Featured recipe

Moroccan barley bread (khobz chair)

Before white flour became cheap, barley bread was everyday food in much of rural Morocco, from the Rif to the Atlas, and khobz chair is still baked at home and sold in markets by people who love its dense, slightly sweet, nutty crumb. Barley has very little gluten, so the loaves are flat-domed rather than tall, with a crust dusted in barley grits or semolina. Tear it while warm and dip it in olive oil, eat it with bissara, lentils or olives, or spread it with honey and butter at breakfast. A little white flour helps it rise; allow about 1 1/2 hours for rising. Chef's tip: do not keep adding flour to make it less sticky; barley dough is meant to feel tacky, and extra flour, the common mistake, makes a dry, crumbly loaf.

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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.

15 min

Spanish Snacks & Starters

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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.

120 min

Spanish Snacks & Starters

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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.

70 min

Spanish Baking

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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.

40 min

Spanish Desserts

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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.

15 min

Spanish Soups

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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.

30 min

Vietnamese Snacks & Starters

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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.

25 min

Vietnamese Vegetarian

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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.

90 min

Spanish Baking

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Horchata de chufaTiger nut milk

Horchata de chufa is the drink of Valencia's summer, sold ice-cold in the city's horchaterías with long, soft fartons pastries for dipping. It is made from chufas, or tiger nuts: small wrinkled tubers grown around the village of Alboraya just north of Valencia, which have their own protected designation of origin. Soaked, ground with water, strained and sweetened, they give a creamy, nutty, naturally dairy-free milk with a hint of cinnamon. Valencians drink it very cold, or half-frozen as 'granizada'. Chef's tip: soak the tiger nuts for a full 24 hours and change the water once; they must be plump and soft enough to blend into a fine pulp, or the horchata will be thin and taste of raw starch.

15 min

Spanish Drinks

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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.

30 min

Vietnamese Fast Food

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Lentejas estofadasLentil stew

Lentejas estofadas, or lentejas a la española, is the stew that every Spanish household knows from childhood, cooked once a week from Castile to Andalusia. Small brown lentils (pardinas, ideally from Tierra de Campos in León) are simmered with a sofrito of onion, pepper, garlic and tomato, carrot, potato and bay until thick, savoury and soothing. Most families add chorizo; here smoked pimentón de la Vera brings the same smoky warmth. Serve in deep bowls with crusty bread and a few pickled guindilla peppers on the side. Chef's tip: add a splash of sherry vinegar right at the end; it lifts the earthy lentils and is what Spanish grandmothers do to make the stew taste finished.

45 min

Spanish Curries

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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.

50 min

Vietnamese Snacks & Starters

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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.

45 min

Vietnamese Salads

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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.

30 min

Spanish Desserts

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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.

60 min

Spanish Desserts

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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.

8 min

Vietnamese Drinks

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Heart of palm coxinhaHeart of palm croquettes

Coxinha is the king of Brazilian salgados, sold in every padaria and served at every birthday party, especially in São Paulo. The teardrop shape copies a chicken thigh, but coxinha de palmito, filled with soft heart of palm, tomato and creamy cheese, is a much-loved meat-free version. The dough is a cooked, savoury choux-like paste, rolled in breadcrumbs and fried until shatteringly crisp. Chef's tip: cook the dough until it comes away from the pan in one smooth ball, then knead it while still warm with oiled hands. Lumpy or under-cooked dough cracks in the fryer and lets the filling leak.

120 min

Brazilian Snacks & Starters

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Cornmeal porridge

Cornmeal porridge is the breakfast many Jamaicans grew up on, cooked in homes across the island before school and work. Fine cornmeal is simmered slowly with milk and water until thick and velvety, then spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla and sweetened with condensed milk. It's warm, filling and gently sweet. Chef's tip: whisk the cornmeal into cold water first to make a smooth slurry before it meets any heat. Adding dry cornmeal to hot liquid is how porridge goes lumpy.

20 min

Jamaican Breakfast & Brunch

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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.

15 min

Jamaican Sides

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Fried ripe plantain

Fried ripe plantain is on almost every Jamaican plate, from breakfast with ackee and callaloo to Sunday dinner beside rice and peas. When plantains are fully ripe their starch turns to sugar, so the slices fry up soft and custardy inside with dark, sticky, caramelised edges, sweet with a little salt. Chef's tip: wait until the skin is mostly black. A yellow plantain fries up firm and starchy; a black one gives that melting, toffee-sweet result, and medium heat lets the sugars caramelise without burning.

15 min

Jamaican Sides

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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.

120 min

Brazilian Snacks & Starters

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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.

50 min

Jamaican Rice & Grains

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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.

50 min

Jamaican Vegetarian

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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.

