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Lemongrass tofu noodle salad

In Saigon, bún thịt nướng, a bowl of cold rice vermicelli piled with herbs, salad and smoky grilled pork, is the lunch everyone loves on a hot day. This vegetarian bún chay keeps everything that makes it great: lettuce, cucumber, mint and perilla underneath, caramelised lemongrass tofu on top, quick pickles, roasted peanuts, crispy shallots and spring onion oil, with a generous jug of vegan nước chấm poured over just before eating. Chef's tip: make the spring onion oil (mỡ hành) by pouring sizzling oil over sliced spring onions; it gives the bowl its rich, fragrant southern finish.

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Chicken and andouille gumbo

In the prairie towns of Acadiana around Lafayette and Eunice, a pot of chicken and andouille gumbo goes on the stove for Sunday dinners, Mardi Gras runs and cold winter evenings. It starts with a roux of flour and oil stirred until the colour of dark chocolate, then the holy trinity of onion, celery and pepper, chicken thighs and andouille, a spicy smoked pork sausage. Serve in bowls over rice with potato salad on the side, as many Cajun families do. Chef's tip: never stop stirring the roux and keep the heat medium; a single black fleck means it has burnt and must be thrown out.

150 min

American Chicken

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LaganaSesame flatbread

Lagana appears in Greek bakeries for a single day, Kathara Deftera (Clean Monday), when families head outdoors to fly kites and spread out a Lenten picnic of taramosalata, olives, pickles and halva. It is a long, oval, dimpled flatbread, chewy inside with a crust covered in toasted sesame, and since it is eaten on a fasting day it has no eggs, milk or butter. Common mistake: baking it on a cold tray, which gives a pale, bready base. Chef's tip: press deep dimples with oiled fingertips just before baking so the loaf stays flat instead of puffing up like a pitta.

45 min

Greek Breads & Parathas

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West Virginia pepperoni rolls

Pepperoni rolls were first baked for Italian immigrant coal miners in Fairmont, West Virginia, in the 1920s as a lunch that needed no refrigeration down the mine, and they are now sold in every petrol station and school canteen in the state. Soft, slightly sweet bread is rolled around sticks of cured pork-and-beef pepperoni, whose spicy oil seeps into the dough as it bakes. Chef's tip: use sticks of pepperoni rather than slices, which is the original Fairmont way and keeps the bread from going greasy.

50 min

American Snacks & Starters

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Papas criollas fritasFried small yellow potatoes

Little golden papas criollas are the potato Bogotá loves best: thin-skinned, buttery-yellow and so creamy they almost melt. At the asaderos along the roads out of the capital, and next to every plate of ajiaco or fritanga, they come fried whole, skin on, crackling outside and soft in the middle, with nothing but salt and a bowl of ají. Frozen papas criollas are sold in Latin American shops; otherwise use the smallest waxy yellow potatoes you can find. Frying them raw is the usual mistake: the skins brown before the insides are cooked. A quick boil first fixes that. Chef's tip: let the boiled potatoes steam dry for a few minutes and squash a few slightly with your palm before frying, so the split skins catch extra crunch.

30 min

Colombian Sides

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Lahanodolmades avgolemonoStuffed cabbage in egg-lemon sauce

When the first frosts hit Macedonia and the cabbages in the market grow huge and sweet, families in Thessaloniki and Serres spend a Saturday rolling lahanodolmades for the week ahead. Blanched leaves wrap a filling of minced pork and beef with rice, onion and dill; they simmer slowly in a covered pot and the broth is thickened with egg and lemon into a pale, silky sauce. Eat them hot with bread and a dollop of yoghurt. Common mistake: boiling the sauce after adding the eggs, which scrambles it — keep it below a simmer. Chef's tip: line the pot with torn outer leaves so the rolls never stick or scorch.

120 min

Greek Meat

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KeşkekWheat and lamb porridge

Keşkek is cooked in huge cauldrons for weddings, circumcision feasts and religious holidays across Central Anatolia, from Çorum to Sivas, while villagers take turns beating it with long wooden paddles. Whole wheat and lamb on the bone simmer together for hours until the meat falls apart, then everything is beaten into a thick, stretchy porridge and topped with sizzling butter and chilli. Its tradition is listed by UNESCO as intangible heritage. Common mistake: skimping on the beating; vigorous mashing is what turns it from grainy stew into a smooth, elastic keşkek. Chef's tip: a potato masher followed by a wooden spoon does the job at home; beat in hot broth a ladle at a time if it gets stiff.

