaze on the side for those who want more heat. The usual mistake is boiling it hard, which clouds the broth and toughens the meat; keep it at a lazy simmer. Chef's tip: skim the grey foam carefully in the first 10 minutes for a clear, bright soup.

100 min

Ethiopian Soups

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Ye-fyel watGoat in berbere stew

Goat is the everyday meat across Ethiopia's eastern lowlands, where herds do better than cattle in the dry heat, and a pot of ye-fyel wat marks holidays, Eid and the arrival of guests. The meat is cut small on the bone and cooked slowly in a dark, glossy sauce built on a mountain of onions and plenty of berbere, so it is spicy, deeply savoury and slightly sweet, with the faint gaminess of goat coming through. It is eaten from a shared platter of injera, often with a fresh salad of tomato and chilli on the side. This version is cooked in oil and is dairy free. The mistake to avoid is rushing the onions: if they are not cooked down for a good 20 minutes the sauce stays thin and sharp. Chef's tip: make it a day ahead; goat wat thickens and tastes even better after a night in the fridge.

140 min

Ethiopian Meat

by KrazyBadal 0 views

QishrSpiced coffee husk drink

In the highlands around Sana'a and in the coffee towns of Yemen, qishr is the everyday hot drink, brewed from the dried husks of the coffee cherry rather than the bean, with ginger and often cinnamon or cardamom. It is lighter and sweeter than coffee, amber in colour, with a fruity, tea-like taste and a warming bite of ginger, and it is poured all day for guests, after meals and during long afternoon visits. Serve it hot in small glasses or cups, with dates or bint al sahn. Boiling it for too long makes it bitter, so let it simmer briefly and then steep. Chef's tip: grate fresh ginger straight into the pot; it gives a brighter heat than the dried powder.

15 minGulf Arabian Drinks

by KrazyBadal 0 views

ShafootFlatbread in herby yogurt

Shafoot is the cooling dish set out first on the iftar cloth in Sana'a during Ramadan, before the soups and the hot breads: torn lahoh, Yemen's thin, holey fermented pancake, soaked in garlicky, minty laban until it is soft and sour-fresh. It tastes a little like a cross between a yogurt dip and a bread salad, sharp with green chilli and fragrant with herbs. Make it just before eating and serve it in a wide dish with fresh herbs and chopped vegetables on top. The common mistake is leaving it to soak for too long, until the bread falls into a paste; ten minutes is enough. Chef's tip: if you can't find lahoh, very thin crumpets or spongy flatbreads such as injera take the laban the same way.

20 minGulf Arabian Salads

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Yerevan kyuftaPoached pounded beef

Kyufta is a festive Armenian dish whose making is half the show: lean beef is pounded with a wooden mallet on a stone, traditionally by the men of the family, until it turns into a pale, smooth, springy paste, then mixed with fried onion, egg and a splash of milk (some families use brandy; this version does not), shaped into large balls and poached. In Yerevan homes it is sliced like a terrine and served warm or cold with butter and herbs. A food processor does the pounding at home. A common mistake is letting the meat warm up while processing, which makes the paste greasy and crumbly. Chef's tip: work with very cold beef and add crushed ice to the processor, as the cold keeps the texture silky. Poached meatballs are done at 71 °C in the centre.

120 min

Armenian Meat

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Hong Kong yuenyeungCoffee and milk tea blend

Named after mandarin ducks, which are always seen in pairs, yuenyeung marries brewed coffee and silky milk tea in a single cup, and you will find it on the drinks board of every cha chaan teng in Hong Kong. Office workers order it at lunch with a toasted bun or a plate of noodles, hot in winter and iced through the humid summer, and it tastes of both and neither: the tea's tannic grip, the coffee's roast and the creamy body of evaporated milk, with a double dose of caffeine that makes it a poor choice for children or late evenings. Watery tea is where most homemade versions go wrong, letting the coffee take over; brew the tea strong and stewed. Chef's tip: pour the brewed tea back and forth through a fine strainer four or five times; this 'pulling' smooths out the tannins and gives the drink its silky body.

10 min

Hong Kong Drinks

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Zagorska juhaPotato and mushroom soup

The green, hilly Zagorje north of Zagreb, in Croatia, is known for castles, vineyards and filling soups like this one, served in country inns before roast duck or as a meal on its own on chilly days. Potatoes and wild or chestnut mushrooms are simmered with paprika and marjoram, then finished with sour cream and a dash of vinegar, so the broth turns velvety with a gentle tang. Some versions add smoked bacon or sausage; this one is vegetarian, with dried porcini for a deep, woodsy flavour. Serve with dark bread. Where most people go wrong is boiling the soup after the sour cream goes in, which makes it curdle; warm it through and keep it below a simmer. Chef's tip: strain the porcini soaking liquid through a paper towel and add it to the pot; it is half the flavour.