10 min

Brazilian Breakfast & Brunch

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FestivalSweet fried cornmeal dumplings

Festival is a slightly sweet fried dumpling made with flour and cornmeal, and it's the classic partner to everything sold from the beach shacks at Hellshire in St Catherine, just outside Kingston. Each one is shaped like a little tapered log, fried until golden and crackly outside and soft and fluffy inside, with a hint of vanilla. Here they're served with escovitch-style pickled vegetables, steamed callaloo or jerk tofu instead of fried fish. Chef's tip: fry at a steady medium heat, around 170°C. If the oil is too hot, festival browns in a minute and stays raw and doughy in the middle.

30 min

Jamaican Sides

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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.

60 min

Trinidadian Pasta & Noodles

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Limonada suíçaCreamy lime drink

Limonada suíça is the creamy, frothy limeade served in juice bars and lunch counters all over Brazil. Despite the name ('Swiss lemonade'), nobody knows of any Swiss link, and it's made with whole Tahiti limes, blended briefly, skin and all, then strained and sweetened with condensed milk. It's cold, zingy and pale green, perfect with a hot lunch. Chef's tip: blend for no more than 10–15 seconds. Lime peel gives the drink its wonderful perfume, but blended too long it releases bitterness from the pith; serve it straight away for the same reason.

5 min

Brazilian Drinks

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SaheenaDasheen leaf fritters

Saheena is an old Indo-Trinidadian snack sold by street vendors and doubles men, especially in Central and South Trinidad. Young dasheen (taro) leaves are spread with a spiced batter of ground split peas, garlic, turmeric and pepper, rolled up like a Swiss roll, steamed, then sliced into rounds and fried until crisp. Each slice shows green spirals of leaf and gold batter, and tastes earthy, savoury and garlicky. Serve with tamarind sauce or mango chutney. If you can't get dasheen leaves, large spinach or Swiss chard leaves work. Chef's tip: always cook dasheen leaves thoroughly. They contain crystals that make your throat itch if undercooked, which is why the rolls are steamed right through before frying.

60 min

Trinidadian Snacks & Starters

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FarofaToasted manioc meal

Farofa is on the table at almost every Brazilian meal, from feijoada to Sunday barbecue: coarse manioc (cassava) meal toasted in butter or olive oil with onion and garlic until golden, sandy and nutty. Sprinkle it over beans, stews and moqueca to soak up the juices and add crunch. Bacon is common in the South-East; this butter version is the classic everyday one (use olive oil for a vegan farofa). Chef's tip: toast the manioc over a medium-low heat, stirring constantly, and go by smell and sound. It's ready when it smells like toasted hazelnuts and sounds dry and sandy against the spoon; high heat scorches it in seconds.

17 min

Brazilian Sides

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Ital stewPumpkin and sweet potato stew

Ital food is the cooking of the Rastafari, found from the hills of St Andrew to roadside Ital shops in Westmoreland and St Thomas. It is plant-based, close to the earth and traditionally made without added salt, built on fresh 'food' (ground provisions) and greens. This stew is golden and gently sweet, thickened by melting pumpkin and silky okra, with coconut milk, thyme and pimento giving warmth and a whole scotch bonnet giving fruity heat. Serve with rice and peas or boiled green bananas. Chef's tip: cut half the pumpkin very small and the other half in big chunks. The small pieces collapse into the coconut milk and thicken it naturally, while the big ones hold their shape.

45 min

Jamaican Curries

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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.

60 min

Jamaican Baking

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Aloo pieFried potato pastry pockets

Aloo pie is a Trinidadian street snack: a soft, chewy fried dough shaped like a big half-moon, filled with mashed potato seasoned with roasted geera, garlic, pepper and shado beni. It's sold at doubles stands, roti shops and school canteens all over the island, and the classic way to eat it is split open and loaded with curry channa, tamarind sauce and pepper. It's softer and breadier than an Indian samosa. Chef's tip: roast the geera seeds yourself until they're dark brown and fragrant, then grind them. That deep, smoky cumin flavour is what makes Trini aloo pie taste the way it should.

60 min

Trinidadian Snacks & Starters

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KurmaSweet fried dough sticks

Kurma is a crunchy Indo-Trinidadian sweet made for Divali, weddings and pujas, and sold in bags at roadside parlours in Central Trinidad. A rich dough flavoured with ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg is cut into thin sticks, fried until hard and golden, then tossed in a hot ginger sugar syrup until it dries into a frosty white coating. It keeps for weeks in a tin. Chef's tip: keep stirring the kurma in the syrup off the heat until the sugar suddenly turns opaque and sandy. That moment is the whole trick; stop too early and the coating stays sticky, and the 'frost' is what makes kurma kurma.

60 min

Trinidadian Desserts

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Jamaican carrot juice

Jamaican carrot juice isn't a thin health drink but a creamy, sweet treat, blended fresh in homes and sold cold in bottles at markets and juice stands across the island, especially on Sundays and at Christmas. Grated carrots are blended with water and strained, then sweetened with condensed milk and spiced with nutmeg, vanilla and a squeeze of lime. Chef's tip: add a squeeze of lime and a little fresh ginger. The sharpness cuts through the sweetness and stops the drink tasting flat, the way Jamaican cooks make it.