200 min

Turkish Meat

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LahanorizoCabbage and rice stew

Lahanorizo is what Greek grandmothers make on a cold winter Wednesday or Friday when the family is fasting: a cheap white cabbage softened in plenty of olive oil, cooked with rice, tomato and dill until silky and spoonable. It is eaten warm or at room temperature, with feta and bread on non-fasting days, and lemon squeezed over at the table. Common mistake: adding the rice too early; the cabbage needs a head start or the rice turns to porridge before the leaves are tender. Chef's tip: use more olive oil than feels right; ladera dishes are meant to finish glossy, and that is where the flavour lives.

55 min

Greek Vegetarian

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AntikristoSlow-roasted lamb

Antikristo means 'facing each other', and in the Psiloritis mountain villages above Anogeia it describes big pieces of lamb on long skewers set upright round a wood fire, turned now and then for four or five hours until the fat has dripped away and the meat is smoky and crisp. At village feasts and saint's-day fairs it is carved straight from the skewer onto paper with nothing more than salt and a squeeze of lemon. This home version roasts salted lamb shoulder and ribs slowly in the oven, then finishes them hot for crackling edges. Common mistake: adding herbs and marinades; the Cretan way is only coarse salt, so the lamb's own flavour comes through. Chef's tip: salt the meat the night before and leave it uncovered in the fridge so the surface dries and crisps.

255 min

Greek Meat

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Arepas boyacensesCheese-stuffed sweet arepas

Roadside stalls on the highway from Bogotá to Tunja sell these golden, puffed discs straight off the griddle. Unlike the plain arepas of Antioquia, the boyacense mixes yellow corn with wheat flour, butter and a little sugar, and it hides a layer of fresh cheese that melts as it cooks, so each bite is sweet, salty and buttery at once. Eat them warm with coffee, hot chocolate or a cup of aguapanela. Queso campesino or cuajada is traditionally set with animal rennet; choose a vegetarian mozzarella or other microbial-rennet fresh cheese. The trap is cooking them on a high heat: the sugar browns fast and the middle stays raw and doughy. Chef's tip: keep the griddle at low-medium and give them time; a slow cook gives a thin crisp crust and lets the cheese melt fully.

45 min

Colombian Breads & Parathas

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Kokoras krasatosChicken in red wine with pasta

Sunday in a Peloponnese village often meant a rooster from the yard, braised for hours in the local Nemea red with tomato, cinnamon, cloves and allspice until the sauce turned deep, glossy and fragrant. It goes over thick spaghetti or hilopites with plenty of grated cheese. This dish contains red wine; for an alcohol-free version use the same amount of red grape juice with 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar. A supermarket chicken works well, cooked for less time. Common mistake: skipping the browning — the dark crust on the skin flavours the whole sauce. Chef's tip: let the wine bubble hard for 2 minutes before the tomato goes in, so its raw edge cooks off.

110 min

Greek Chicken

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Camotes poblanosSweet potato candies

Camotes are the sweet Puebla is most famous for: finger-long rolls of sweet-potato fondant, flavoured with pineapple, lemon, strawberry or orange and wrapped individually in paper. Like tortitas de Santa Clara, they come from the city's convent kitchens, and you will find them at every candy shop on Puebla's Calle de los Dulces. The texture is soft and smooth, like a firm marzipan, and very sweet, so one or two is plenty. Chef's tip: sieve the cooked sweet potato while it is hot; fibres caught in the sieve are what would make the candy stringy.

90 min

Mexican Desserts

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Maakouda (potato fritters)

Few street snacks are as loved in Morocco as maakouda, golden patties of mashed potato seasoned with garlic, cumin, turmeric and plenty of parsley and coriander, dipped in beaten egg and fried until crisp outside and fluffy inside. At sandwich stalls in Casablanca, Rabat and Tangier they are split into half a baguette or a round of khobz with harissa, chopped tomato and onion, and in Ramadan they appear on the iftar table beside harira. At home they make a great lunch with a salad. Chef's tip: cook the potatoes in their skins, then peel and mash them while hot and leave the mash to steam dry for 10 minutes; dry mash holds together, while wet mash, the classic mistake, falls apart in the pan.

55 min

Moroccan Snacks & Starters

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Hoppin' John

Hoppin' John is eaten on New Year's Day across the South for luck, with collard greens for money and cornbread for gold, and its roots run back to the rice plantations of the South Carolina Lowcountry and the West African cooks who worked them. Black-eyed peas are simmered with smoked pork (here a ham hock and bacon), then cooked with rice so every grain takes on the smoky broth. Chef's tip: cook the rice in the bean liquor, not water; that is where all the flavour is.

