Skip to content
Vegetable tsuivan
Featured recipe

Vegetable tsuivan

Steamed noodles with vegetables

Tsuivan is one of the most-cooked dinners in Mongolia, from Ulaanbaatar apartments to gers on the steppe: homemade noodles laid over a stir-fry and steamed under a lid until they soak up all the juices, then tossed together. It's normally made with mutton; meaty mushrooms and firm tofu stand in here, with carrot, cabbage and onion. Simple and filling, it's often eaten with a pot of salty milk tea. Chef's tip: lay the noodles on top and don't stir until the end; they cook in the steam, not in the liquid.

Read more 0 views

What to eat today?

Around the world

Today's trip: Persian

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

Persian

Dizi

Lamb and chickpea stew 245 minMore from Persian (131) →

This week's collection

Kid-friendly dinners
537 recipes · a new collection every Monday

Latest recipes

Vegetarian sour soupTamarind and pineapple soup

Canh chua, 'sour soup', is on the table at nearly every family meal in the Mekong Delta, served with plain rice. The broth is soured with tamarind and sweetened with pineapple and tomato, then filled with okra, celery-like taro stems, bean sprouts and lots of herbs. This vegetarian version uses fried tofu in place of fish. It is light, tangy and refreshing in hot weather. Chef's tip: fry the tomato with the shallot until it collapses before adding the liquid, so the broth turns rosy, then add the herbs and bean sprouts only off the heat and finish with garlic fried in oil, which gives the soup its southern fragrance.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

TorrijasCinnamon fried bread

Torrijas are the Easter sweet of Spain, eaten all over the country during Semana Santa and especially in Madrid and Andalusia, where bakeries pile them in their windows. Thick slices of day-old bread are soaked in milk infused with cinnamon and lemon peel, dipped in beaten egg, fried in olive oil and rolled in cinnamon sugar. They were born as a way to use up stale bread during Lent, and they are crisp outside and soft and custardy inside, like a richer, crunchier French toast. Eat them warm or cold, the next day they are even more set and sweet. Chef's tip: use a dense day-old loaf (a Spanish 'pan de torrijas' or a firm baguette) cut 2–3 cm thick, and soak just until saturated; fresh, airy bread falls apart and fries greasy.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Salmorejo cordobésThick chilled tomato and bread soup

Salmorejo is Córdoba's answer to gazpacho: thicker, richer and simpler, made with just ripe tomatoes, bread, garlic, olive oil and salt, blended into a cream so dense a spoon almost stands up in it. In Córdoba it is served in a shallow earthenware bowl as a first course or tapa, topped with chopped hard-boiled egg and diced cured ham; this vegetarian version keeps the egg (leave it out for a vegan dish) and adds a few crunchy croutons and a thread of olive oil. Chef's tip: use bread with a dense, tight crumb, like a day-old Spanish 'pan de telera' or a firm white loaf; airy supermarket bread makes salmorejo thin and gluey.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Tortilla españolaSpanish potato omelette

Tortilla de patatas is the dish every Spanish bar keeps on the counter, from Madrid to Seville: a thick cake of soft potato and sweet onion bound with just-set egg, served warm or at room temperature in wedges or small squares (pinchos) with bread. The potatoes are not fried crisp but gently poached in plenty of olive oil until tender, then soaked in the beaten egg so every slice holds together. Spaniards argue about onion (con cebolla or sin) and about how runny the centre should be; this version has onion and a juicy middle, the way most bars in Madrid serve it. Eat it for breakfast, as a tapa or for a light supper with a tomato salad. Chef's tip: once the hot potatoes go into the beaten eggs, leave them to sit for 10 minutes before cooking; the egg starts to set around the potato and the tortilla turns out creamy and holds its shape.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Sopa de ajoGarlic and bread soup