10 min

Jamaican Drinks

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Mango chowSpiced green mango

Chow is what Trinidadians eat on a hot afternoon: fruit, most often half-ripe mango, sliced and tossed with lime juice, salt, garlic, chopped shado beni and plenty of hot pepper. It's sold in little bags at roadside stands, beach stalls and outside schools all over the island. It's crunchy, sour, salty, garlicky and fiery all at once. Pineapple, cucumber and pommecythere (golden apple) are made the same way. Chef's tip: let the chow sit for 10 minutes before eating. The salt and lime draw out the mango's juice into a tangy, peppery 'pickle' liquid, and that juice is the best part.

10 min

Trinidadian Salads

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Jamaican callalooSteamed callaloo greens

In Jamaica, callaloo means the leaves and tender stems of a type of amaranth, sold in big bundles in every market from Coronation Market in Kingston to Santa Cruz in St Elizabeth. It's steamed down with onion, tomato, garlic and thyme into soft, savoury greens with a mild mineral sweetness, and eaten at breakfast with fried dumplings, boiled green bananas or hard dough bread, or as a side at dinner. Spinach or Swiss chard can stand in if you can't find callaloo. Chef's tip: peel the fibrous skin from the thicker stems with a small knife and slice the stems and leaves finely across, about 1 cm wide. That's how Jamaican cooks get callaloo that's tender all the way through rather than stringy.

20 min

Jamaican Sides

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Curry channa and alooChickpea and potato curry

Curry channa and aloo is a staple of Trinidad's Indo-Caribbean home cooking: chickpeas and potatoes simmered in a turmeric-gold Caribbean curry until the potatoes start to break down and thicken the sauce. It's what fills a dhalpuri or buss-up-shut roti in roti shops from Chaguanas to Penal, and it's at every Hindu wedding and Divali feast. It isn't an Indian chana masala: there's no tomato or garam masala, the curry powder is the Caribbean kind, heavy with turmeric, coriander and fenugreek, and it's finished with shado beni (culantro) and green seasoning. Chef's tip: 'chunkay' the curry. Fry the curry paste in hot oil until it darkens, turns grainy and the oil separates before you add the chickpeas. Raw curry tastes dusty and flat; fried curry tastes rich and round.

45 min

Trinidadian Curries

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Buss-up-shutTorn paratha roti

Buss-up-shut is the paratha roti of Trinidad, so called because the torn, flaky pieces look like a 'burst-up shirt'. A soft dough is spread with butter and oil, rolled into a coil to build layers, cooked on a hot tawa, then clapped and beaten with wooden paddles until it breaks into soft, buttery, flaky shreds. It's served in roti shops across Trinidad for scooping up curries, and is always at Hindu weddings and Divali feasts. Chef's tip: beat the roti while it's still scalding hot. The steam inside is what separates the layers, so the moment it leaves the tawa, clap it between your hands (in clean oven gloves) or bash it with two wooden spatulas until it shreds.

60 min

Trinidadian Breads & Parathas

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Stew peas with spinnersKidney bean stew with dumplings

Stew peas is a thick, comforting Jamaican one-pot of red kidney beans simmered in coconut milk until creamy, studded with 'spinners', small hand-rolled dumplings. It's a classic Wednesday or Saturday dinner across the island, usually cooked with pig's tail and salt beef. Here mushrooms browned hard and a little smoked paprika bring the savoury depth instead, so nothing is missing. Serve over plain white rice. Chef's tip: when the beans are soft, crush a ladleful against the side of the pot. Stew peas should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, and the crushed beans give that body without any flour.

95 min

Jamaican Curries

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Vegetable pelauRice and pigeon pea one-pot

Pelau is the dish of the Trinidad beach lime and family gathering: rice and pigeon peas cooked in one big pot, coloured a deep brown by sugar caramelised in oil until almost burnt, then simmered with coconut milk, green seasoning and a whole hot pepper. It's usually made with chicken; here deeply browned mushrooms and chunks of pumpkin carry the savoury depth, so it's still rich, smoky-sweet and moreish. Serve with coleslaw, sliced cucumber and pepper sauce. Chef's tip: let the sugar go further than feels safe: it should melt, froth and turn the colour of dark chocolate, just starting to smoke, before anything goes in. Too pale and the pelau tastes sweet; too black and it's bitter.

60 min

Trinidadian Rice & Grains

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TotoCoconut cake

Toto is an old-time Jamaican country cake, the kind baked in a 'dutchie' over coals in rural St Mary and St Ann and sold in squares at bakeries and school tuck shops. It's dense and moist rather than light, packed with grated coconut, darkened with brown sugar and fragrant with nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla. Lovely with a cup of tea, still slightly warm. Chef's tip: use fresh grated coconut if you can, or soak desiccated coconut in the warm coconut milk for 15 minutes first. Dry coconut steals moisture from the batter and leaves the cake crumbly instead of chewy.