85 min

American Rice & Grains

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KeşkülAlmond milk pudding

Keşkül takes its name from the bowl that wandering dervishes carried for alms, and it has been on Istanbul pudding-shop counters (muhallebici) since Ottoman times. Ground almonds simmered in milk give it a delicate nutty flavour and a faint grain, set with a little rice flour and cornflour into a soft, spoonable pudding. Turks eat it chilled as an afternoon treat or after a light supper, topped with pistachio and desiccated coconut. The usual mistake is stopping the whisking as it thickens; it catches on the base and tastes scorched. Chef's tip: steep the ground almonds in the warm milk for 15 minutes before you start cooking for a much deeper almond flavour.

35 min

Turkish Desserts

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Brunswick stew

Virginia and Georgia both claim Brunswick stew, and it is still cooked in huge iron kettles for fire-station fundraisers and served beside barbecue all over the two states. It is a thick, tangy tomato stew of shredded pork and chicken with lima beans and sweetcorn, sharpened with vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Leftover smoked pork shoulder makes it even better. Chef's tip: simmer it long enough that the meat and vegetables break down a little and the stew turns thick enough to stand a spoon in.

100 min

American Meat

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Arabaşı çorbasıSpicy chicken soup with dough cubes

On winter evenings in Kayseri, Konya and Yozgat, friends gather for arabaşı nights: a big pot of fiery, tomatoey chicken soup and a tray of plain set dough cut into cubes. Each person drops a cube of cold dough into a spoonful of hot soup and swallows it whole, without chewing, and the hot-cold contrast is the whole fun. Common mistake: making the dough too soft; it should set firm enough to slice cleanly once chilled. Cook the chicken until its juices run clear and it reaches 74 °C before shredding. Chef's tip: make the dough the morning before, or even the day before, so it is properly cold and firm.

90 min

Turkish Soups

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Shoyu chicken

Shoyu chicken is the home-cooked comfort of Hawaii's plantation families, a Japanese-influenced braise of chicken thighs in soy sauce (shoyu), sugar, ginger and garlic, and a staple of the plate lunch: two scoops of rice, a scoop of macaroni salad and chicken with plenty of sauce. Chef's tip: simmer uncovered at the end and spoon the sauce over until it turns glossy and coats the chicken.

55 minPacific Islander Chicken

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Ahi poke

Poke, from the Hawaiian word for cut into pieces, began as fishermen's snack of raw reef fish with sea salt, seaweed and roasted kukui nut, and is now sold by the pound from the deli counters of every Hawaiian supermarket, eaten over rice as a quick lunch or with drinks after work. This shoyu ahi style dresses cubes of yellowfin tuna in soy sauce, sesame oil, sweet onion and chilli. Traditional poke is raw fish, which is not for pregnant women, young children or anyone with a weakened immune system, so this version quickly sears the cubes until cooked through. Chef's tip: dress the tuna just before eating; the soy sauce draws out moisture and turns it soft if it sits for hours.

20 minPacific Islander Fish

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Kadınbudu köfteFried rice and mince patties

The name means 'lady's thigh', a playful Ottoman-era compliment to their plump, tender shape, and these köfte still appear in Istanbul home kitchens and old lokantas for Friday lunch. Half the meat is cooked with onion first, then mixed with raw mince, rice and herbs, so the köfte are unusually soft and moist. They are dipped in egg and fried golden, and served with a simple tomato salad and pilaf or mashed potato. Chef's tip: the rice must be fully cooked and cooled before mixing, or the köfte crack and fall apart in the pan.

65 min

Turkish Meat

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Arakas laderosPeas braised in olive oil

In Peloponnese villages from Argos to Messinia, the first sweet peas of April become this humble ladero, the olive-oil stew that fills the table during Lent and on any meatless Wednesday or Friday. Peas, potato and carrot simmer slowly in tomato and plenty of oil until the sauce is thick and the peas are soft and almost creamy. It's eaten warm with feta (or vegan cheese), olives and crusty bread to mop the oil. Common mistake: cooking for only 10 minutes as if the peas were a side; laderá need time for the oil and vegetables to come together. Chef's tip: frozen petits pois work perfectly — add them after the potatoes have had 10 minutes.