Sopa de ajo, also called sopa castellana, is the warming winter soup of Castile and León, from Segovia to Burgos: stale bread fried in olive oil with lots of garlic and smoky pimentón, simmered in stock and finished with eggs poached right in the soup. It was shepherds' and farmers' food, made from what was always in the kitchen, and is still eaten after a cold night out or on Ash Wednesday. Castilian cooks often add cured ham; this vegetarian version gets its depth from smoked pimentón and a good vegetable stock. Serve it in earthenware bowls, piping hot. Chef's tip: use bread that is truly stale and dry, and toast it in the garlicky oil until golden before adding the stock; fresh bread turns to mush, while toasted stale bread swells but keeps a little texture.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Gazpacho andaluzChilled tomato and cucumber soup

Gazpacho is the cold soup of Andalusia, drunk from a glass or eaten from a bowl through the scorching summers of Seville and Córdoba. It began as a farm workers' meal of bread, oil, garlic and vinegar pounded in a wooden bowl; tomatoes and peppers came later and turned it into the bright red, refreshing soup we know. Ripe tomatoes, cucumber, green pepper, garlic, sherry vinegar and plenty of olive oil are blended until silky and chilled hard. Serve it with tiny dice of cucumber, pepper and onion and a few crunchy croutons. Chef's tip: add the olive oil last, in a thin stream with the blender running; it emulsifies the soup to a creamy, pale-orange texture instead of leaving a slick of oil on top.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Espinacas con garbanzosSpinach and chickpeas

Espinacas con garbanzos is one of the great tapas of Seville, served in little earthenware dishes in the bars around the cathedral and the Triana market. It carries the city's Moorish past in its spices: cumin, smoked paprika and a little vinegar, with a sauce thickened by a paste of garlic and bread fried in olive oil, the old Andalusian trick called a majado. Earthy chickpeas, soft spinach and a sauce rich enough to mop up with bread make it a filling vegan supper too. It is traditional in Seville during Lent. Chef's tip: pound the fried bread and garlic with the spices and vinegar into a thick paste before it goes into the pan; this majado is what gives the dish its smoky, velvety sauce, so don't skip it.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Crema catalanaBurnt cream custard

Crema catalana is the classic dessert of Catalonia, served in shallow round earthenware dishes with a glassy layer of burnt sugar on top. Traditionally it was made for Saint Joseph's Day on 19 March, which is why it is also called crema de Sant Josep. It is older than French crème brûlée and different in style: made with milk rather than cream, lightly thickened with cornflour and flavoured with lemon zest and cinnamon, so it is lighter and fresher. Catalans caramelise the top with a hot iron disc called a 'cremador'; a cook's blowtorch does the same job. Chef's tip: burn the sugar just before serving, not earlier; the crust stays crisp only for about 20–30 minutes before the moisture of the custard softens it.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Tofu fresh summer rolls

Gỏi cuốn are the fresh, unfried rolls sold from glass cases at Saigon street stalls and eaten as a light lunch or snack on hot afternoons. Here golden tofu takes the place of the usual prawns and pork, rolled up with rice vermicelli, lettuce, mint, Thai basil, cucumber and garlic chives. They come with a thick, sweet-salty peanut and hoisin dip, as they do in the south. Chef's tip: dip the rice paper for barely a second and let it soften on the board, then lay the prettiest ingredients against the wrapper first, so the tofu and herbs show through the translucent skin and the roll stays tight.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Vegetable spring rolls

In Saigon and the south, fried spring rolls are called chả giò (in Hanoi, nem rán), and no family party or Tết table is without a platter of them. Southern cooks wrap them in rice paper, which fries up into a blistered, glassy-crisp shell quite unlike wheat pastry. This vegetarian filling of glass noodles, wood ear mushrooms, taro, carrot and tofu is the one served at chay restaurants. Roll them in lettuce with mint and perilla and dip in vegan nước chấm. Chef's tip: fry them twice, first gently until set and pale gold, then briefly in hotter oil, and let the rolled rolls dry for 15 minutes first; that is how you get the shattering, bubbly crust that stays crisp.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Berenjenas con miel de cañaFried aubergine with molasses