60 min

Jamaican Baking

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Curry mangoGreen mango curry

Curry mango is a Trinidadian favourite on the 'seven-curry' plate at Hindu weddings, pujas and Divali, served on a sohari (water-lily) leaf beside dhal, rice, pumpkin and channa. Hard green or half-ripe mangoes are chopped, skin, seed and all, then cooked in curry with garlic, roasted geera and a little sugar until tender and glossy. It's sour, sweet, salty and hot at once, and a spoonful brightens any rice and curry or a roti. Chef's tip: leave the skin on and add the sugar a little at a time. The skin keeps the pieces whole, and the right balance is when you taste sour first, then sweet, then the heat comes through.

40 min

Trinidadian Chutneys & Dips

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Trini callaloo soupDasheen leaf and okra soup

Callaloo is Trinidad and Tobago's national dish and part of the classic Sunday lunch, served beside rice, macaroni pie and stewed peas. Dasheen bush (young taro leaves) is simmered with okra, pumpkin, coconut milk, onion, garlic, chives and thyme, then beaten smooth with a wooden swizzle stick into a thick, velvety green soup. It's usually cooked with crab or salt pork; this vegetarian version leaves them out and adds a pinch of smoked paprika for depth. Spinach and Swiss chard can replace dasheen. Chef's tip: cook the dasheen leaves for at least 25–30 minutes. They must be very soft, both to swizzle silky smooth and because undercooked dasheen leaves make your throat itch.

50 min

Trinidadian Soups

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QuindimCoconut egg yolk custards

Quindim is a jewel of Bahian sweets: small, shiny, intensely yellow custards made from egg yolks, sugar and grated coconut. It goes back to Portugal's convent sweets, rich in yolks, which cooks in colonial Bahia combined with the coconut of the Brazilian coast. When baked, the coconut sinks to form a chewy base and the yolks set into a silky, translucent top that becomes the shining crown when unmoulded. Chef's tip: strain the yolks so there are no traces of white or the chalazae (the stringy bits). Egg white makes quindim pale and rubbery instead of glossy, deep gold and smooth.

60 min

Brazilian Desserts

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Vegetable pattiesSpiced vegetable pastry pockets

The patty is Jamaica's favourite grab-and-go food, sold hot from glass cases in patty shops and school canteens across the island, from Half Way Tree in Kingston to Montego Bay. Its signature is the pastry: short, flaky and bright yellow from turmeric, wrapped around a spicy filling and crimped with a fork. This vegetarian version is filled with callaloo, potato, carrot and peas seasoned with curry, thyme and scotch bonnet. Eat them warm, on their own or squeezed inside soft coco bread. Chef's tip: use half butter and half solid vegetable shortening in the pastry, and keep everything cold. The shortening gives the patty its crumbly, flaky snap and the butter gives the flavour.

90 min

Jamaican Snacks & Starters

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Sorrel drinkHibiscus drink

Sorrel is the drink of a Jamaican Christmas: in December the markets fill with the red flowers (the calyces of a hibiscus), and every home brews a big batch to share. They're steeped with lots of fresh ginger, pimento and cloves, then sweetened, giving a deep ruby drink that's tart, spicy and refreshing over ice. Many families add a splash of white or dark rum for the adults. Chef's tip: be generous with the ginger and let it steep overnight. A long, cool steep pulls out the colour and a fiery ginger bite without the bitterness of over-boiling.

30 min

Jamaican Drinks

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Tutu de feijãoBean purée with toasted manioc meal

Tutu de feijão is everyday comfort food from Minas Gerais, made from yesterday's beans: they're blended smooth, fried with onion and garlic, then thickened with manioc meal into a soft, spoonable mash. In Minas it comes with pork crackling and sausage; here smoked paprika and a crisp onion topping bring the savoury, smoky edge. Serve with rice, couve à mineira and a fried egg if you eat them. Chef's tip: rain in the manioc meal slowly while stirring, as you would polenta, and stop while it's still a little looser than you want. Tutu firms up as it stands, and too much farinha makes it stodgy.

30 min

Brazilian Sides

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Pholourie with tamarind chutneySplit pea fritters with tamarind chutney

Pholourie are little round fritters sold by the bag at doubles stands, school gates and parties all over Trinidad, especially through Divali and Christmas. A turmeric-yellow batter made with ground split peas and flour is dropped by the spoonful into hot oil, where it puffs into crisp-skinned, soft, spongy balls. They're always served with a sticky tamarind chutney spiked with garlic, shado beni and pepper. Unlike Indian pakoras, there are no vegetables in the batter: pholourie is all about the soft, light dough and the dip. Chef's tip: beat the batter hard for a few minutes until it's thick, smooth and falls off the spoon in a sticky blob. Well-beaten batter traps air, so the pholourie puff up round and light instead of flat and greasy.

40 min

Trinidadian Snacks & Starters

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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.