55 min

Greek Vegetarian

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MerengónMeringue with cream and strawberries

Weekend drives out of Bogotá often end at a roadside sweet shop with a slice of merengón: two discs of crisp, chalky meringue sandwiched and piled with whipped cream and fruit. Strawberry is the classic in the highlands, while on the Caribbean coast soursop (guanábana) is just as popular. Think of it as Colombia's answer to pavlova, crunchier and sweeter, assembled shortly before eating so the meringue cracks under the spoon. The meringue needs a long, slow bake and a slow cool in the oven, so plan ahead. Humidity and undissolved sugar are the main enemies: if the sugar is not fully beaten in, the meringue weeps sticky syrup, so rub a little between your fingers and keep whisking until it feels smooth. For a soursop version, swap the strawberries for 300 g thawed soursop pulp, folded into half the cream. Chef's tip: assemble no more than an hour before serving, or the cream softens the meringue.

150 min

Colombian Desserts

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Lahm meshwiGrilled lamb skewers

Every Levantine family barbecue, from mountain picnics above Zahle to Friday gatherings in Amman, has a tray of lahm meshwi: chunks of lamb leg marinated with onion, seven-spice and olive oil, threaded with onion and pepper and grilled over hot charcoal. The skewers go straight onto warm bread to catch the juices, with a heap of parsley, sliced onion and sumac. It is simple food that lives or dies by the marinade and the heat. The common mistake is cutting the lamb too small, so it is grey and dry by the time the outside chars. Chef's tip: grate the onion for the marinade and squeeze in its juice; it tenderises the meat overnight in the fridge.

37 min

Lebanese Meat

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ArayesKafta-stuffed grilled pitta

Arayes are what Beirut grill houses and family barbecues do with kafta when they want something you can eat with your hands: pitta breads split and filled with a thin layer of lamb or beef mince mixed with onion, parsley and spices, then pressed and grilled until the bread is shatteringly crisp and the meat juices soak in. Cut into wedges, they come with tahini sauce, pickles and a tomato salad. Common mistake: spreading the meat too thickly — the bread burns before the centre is cooked; keep it about 5 mm. Chef's tip: brush the outside of the bread with the fat from the mince bowl or a little olive oil; it fries the pitta to a perfect crunch.

30 min

Lebanese Meat

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New Orleans muffuletta

The muffuletta was first made by Sicilian grocers on Decatur Street in New Orleans in the early 1900s for dock workers' lunches, and it is still sold whole or in quarters to take to the levee or a Saints game. A big round sesame loaf is filled with layers of ham, salami, mortadella (all pork) and provolone and soaked with a chunky olive salad. Provolone is traditionally made with animal rennet. Chef's tip: press the sandwich under a weight for an hour so the oil soaks into the bread.

30 min

American Meat

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Karadeniz kıymalı pideBeef-filled flatbread boat

Pide salons in Samsun, Trabzon and Rize stretch their dough into long boats, pinch the ends into points and fill them with minced beef, onion, tomato and peppers, then slide them into a wood oven for a few minutes. At home a very hot oven and a heavy tray get you close: a crisp, chewy rim, a juicy filling and a brush of butter as it comes out. Slice across into strips and eat with ayran and a sharp shepherd's salad. Common mistake: a wet filling, which soaks the base; squeeze the chopped tomato and let the mince sit on the dough raw so its juices cook into the bread. The mince must reach 71 °C. Chef's tip: crack an egg into the middle for the last 3 minutes if you like it the Samsun way.

45 min

Turkish Meat

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Oysters Rockefeller

Oysters Rockefeller were created at Antoine's in the French Quarter in 1889 and named after the richest man in America because the sauce was so rich; the restaurant has never shared its exact recipe. Live Gulf oysters on the half shell are covered with a bright green butter of herbs and greens and baked until bubbling, a classic starter at New Orleans celebration dinners. This version uses a dash of anise-flavoured liqueur, which is traditional; it can be replaced with a pinch of ground fennel seed for an alcohol-free version. Chef's tip: bed the shells on coarse salt so they sit level and the juices don't spill.

50 min

American Fish

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Kestane şekeriCandied chestnuts

Bursa sits beneath the chestnut forests of Uludağ, and every sweet shop in the old covered market sells kestane şekeri in neat gold boxes, especially as gifts in autumn and at the new year. Peeled chestnuts are poached and then candied over several days in a vanilla syrup until they turn dense, glossy and tender right through. It takes patience rather than skill. Chef's tip: wrap each chestnut in a square of muslin before poaching; it holds the fragile nuts together through the repeated syrup baths.

150 min

Turkish Desserts

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KeteToasted flour butter rolls

Bakeries in Erzurum and Kars sell kete by the dozen for breakfast and long bus journeys: soft yeasted rolls coiled around a filling of flour toasted in butter until it smells of biscuits. Inside, the layers turn flaky and tender, and the crust is glazed with egg and sesame. They are eaten with strong tea, white cheese and olives, and keep well for a few days. Common mistake: under-toasting the flour for the filling; it should go a pale sandy gold and smell nutty, or the centre tastes raw. Chef's tip: roll the dough thin before spreading the filling and coiling it; thin layers bake into the flaky swirl that makes kete special.