Berenjenas con miel are a classic tapa in Andalusia, especially in Córdoba, Málaga and Granada: thin batons or slices of aubergine, lightly floured and fried until crisp, then drizzled with dark, treacly miel de caña. Despite the name, miel de caña is not bee honey but sugarcane molasses, made in the last cane mill in Europe at Frigiliana on the Málaga coast, so the dish is naturally vegan. The contrast of salty, crunchy aubergine and bittersweet syrup is irresistible; serve it the moment it leaves the pan with a cold drink. Chef's tip: soak the aubergine in salted water (or milk, as many Andalusian cooks do) for 15 minutes and pat dry; it seasons the flesh, softens any bitterness and helps the flour cling so the coating stays thin and crisp.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Mushroom croquetas

Croquetas are the pride of Spanish home cooking and tapas bars alike: a thick, silky béchamel full of flavour, chilled, rolled in egg and breadcrumbs and fried until crisp. Every family has its own; ham and chicken are classic, but croquetas de setas, made with wild or chestnut mushrooms, are found all over the country and are especially loved in the mushroom-picking regions of Castile and Catalonia. A good croqueta is creamy, almost liquid, inside, with a thin shell. Make a big batch: they freeze beautifully raw. Chef's tip: cook the flour in the butter and oil for a full 2 minutes and then beat the milk in slowly over a low heat for 10–15 minutes; this long cooking takes away the raw taste of flour and gives the creamy centre that makes Spanish croquetas special.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Ajoblanco malagueñoChilled almond and garlic soup

Ajoblanco is one of the oldest soups in Spain, a white gazpacho from Málaga that dates back to Moorish times, before tomatoes ever reached Europe. Blanched almonds, bread, garlic, olive oil, sherry vinegar and ice-cold water are blended into a silky, nutty and surprisingly refreshing cream, traditionally served with sweet green grapes or slices of melon floating on top. In Málaga it is the star of the Fiesta del Ajoblanco in the village of Almáchar each September. Chef's tip: let the blended soup rest in the fridge overnight before serving; the garlic mellows, the almond flavour deepens and the texture becomes smoother and creamier.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Lemongrass tofu banh mi

Bánh mì is Saigon's favourite street food: an airy, thin-crusted baguette split and stuffed with pickled carrot and daikon (đồ chua), cucumber, coriander and chilli. At vegetarian stalls near the city's pagodas the meat is swapped for sticky, caramelised lemongrass tofu, as in this version. Eat it for breakfast or lunch, warm, with a glass of iced coffee. Chef's tip: warm the baguette in a hot oven until the crust crackles when you squeeze it, and pull out a little of the soft crumb, so every bite is crisp shell, juicy filling and herbs in balance.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Churros con chocolateChurros with hot chocolate

Churros con chocolate is Madrid's most famous treat, eaten at the city's historic chocolaterías for breakfast, as a late-afternoon merienda or at dawn after a night out. Churros are made from a simple dough of flour, water and salt piped straight into hot oil, fried until ridged and crisp, and dunked into a cup of hot chocolate so thick it almost holds the churro up. The dough has no egg or sugar, so the churros are light and crunchy; the sweetness comes from the chocolate and a dusting of sugar. Chef's tip: pipe through a star nozzle; the ridges let steam escape so the churros don't burst in the oil, and they create the extra crunch that makes a good churro.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Avocado smoothie

In Vietnam the avocado is a sweet fruit, and sinh tố bơ is the most popular shake at Saigon's juice stalls, especially when the buttery avocados from the Central Highlands are in season. Ripe avocado is blended with milk, condensed milk and ice into a pale green shake so thick it is almost a dessert. Drink it with a straw or a spoon on a hot afternoon. Chef's tip: use a very ripe, soft avocado with no stringy bits, and drizzle a little extra condensed milk around the inside of the glass before pouring, the way street vendors do, so you get sweet ribbons as you drink.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Flan de huevoBaked egg custard