11 min

Brazilian Sides

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BrigadeiroChocolate condensed milk truffles

Brigadeiro is Brazil's favourite sweet: no birthday party anywhere in the country is complete without trays of them in little paper cases. Condensed milk, cocoa and butter are stirred in a pan until thick, then rolled into soft, fudgy balls and coated in chocolate sprinkles. It's said to be named after Brigadeiro Eduardo Gomes, an air force officer who ran for president in 1945. Chef's tip: learn the ponto (the doneness point). Tilt the pan and drag your spatula through the mixture: when it slides as one mass and you can see the pan base for 2–3 seconds before it closes up, it's ready. Undercooked brigadeiros won't hold a shape; overcooked ones turn chewy.

32 min

Brazilian Desserts

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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.

60 min

Brazilian Baking

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Arroz e feijãoRice and beans

Arroz e feijão is the heart of the Brazilian table, eaten at lunch nearly every day from Porto Alegre to Manaus. Each half is simple but made with care: the rice is fried with garlic before simmering so the grains stay loose (soltinho), and the beans are finished with a refogado of onion and garlic that thickens their broth. In the South and Rio black beans are the norm; elsewhere it's the beige carioca bean. Chef's tip: when the beans are tender, fry the garlic and onion, add a ladle of beans and mash them in the pan, then stir it all back into the pot. This tempero is the step that makes Brazilian beans taste like home.

90 min

Brazilian Rice & Grains

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VinagreteTomato and onion salsa

Vinagrete, also called molho à campanha in the South, is the fresh, tangy salsa that goes on every Brazilian barbecue table and next to feijoada, acarajé and grilled cheese. Finely diced tomato, onion and green pepper are bathed in vinegar, olive oil and a little water, so it's halfway between a salad and a sauce. Chef's tip: soak the chopped onion in cold water for 5 minutes and drain. It takes away the harsh bite while keeping the crunch, so the salsa tastes clean and bright instead of raw.

10 min

Brazilian Chutneys & Dips

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DoublesCurried chickpeas in fried bread

Doubles are Trinidad's favourite street food, sold from carts at dawn on corners from Curepe to San Fernando and said to have started in Princes Town in the 1930s. Two pieces of bara, a soft, puffy fried flatbread coloured with turmeric, are piled with soft curried chickpeas (channa), then spooned with sweet tamarind sauce, cool cucumber chutney, shado beni sauce and as much pepper sauce as you dare ('slight' or 'heavy'). They're messy, cheap and wonderful, eaten standing up from a square of paper. These are different from Indian chole bhature: the bara is light and yeasty, the channa is cooked very soft in Caribbean curry, and the toppings are sweet, sour and fiery all at once. Chef's tip: keep the bara dough very soft and wet, and handle it only with oiled hands. Stretch each ball thin over your fingers and slide it straight into the hot oil, so it puffs light and stays soft instead of turning into a crisp puri.

120 min

Trinidadian Fast Food

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Baião de doisRice and beans with cheese

Baião de dois ('a dance for two') is the pride of Ceará and the Northeast sertão: rice cooked in the broth of feijão-de-corda (a small cowpea; black-eyed peas are the closest match), then folded with cubes of squeaky queijo coalho until they just start to melt. It's usually made with dried beef and bacon; this version keeps the smoky note with paprika and finishes with nutty clarified butter (manteiga de garrafa). It's a one-pot meal on its own, or great with vinagrete. Chef's tip: cook the rice in the bean cooking water, not fresh water. That's what gives baião its brownish colour and deep bean flavour.

50 min

Brazilian Rice & Grains

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Cheese and heart of palm pastelFried cheese and palm heart pastries

Pastel is the taste of the São Paulo street market: big rectangles of thin dough fried to order until they blister and puff, eaten hot from paper with a glass of caldo de cana (sugar-cane juice). Cheese and palmito (heart of palm) are two of the most popular meat-free fillings. Chef's tip: add a spoon of cachaça (or vodka) to the dough and fry in properly hot oil. The alcohol evaporates fast and makes the crust puff into the light, bubbly blisters that market pastel is famous for.

60 min

Brazilian Snacks & Starters

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Cuscuz nordestinoSteamed flaked corn cake

Cuscuz nordestino has nothing to do with North African couscous: it's a soft, fluffy cake of steamed flaked maize (flocão), eaten every morning across the Northeast, from Pernambuco to Bahia. It's served hot in wedges with a melting slab of butter, often with fried egg, cheese or coconut milk poured over. It's traditionally steamed in a cuscuzeira, a two-tier steamer, but a steamer basket lined with a cloth works too. Chef's tip: let the corn soak up the salted water for 10 minutes, then pack it into the steamer loosely. Pressed down, it turns dense and heavy; loose, it steams into a light cake that still holds together.

24 min

Brazilian Breakfast & Brunch

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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.