70 min

Turkish Baking

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Kadayıf dolmasıWalnut pancakes in syrup

In Erzurum, kadayıf means not shredded pastry but small, spongy pancakes cooked on one side only. For kadayıf dolması they're filled with walnuts, folded into half-moons, fried golden and plunged into syrup, and they are the city's pride on festival days and at weddings. The outside is crisp and syrupy, the inside soft and nutty. Common mistake: cooking the pancakes on both sides; the uncooked, bubbly top is what sticks the edges together. Chef's tip: the syrup must be cold and the dolma hot straight from the oil, so they absorb syrup without going soggy.

80 min

Turkish Desserts

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Redfish courtbouillon

In Cajun country, courtbouillon (say 'coo-boo-yon') is not the French poaching broth but a thick, spicy red stew of firm fish, made in the fishing communities of Vermilion Bay and the Atchafalaya Basin after a good day's catch of redfish or catfish. It is built on a roux and tomatoes and finished with lemon and spring onions, then served over rice. Chef's tip: lay the fish on top of the sauce and spoon it over rather than stirring, so the pieces stay whole.

80 min

American Fish

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PapadzulesEgg tortillas in pumpkin seed sauce

Papadzules may be the oldest dish still eaten in the Yucatán: Maya cooks were rolling tortillas in ground squash seeds long before the Spanish brought chickens and their eggs. Today they are a lunch and Lent dish in Mérida, Valladolid and Campeche. Corn tortillas are dipped in a pale green sauce of toasted pumpkin seeds and epazote, rolled around chopped hard-boiled egg, then topped with a cooked habanero-tomato sauce and a few drops of green pumpkin-seed oil squeezed from the paste. The flavours are nutty, herbal and gently hot. Chef's tip: keep the seed sauce warm, never boiling; heat makes it split and turn grainy, and the oil that separates is meant to be drizzled on top, not stirred back in.

55 min

Mexican Vegetarian

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Grillades and grits

Grillades and grits is the long-standing New Orleans brunch for Sunday mornings, Mardi Gras day and Jazz Fest weekends: thin medallions of beef pounded, browned and braised in a rich brown Creole gravy with tomato and the trinity, then spooned over buttery grits. Chef's tip: pound the meat thin and braise it low and slow until a fork slides in easily; rushing it leaves the beef chewy.

125 min

American Meat

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Southern collard greens with smoked ham hock

Collard greens simmered low and slow with smoked pork are at the heart of African American soul food and of Southern Sunday dinners and New Year's tables from Alabama to Virginia. The tough leaves melt into silky, savoury greens, and the cooking liquid, the 'pot likker', is so good it is sopped up with cornbread. Chef's tip: strip out the thick stems and wash the leaves in three changes of water; grit is the commonest complaint.

140 min

American Sides

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Southern chicken and dumplings

Chicken and dumplings is the Sunday dinner and sick-day comfort of Mississippi, Tennessee and the Carolinas: a whole bird simmered into broth, shredded, and cooked with thin, rolled strips of dough that thicken the pot as they simmer, so it ends up halfway between soup and stew. Chef's tip: roll the dumplings thin, about 3 mm; thick ones stay doughy in the middle.

115 min

American Chicken

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Sikil pakPumpkin seed dip

In Yucatec Maya, sikil means squash seed and p'aak means tomato, and that is almost all there is to this pale, coarse dip from the Yucatán Peninsula. Cooks in Mérida and the villages around it toast the seeds on a comal until they pop, grind them with charred tomato, chives and a little habanero, and serve the dip with tostadas or crisp tortilla chips before a meal. It tastes nutty, smoky and fresh at the same time, and is naturally vegan. Chef's tip: roast the habanero whole and add it a little at a time; you can always grind in more, but you can't take the heat back out.

25 min

Mexican Chutneys & Dips

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Charleston she-crab soup

She-crab soup was first made in Charleston, South Carolina, in the early 1900s and is still ordered at the city's oldest dining rooms: a velvety cream soup full of sweet blue crabmeat, coloured orange with crab roe from the female crabs. A splash of dry sherry is stirred into each bowl at the table; the alcohol doesn't cook off, so leave it out for children or anyone avoiding alcohol and add a few drops of lemon juice instead. Chef's tip: never let the soup boil once the cream is in, or the crab turns stringy.

55 min

American Soups

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