45 minBalkan Soups

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Zalai dödölleFried potato dumplings

Zala county, in the green hills of south-west Hungary, is so proud of dödölle that villages hold festivals for it. Potatoes are boiled, mashed with flour into a stiff dough right in their pot, then scooped into little lumps with a spoon dipped in hot fat and fried with plenty of onion until crisp and brown on the outside and soft inside. The old way is to fry them in lard; this version uses oil, so it is vegan, though a knob of butter is lovely if you eat dairy. Eat them as a side, or as a main with sauerkraut, cucumber salad or a mushroom stew. A common mistake is drying the dough out with too much flour, which makes heavy, gluey lumps; it should be thick but still a little sticky. Chef's tip: dip the spoon in the hot oil before every scoop, and the dödölle slide off smooth.

50 min

Hungarian Sides

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Zamarod palawSpinach rice with lamb

Herati cooks call this rice zamarod, emerald, for its colour: long-grain rice steamed with a purée of spinach and herbs so that every grain is tinted a soft green, with pieces of lamb tucked inside that have been braised until they fall from the bone. It is served at family gatherings and for guests in spring when spinach is sweet, piled on a platter with yogurt, salad and pickles on the side. The rice tastes gently grassy and savoury, rounded out by the lamb broth and a little cumin. Cooking the spinach too long dulls it to khaki, so wilt it briefly and blend it straight away. Chef's tip: use a generous handful of fresh coriander and dill with the spinach; they make the green brighter and the flavour more lively.

105 min

Afghan Rice & Grains

by KrazyBadal 0 views

ZeamăSour chicken noodle soup

In the Republic of Moldova, zeamă is the soup of weddings, christenings and Sunday lunches, and a pot of it is said to cure everything from a cold to a hangover. A homegrown chicken gives a golden broth, thin homemade egg noodles go in, and it is soured with borș, the fermented wheat-bran liquid sold in bottles at every market from Chișinău to Bălți, then scented with a big bunch of lovage. The taste is clean, bright and tangy, with the green, celery-like note of lovage on top. It is eaten piping hot, often with a raw onion or a hot pepper on the side. A common mistake is cooking the noodles in the broth for too long, which clouds it; boil them only until just tender. Chef's tip: if you cannot find borș, use the juice of 1 lemon instead, adding it at the end and tasting as you go.

90 min

Romanian Soups

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Zeeuwse bolusCinnamon sugar spiral bun

Zeeuwse bolussen are the sticky spiral buns of Zeeland, the delta province in the south-west, brought there, it is said, by Portuguese Jewish bakers in the 17th century: a soft yeast dough rolled in dark brown sugar and cinnamon, twisted into a coil and baked until the sugar caramelises into a sticky, dark crust. Middelburg bakeries sell them with butter. A common mistake is rolling them in too little sugar; they need a thick coat for the caramel. Chef's tip: twist the sugared rope tightly before coiling it, so the sugar is trapped in the folds.

65 min

Dutch Baking

by KrazyBadal 0 views

ZelňákSauerkraut yeast pie

Out in the Moravian wine villages, when bread was baked in the communal oven, the last of the dough went into zelňák: a flat yeast base spread with sour cabbage and fried onion and baked until the edges blister. It is still sold in bakeries around Brno and Hodonín and eaten warm in slices with a glass of buttermilk or new wine. Old recipes fry the onion in lard or add crackling; this version uses oil and butter and is vegetarian. The topping is tangy, sweet from the onion and scented with caraway, over a soft, bready base. Where it often goes wrong is using wet sauerkraut straight from the jar, which turns the base soggy. Squeeze it well and fry it first. Chef's tip: a thin layer of sour cream under the cabbage keeps the base moist and stops the topping drying out.

120 min

Czech Baking

by KrazyBadal 0 views

ŽemlovkaApple and bread pudding

Thrifty Czech kitchens never throw away a stale roll, and žemlovka is the delicious proof. Slices of yesterday's rohlíky or žemle are soaked in sweet vanilla milk and egg, layered with cinnamon apples and raisins, and baked until the top is crunchy and the inside set like a soft custard. It is a favourite Bohemian Sunday afternoon pudding in autumn, when the orchard apples are in, and it often appears in school canteens as a sweet main course. Serve it warm, dusted with icing sugar, with a glass of cold milk. A common mistake is drowning the bread in milk, which makes a soggy, heavy pudding; dip the slices quickly so they are moist but still hold their shape. Chef's tip: use tart cooking apples and keep the top layer bread, buttered, so it bakes to a golden crust.

60 min

Czech Desserts

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Showing 36 of 7,888 recipes

Show more recipes

Page 377 of 877