Flan de huevo is the most common dessert in Spain: on the menú del día in every town, from Galicia to the Canary Islands, and made at home for Sunday lunch. It is simply eggs, milk and sugar, flavoured with a little lemon zest and vanilla, baked gently in a water bath over a layer of dark caramel. When it's turned out, the caramel becomes a glossy sauce running down the sides. Spanish flan is firmer and more eggy than French crème caramel, and it slices cleanly. Chef's tip: bake it slowly in a water bath and stop when the centre still wobbles slightly like jelly; overbaking leaves little holes and a grainy texture, the sign of a flan cooked too hot or too long.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Three-colour dessert

Chè are Vietnam's sweet soups and puddings, and chè ba màu, 'three-colour chè', is the one sold in tall glasses from Saigon street carts on hot afternoons. Sweet red beans, smooth yellow mung bean paste and green pandan jelly are layered with salty-sweet coconut sauce and crushed ice, then stirred together with a long spoon. The jelly is set with agar, so it is fully vegan. Every part can be made a day or two ahead. Chef's tip: add a good pinch of salt to the coconut sauce; it sounds odd, but the slight saltiness lifts the sweet beans and is what makes chè taste properly Vietnamese.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Caramelised clay-pot tofu and mushroomsBraised tofu and mushrooms

Kho is the slow braise of the Mekong Delta: food simmered in a little clay pot (nồi đất) with dark caramel and seasoning until the sauce is sticky and the flavours go deep. This vegetarian cousin of cá kho tộ (braised fish) uses golden tofu and meaty mushrooms in place of fish, cooked in coconut water, as cooks do in the south, and finished with plenty of black pepper. Serve it bubbling in its pot with steamed rice and a sour soup or plain boiled vegetables. Chef's tip: take the caramel (nước màu) to a deep mahogany, darker than you think, just before it smokes; pale caramel only tastes sweet, while dark caramel gives the bittersweet, smoky flavour of a real kho.

by KrazyBadal 2 views

Vietnamese iced coffee

Cà phê sữa đá is the drink of Vietnam's pavement cafés, and in Saigon people sit on tiny plastic stools sipping it slowly from morning to night. Dark-roast coffee, traditionally robusta, drips slowly through a small metal filter called a phin onto a layer of sweetened condensed milk, then gets stirred and poured over ice. It is strong, sweet, chocolatey and very cold. Chef's tip: bloom the coffee with a splash of hot water for 30 seconds before filling the phin; it should then drip slowly, about 1–2 drops a second, for 4–5 minutes. Too fast and the coffee tastes thin, so press the inner filter down a little more next time.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

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.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Tofu in tomato sauce

Đậu sốt cà chua is one of the most-loved home dishes in Vietnam, cooked on weeknights from Hanoi to Saigon and eaten with steamed rice and a simple vegetable soup. Golden fried tofu is simmered in a sauce of fresh tomatoes cooked down with shallot and garlic until sweet, tangy and glossy. Fish sauce is replaced here with soy sauce. Chef's tip: cook the tomatoes on their own until they collapse completely into a thick sauce before the tofu goes back in; if you rush this, you get watery pink tomatoes instead of a rich, clinging sauce.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Champiñones al ajilloGarlic mushrooms

Champiñones al ajillo are on the menu of almost every tapas bar in Spain: button mushrooms seared in olive oil with plenty of sliced garlic, a little dried chilli (guindilla), a splash of dry white wine or fino sherry and a handful of parsley. They are usually brought to the table still sizzling in a small terracotta cazuela, with bread to mop up the garlicky juices. Serve them with tortilla, patatas bravas or on toast for a quick lunch. Chef's tip: cook the mushrooms over a high heat in a single layer and do not salt them until they have browned; salt draws out water too early and the mushrooms stew grey instead of searing golden.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Empanada gallega de verdurasPepper and onion pie