50 min

Jamaican Breads & Parathas

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Tapioca crêpeCassava starch crêpe

Tapioca is the Northeast's favourite breakfast, cooked on griddles at beach stalls from Recife to Fortaleza and now loved all over Brazil. Damp cassava starch (goma) is sieved into a hot dry pan, where it fuses into a thin white disc that's soft, chewy and slightly crisp. This recipe gives two classic fillings: melting cheese with butter, and coconut with condensed milk. Chef's tip: hydrate the starch until it feels like damp sand that holds when squeezed, then sieve it into the pan and never press it down. A loose, even layer is what makes the starch melt into one lacy, flexible sheet.

15 min

Brazilian Breakfast & Brunch

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Dhalpuri rotiSplit pea filled flatbread

Dhalpuri is the pride of Trinidad's Indo-Caribbean kitchens and roti shops, from Chaguanas to San Fernando: a large, soft, thin roti with a hidden layer of finely ground, seasoned yellow split peas. It's wrapped around curry channa and aloo, curry pumpkin or curry mango to make a 'roti', or torn and eaten alongside. It came with Indian indentured workers in the 1800s and became something distinctly Trini: thinner and softer than an Indian dal paratha, cooked on a flat iron 'tawa'. Chef's tip: the split peas must be boiled only until just tender, drained, then dried and ground into a fine, dry powder. Any dampness and the roti will burst when you roll it out.

90 min

Trinidadian Breads & Parathas

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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.

55 min

Trinidadian Breads & Parathas

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BeijinhoCoconut condensed milk sweets

Beijinho ('little kiss') is the white twin of brigadeiro, and the two always appear side by side at Brazilian birthday parties all over the country. Condensed milk is cooked with butter and coconut until thick, then rolled into small balls, coated in sugar or coconut and topped with a single clove. Chef's tip: don't skip the clove. It's the signature of a proper beijinho, giving a little warm, spicy perfume that balances all that sweetness (it's for decoration and aroma; take it out before eating).

32 min

Brazilian Desserts

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Pão de queijoCheese bread puffs

Pão de queijo comes from Minas Gerais, where every café and grandmother's kitchen has a tray in the oven for breakfast or afternoon coffee. Made with cassava starch (polvilho) instead of wheat flour, the little rolls are crisp and golden outside and stretchy, cheesy and almost hollow inside. Mineiros use queijo minas meia-cura; a mix of Parmesan-style cheese and mozzarella is the closest match elsewhere. Chef's tip: pour the boiling milk and oil over the starch (escaldar). Scalding cooks part of the starch, and that's what gives the chewy, elastic inside; and use some sour starch (polvilho azedo), which makes them puff up tall.

45 min

Brazilian Baking

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Pudim de leite condensadoCondensed milk flan

Pudim de leite condensado is the dessert of Brazilian Sunday lunch, served in every home and por-quilo restaurant from north to south. It's richer and denser than a French crème caramel: condensed milk, milk and eggs baked in a water bath in a ring tin, then turned out under a glossy layer of dark caramel. Chef's tip: bake it gently in a water bath and keep the water just below a simmer. Too much heat makes the bubbles that leave the pudim full of little holes; Brazilians prize a smooth, silky pudim lisinho.

75 min

Brazilian Desserts

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Mushroom and cassava escondidinhoMushroom and cassava bake

Escondidinho ('little hidden one') is a homely baked dish from the Northeast: a savoury filling hidden under a layer of creamy mashed cassava (mandioca or aipim), topped with cheese and baked until golden. The classic is made with carne de sol, the Northeast's sun-dried beef; this vegetarian escondidinho uses mushrooms browned hard with onion, tomato and smoked paprika for the same savoury depth. Serve it with a green salad or couve à mineira. Chef's tip: mash the cassava while it's piping hot and remove the woody core first. Cold cassava turns gluey, and the stringy core spoils the silky texture.

75 min

Brazilian Vegetarian

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Palm heart and plantain moquecaPalm heart and plantain coconut stew

Moqueca is the great stew of Bahia, cooked in a clay pot with coconut milk, tomatoes, peppers and dendê, the red palm oil that gives Salvador's food its colour and flavour. Fish is usual on the coast, but moqueca de palmito e banana-da-terra, with heart of palm and ripe plantain, is a much-loved vegetarian version: sweet, tangy and fragrant with coriander and lime. Serve with white rice and farofa. Chef's tip: layer the vegetables rather than frying them, and add half the dendê at the start and half at the very end. The final splash keeps its fruity, nutty aroma, which is the real taste of Bahia.

40 min

Brazilian Curries

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OmuriceOmelette-wrapped fried rice

Omurice (オムライス) is a yōshoku dish, Western-style Japanese food, said to have been invented at a Tokyo restaurant around 1900. Tangy ketchup fried rice is wrapped in a thin, soft omelette and topped with more ketchup. Chicken is usual inside; this vegetarian version uses mushrooms, sweetcorn, peas and onion. A favourite with children, and on the table in half an hour. Chef's tip: pull the pan off the heat while the top of the omelette is still a little runny; it finishes cooking from the heat of the rice, and stays soft and silky as in a Tokyo yōshoku diner.

30 min

Japanese Rice & Grains

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BibimbapRice bowl with seasoned vegetables

Bibimbap (비빔밥) means 'mixed rice': a bowl of warm rice topped with small heaps of separately seasoned vegetables, a fried egg and a spoonful of gochujang sauce, all stirred together at the table. The city of Jeonju in North Jeolla province is famous for it and serves it with a dozen or more toppings; this home version keeps five that are easy to find. Each vegetable is cooked on its own so it keeps its colour and texture, and the sauce brings sweetness, heat and a nutty sesame finish. Serve with kimchi and a light soup. Chef's tip: season every vegetable on its own, lightly, and taste each one. If each heap is good alone, the mixed bowl will be balanced; if they are all dressed alike, the bowl tastes flat.

45 min

Korean Rice & Grains

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Vegetable onigiriRice balls with vegetables

Onigiri (おにぎり) are Japan's everyday lunchbox and picnic food, sold in every convenience store from Tokyo to Kyushu. Warm rice is pressed around a salty or savoury filling and wrapped in a strip of crisp nori. This recipe gives three vegetarian fillings: sour umeboshi (pickled plum), sweet-salty simmered kombu, and a soy-glazed mushroom and carrot mix. Children love helping to shape them, and they keep well for a packed lunch. Chef's tip: use freshly cooked, still-warm rice and salt your hands, not the rice. The grains stick together only while warm, and the salt on the outside seasons every bite the way a Japanese mother would.

30 min

Japanese Snacks & Starters

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BindaetteokMung bean pancakes

Bindaetteok (빈대떡) are thick, crunchy pancakes made from soaked and ground mung beans mixed with kimchi, bean sprouts and spring onions, then fried in plenty of oil. They are the signature dish of Gwangjang market in Seoul, where stalls grind the beans in stone mills and fry the pancakes in front of you. Market versions often include pork; this one keeps the classic vegetables and is naturally gluten free and rich in protein. The outside turns deep golden and crisp while the inside stays soft. Serve hot with a soy and onion dip. Chef's tip: grind the beans coarse, not silky, and fry in more oil than feels right. The slight grit is what makes Gwangjang-style bindaetteok so crunchy outside and fluffy inside.

45 min

Korean Snacks & Starters

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TteokbokkiRice cakes in spicy sauce

Tteokbokki (떡볶이) is Korea's best-loved street snack: chewy cylinders of rice cake simmered in a thick, glossy, sweet and spicy red sauce. It became a classic in Seoul, where it is sold from street stalls and snack bars in every neighbourhood. Street versions use anchovy stock and fish cakes; this vegan version uses a quick kelp and shiitake stock with cabbage and spring onions, and has all the same punch. Eat it hot, while the rice cakes are soft and stretchy. Chef's tip: keep stirring and scrape the bottom; the rice cakes release starch that thickens the sauce but also catches. The sauce is right when it clings to the spoon in a glossy coat.

25 min

Korean Snacks & Starters

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Baechu kimchiNapa cabbage kimchi

Baechu kimchi (배추김치) is the napa cabbage kimchi served at almost every Korean meal, from Seoul to Jeju. Salted cabbage quarters are rubbed leaf by leaf with a red paste of chilli flakes, garlic, ginger, radish and spring onion, then left to ferment until sour, fizzy and deeply savoury. Most recipes use fish sauce and salted shrimp; this one gets its depth from kelp stock and tamari, so it is vegetarian and gluten free. Eat it fresh after a day or two, or let it sour for a few weeks for kimchi fried rice, stews and pancakes. Salting takes about 2 hours, then allow 1–2 days for fermenting. Chef's tip: the salting is everything. Under-salted cabbage goes mushy and spoils; over-salted kimchi is harsh. Test a thick white stem: when it bends without snapping, rinse.

150 min

Korean Basics

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Takikomi gohanRice cooked with mushrooms and carrot

Takikomi gohan (炊き込みご飯) is mixed rice cooked in one pot with seasonal vegetables and a savoury broth, made in homes across Japan, especially in autumn when mushrooms and chestnuts are in season. Every grain soaks up the soy, mirin and mushroom flavour, and the bottom forms a prized toasty crust (okoge). This vegetarian version uses a kombu and shiitake dashi. Serve it with miso soup and pickles, or pack it into onigiri the next day. Chef's tip: never stir once the vegetables are on top, and don't lift the lid while it cooks. The heavy vegetables would sink and the rice cook unevenly; leaving it alone also gives you the toasty okoge crust at the bottom.

50 min

Japanese Rice & Grains

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Dolsot bibimbapStone pot rice bowl with vegetables

Dolsot bibimbap (돌솥비빔밥) is bibimbap served in a heavy stone pot (dolsot) that is heated on the hob until the rice touching the stone turns into a crackling golden crust, called nurungji. It is eaten all over Korea and is still sizzling when it reaches the table. This vegetarian version tops the rice with seasoned spinach, bean sprouts, carrot, mushrooms and pan-fried tofu, and an egg that cooks gently in the heat of the pot. A small cast-iron pan works if you don't have stone bowls. Chef's tip: listen to the pot. A steady crackle with a toasty, nutty smell means the crust is forming; a sharp burnt smell means the heat is too high.