Empanada gallega is the great pie of Galicia, baked in big trays and sold by the slice at every fiesta, market and bakery, and carried on picnics and pilgrimages to Santiago. A thin, crisp, bread-like crust (made with the olive oil from cooking the filling, so it's golden and full of flavour) encloses a moist filling based on a slow-cooked 'zaragallada' of onions and peppers with sweet pimentón. Tuna and pork are the usual fillings; this vegetarian version keeps the classic sofrito and adds hard-boiled eggs and green olives. Serve warm or cold, with a green salad. Chef's tip: drain the filling well and use some of its paprika-coloured oil in the dough; that is the Galician secret that makes the crust golden and savoury and ties the pie together.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Basque burnt cheesecake

This crustless cheesecake was created in the early 1990s at La Viña, a pintxos bar in the old town of San Sebastián (Donostia) in the Basque Country, and is now famous around the world. It's baked very hot so the top caramelises almost black and the sides rise and crack, while the middle stays soft and creamy, almost runny. There's no base and no water bath, and the rough, rustic look is the point: it's lined with crumpled baking paper. La Viña uses a spoonful of wheat flour; cornflour does the same job and keeps it gluten free. Chef's tip: take it out of the oven while the centre still wobbles like a soft set custard; it firms up as it cools, and if it looks set in the oven, the middle will be dry instead of creamy.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Coconut bakeCoconut bread

Coconut bake is a breakfast bread from Trinidad and especially Tobago, where it's baked on Sunday mornings in homes and village bakeries. It's a quick, unyeasted bread, rich with grated coconut and coconut milk and rubbed with butter, shaped into a round and baked until golden. It's split and buttered, and usually eaten with saltfish buljol; for a vegetarian breakfast, fill it with tomato choka, fried ripe plantain, sautéed bodi (long beans) or cheese. Chef's tip: rub the butter well into the flour and knead only briefly until the dough comes together. Overworking makes bake heavy and tight instead of soft and crumbly.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Acarajé with vegan vatapáBlack-eyed pea fritters with coconut paste

Acarajé is the street food of Salvador da Bahia, fried to order by the baianas de acarajé in their white lace dresses; the craft is protected as part of Brazil's cultural heritage. Peeled black-eyed peas are ground with onion, whipped until light and fried in dendê into crisp, airy fritters, then split and filled with vatapá, a rich paste of coconut, peanuts, cashews and ginger. Street versions add dried shrimp; this one leaves it out and leans on dendê and toasted nuts for depth. Add vinagrete and pepper sauce as they do in Salvador. Chef's tip: beat the bean paste until it's pale and fluffy, and test a little in a glass of water: when it floats, it's ready. That trapped air is what makes acarajé light inside.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Couve à mineiraShredded garlic collard greens

Couve à mineira, from Minas Gerais, is the bright green side dish that goes with feijoada, tutu and plain rice and beans all over Brazil. Collard greens are rolled up like a cigar, sliced into fine ribbons and cooked for barely two minutes with garlic, so they stay vivid, tender and slightly crunchy. Chef's tip: the knife work is the whole recipe. Slice the rolled leaves as thinly as you possibly can (Brazilian cooks aim for threads 1–2 mm wide), then cook them fast over high heat with the lid off. Thick strips or a covered pan give you dull, soggy greens.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Bolo de cenoura com cobertura de chocolateCarrot cake with chocolate topping

Bolo de cenoura is the most loved homemade cake in Brazil, served with coffee at the afternoon lanche all over the country. It's nothing like the spiced, nutty carrot cake of the UK and US: raw carrots are blended smooth with eggs and oil, giving a bright orange, light and moist sponge, finished with a thick chocolate topping that sets with a thin crust. Chef's tip: blend the carrots with the eggs and oil until completely smooth, with no visible bits, and pour the chocolate topping over while the cake is still warm. The topping soaks in a little and sets with the shiny, crackly casquinha (crust) Brazilians love.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

GizzadaCoconut tarts

Gizzada (also called 'pinch-me-round') is a little Jamaican tart with a crisp, crimped crust and a chewy filling of grated coconut cooked with brown sugar, nutmeg and ginger. It's sold in bakeries and roadside stalls across Jamaica; the name is thought to come from the Portuguese 'queijada', brought by Portuguese Jewish settlers. Eat it with a cup of tea or as an afternoon treat. Chef's tip: cook the coconut filling until it's sticky and almost dry, with no syrup pooling in the pan. A wet filling soaks into the pastry and the crust goes soft instead of crisp.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