50 min

Korean Rice & Grains

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Zaru sobaChilled buckwheat noodles

Zaru soba (ざるそば) is the simplest and most loved way to eat buckwheat noodles in Japan, served chilled on a bamboo tray (zaru) with a small cup of dipping sauce. You pick up a mouthful of noodles, dip them, and slurp. The usual tsuyu sauce is made with bonito; this one gets its savoury depth from kombu and dried shiitake. Refreshing on a hot day, with grated wasabi, spring onion and a little nori. Chef's tip: the ice-water rinse is not optional. It washes off the surface starch and tightens the noodles so they're slippery and firm; soba shops call this 'shime', the finishing chill.

20 min

Japanese Pasta & Noodles

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PajeonSpring onion pancake

Pajeon (파전) is a savoury pancake packed with whole spring onions held together by a thin batter. Dongnae, a district of Busan, is famous for its version, made with rice flour in the batter and finished with beaten egg poured over the top; Dongnae pajeon is usually loaded with seafood, which is left out here. Korean families often make it on rainy days and eat it with a soy and vinegar dip. Keep the batter ice cold and the pan hot for the crispest edges. Chef's tip: use just enough batter to glue the spring onions together. Dongnae cooks want you to taste spring onion first and batter second, so it should look lacy, not cakey.

25 min

Korean Snacks & Starters

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TamagoyakiRolled omelette

Tamagoyaki (卵焼き) is a rolled omelette made in layers, found in breakfast trays and bento boxes all over Japan. Thin sheets of seasoned egg are cooked one at a time and rolled up around each other, giving soft, springy slices with pretty spiral lines. This is the gently sweet home style; a little soy keeps it savoury. A square tamagoyaki pan helps, but a small round frying pan works too. Chef's tip: keep the heat moderate and the pan well oiled between layers. If the egg browns, the heat is too high; a good tamagoyaki is evenly yellow with just a few golden patches.

15 min

Japanese Breakfast & Brunch

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Yaki udonStir-fried udon noodles

Yaki udon (焼うどん) was first made in Kitakyushu, in northern Kyushu, just after the war, when a café owner ran out of soba for yakisoba and fried udon instead. The thick, chewy noodles are tossed in a hot pan with cabbage, onion, mushrooms and carrot, then glazed with soy, mirin and a little vegetarian Worcestershire-style sauce. Meat is usual in Japan; this vegetarian version gets its richness from shiitake and a fried egg on top. A fast, filling weeknight supper. Chef's tip: get the pan really hot and leave the noodles alone for 30 seconds at a time, so they pick up slightly charred edges; that smoky 'koge' is what makes yaki udon taste like the street-stall version.

20 min

Japanese Pasta & Noodles

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OkonomiyakiSavoury cabbage pancake

Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き, 'grilled as you like it') is the pride of Osaka, where it's cooked on hot iron griddles in lively restaurants. Finely shredded cabbage is folded into a light batter with egg and spring onion, then fried into a thick, soft pancake with a crisp outside. It's painted with a fruity brown sauce and zigzagged with mayonnaise. Bonito flakes are usual on top; this vegetarian version uses seaweed flakes and pickled ginger instead. Chef's tip: don't press the pancake down with your spatula while it cooks. Osaka cooks leave it alone so the cabbage steams inside and stays light and fluffy; pressing squeezes out the air.

35 min

Japanese Snacks & Starters

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SunomonoCucumber and wakame salad

Sunomono (酢の物, 'vinegared things') are small, refreshing dishes served alongside rice and richer food in homes all over Japan. This one, kyūri to wakame no sunomono, is the most common: paper-thin salted cucumber and wakame seaweed in a sweet, gentle rice-vinegar dressing. It cuts through fried food like tempura or gyoza. Ready in ten minutes, and best eaten chilled. Chef's tip: salt the cucumber and squeeze it hard. It draws out the water so the slices turn pleasantly crunchy and drink up the dressing instead of diluting it.

10 min

Japanese Salads

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Doenjang jjigaeSoybean paste stew with tofu

Doenjang jjigae (된장찌개) is the stew Korean families all over the country eat most often: a bubbling pot of fermented soybean paste broth with tofu, potato, courgette, mushrooms and chilli, served with rice and banchan. Doenjang is deeper and funkier than Japanese miso, and it gives the broth a rich, earthy savouriness. It is usually made with anchovy stock; here a quick kelp and shiitake stock does the same job, so the stew is vegan. Serve it in the pot it was cooked in, still bubbling. Chef's tip: add the doenjang early and let it simmer. Its earthy depth comes out with a few minutes of bubbling, and it is better a little thick and salty than thin, as it is eaten with plenty of rice.

25 min

Korean Soups

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