BammyCassava flatbread

Bammy is one of Jamaica's oldest foods, a flatbread of grated cassava handed down from the Taíno people and still made by family producers in St Elizabeth, especially around Treasure Beach and the south coast. The cassava is grated, squeezed dry and pressed into firm rounds that keep for days. Before eating, they're soaked in coconut milk and fried, so they turn crisp outside and soft and chewy within, with a gentle nutty flavour. Serve with steamed callaloo, Ital stew or escovitch vegetables. Chef's tip: squeeze the grated cassava really, truly dry in a cloth, wringing it hard. Wet cassava steams into a gummy cake instead of setting into a firm bammy.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Steamed cabbage

Steamed cabbage is the everyday side dish of Jamaican home cooking, served at breakfast with fried dumplings and at dinner beside rice and peas or stew peas. Shredded cabbage and carrot are cooked with very little water, so they steam in their own juices and turn sweet, peppery and glossy rather than soggy. Chef's tip: use only a splash of water and keep the lid on. The cabbage should be tender-crisp and still pale green, never boiled limp, so take it off the heat while it still has a little bite.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Macaroni pieBaked macaroni and cheese

Macaroni pie is a must on the Trinidadian Sunday lunch table, beside callaloo, rice, stew and salad. It isn't a saucy macaroni cheese but a firm bake: macaroni mixed with sharp cheddar, evaporated milk, eggs, mustard and a little onion and pepper, baked until golden and set enough to cut into neat squares. Kids love it, and it's just as good cold the next day. Chef's tip: let the pie rest for 20 minutes after it comes out of the oven. It firms up as it cools slightly, so you get clean, proper slices instead of a soft heap.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Açaí bowl

Açaí is a deep purple palm berry from Pará, in the Amazon, where people in Belém eat it as a thick, unsweetened purée with manioc meal alongside savoury food. The sweet, frozen açaí na tigela ('açaí in a bowl') was born on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro and became a Brazilian breakfast and post-surf favourite: thick as soft-serve ice cream, topped with crunchy granola, banana and strawberries. Chef's tip: use as little liquid as possible and blend in short pulses, scraping down the sides. Real açaí na tigela is spooned, not drunk; too much juice turns it into a smoothie.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Jerk tofu and vegetables

Jerk was born in the hills of Portland parish, where Maroon communities slow-cooked spiced meat over pimento wood, and Boston Bay is still its home today. The heart of it is the wet marinade: spring onion, thyme, scotch bonnet and plenty of pimento (allspice), blitzed into a coarse green-brown paste. Here it clings to slabs of pressed tofu and chunky vegetables that are charred until sticky at the edges, smoky, hot and fragrant. Serve with rice and peas, fried ripe plantain or festival and a squeeze of lime. Chef's tip: toast whole pimento berries in a dry pan and grind them yourself; ready-ground allspice tastes flat, and the warm clove-pepper perfume of fresh pimento is what makes jerk taste like jerk.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Rice and peas

No Sunday dinner anywhere in Jamaica is complete without rice and peas, and 'peas' here means red kidney beans. The beans tint the rice a soft pinkish brown, the coconut milk makes it rich and creamy, and a whole scotch bonnet sitting on top perfumes the pot with fruity heat without burning anyone. Serve with jerk tofu, Ital stew, steamed cabbage and fried ripe plantain. This version uses tinned beans and their liquid for an everyday cook; with dried beans, soak 250 g overnight and simmer them for about an hour first, then use their cooking water. Chef's tip: once the rice goes in, don't stir it. Cover the pot tightly (a sheet of foil under the lid helps) and let the steam do the work, so the grains come out separate and fluffy instead of mushy.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Showing 36 of 7,762 recipes

Show more recipes

Page 788 of 863