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Scotch broth
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Scotch broth

Every Scottish granny has her own Scotch broth, the thick winter soup that simmers on stoves from the Borders to the Highlands and is often served on Burns Night. Lamb neck on the bone makes a rich stock with pearl barley, dried peas, leek, carrot, turnip and cabbage, and the meat is shredded back into the pot. It is a whole meal with crusty bread. Chef's tip: make it a day ahead; the barley keeps thickening it, and you can lift the solid fat off the top once chilled.

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40 minVietnameseVegetarianVegan
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Café chorreadoCloth-filtered coffee

Every Costa Rican grandmother has a chorreador: a small wooden stand holding a cloth bag, the bolsita, over a cup or jug. Hot water is poured through the grounds by hand, a little at a time, and the result is the coffee drunk at breakfast with gallo pinto and again at the afternoon cafecito around three, with a tamal, a slice of pan casero or a rosquilla. The cloth catches the oils and fine grounds, so the cup is clean, bright and smooth, with the soft acidity and caramel sweetness of Tarrazú and Central Valley beans. In the countryside the water is sometimes sweetened with tapa de dulce before it goes through. It is strong coffee, so mind the caffeine late in the day. The common mistake is pouring all the water in at once, which floods the bag and leaves weak, uneven coffee; pour in slow circles, in four or five goes. It is ready when the drips slow to a trickle and the coffee is dark reddish-brown and smells of toasted caramel. Never wash the bag with soap; rinse it in hot water and hang it to dry. Chef's tip: boil a new bag once with a spoonful of coffee before using it, to season the cloth.

10 minCentral AmericanDrinksVeganGluten free
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Café con lecheCoffee with hot milk

Every morning from Havana to Miami's Little Havana, breakfast is a big cup of café con leche with a length of buttered, pressed Cuban bread (tostada) to dunk in it. A moka pot of dark espresso-style coffee is whipped with sugar into a pale foam, the espumita, and poured into a mug of hot, lightly salted milk. The usual mistake is boiling the milk, which gives it a skin and a cooked taste; heat it only until it steams. Coffee contains caffeine, so this is a grown-up drink; children traditionally get a cup that is mostly milk. Chef's tip: whisk the first few drops of coffee hard with the sugar to a thick paste before adding the rest; that is what makes the creamy espumita on top.

10 minCubanDrinksGluten free
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Caffè lecceseEspresso with almond milk over ice

In Lecce and the towns of Salento, summer mornings start at the bar with a caffè in ghiaccio, and the local version, a fairly recent invention now poured everywhere from Otranto to Gallipoli, adds a pour of latte di mandorla: the sweet almond-milk syrup Puglian bakers have made for generations from local almonds. A short glass is filled with ice, the almond syrup goes in, and a hot espresso is poured straight over so it cracks the ice and blends into a pale, cold, nutty coffee. It is sweet without being sticky, with a marzipan aroma and a clean bitter finish. The common mistake is letting the espresso cool before pouring: it no longer melts and mixes with the dense syrup, which then sits at the bottom. Pull the shot and pour it at once, then stir. It is ready when the drink is evenly caramel-coloured and the glass feels icy. Lecce bars serve it from about May to late September, often with a pasticciotto. Espresso means a fair hit of caffeine. Chef's tip: if you can only find unsweetened almond drink, stir 1 tsp of sugar into it first, but real Puglian almond syrup gives the true taste.

4 minItalianDrinksVeganGluten free
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Caffè shakeratoShaken iced espresso

When July heat settles over Italian piazzas, bar regulars from Rome to Bologna switch their morning or after-lunch espresso for a shakerato. The barista pulls a fresh shot, tips it into a cocktail shaker with ice and sugar, shakes hard for fifteen seconds and strains it into a chilled martini or wine glass, where it settles into a dark body under a thick, beige, mousse-like crema. It tastes intense and bittersweet, colder and smoother than iced coffee, with a texture almost like a light cream. The common mistake is using too little ice or shaking half-heartedly: the coffee stays warm and the foam collapses within seconds. Fill the shaker at least half full with ice and shake until the metal is too cold to hold comfortably. It is ready when you hear the ice rattle softly and the shaker frosts over, and the pour has a thick foam on top. One shaker holds one double espresso, so it is fairly strong in caffeine. Chef's tip: dissolve the sugar in the hot espresso before adding ice; granulated sugar barely melts once the coffee is cold.

5 minItalianDrinksVeganGluten free
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Pasta e cavolfiorePasta with cauliflower

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Caldillo de congrio is the soup of the central coast, from the fish stalls of Valparaíso to the little restaurants of Isla Negra, where Pablo Neruda wrote an ode to it: firm pieces of congrio (a white cusk-eel, not a true eel) poached in a tomato and onion broth with sliced potatoes, finished with a splash of cream and plenty of coriander. Outside Chile, use kingklip, monkfish, ling or thick hake. The common mistake is boiling the fish with the potatoes from the start; it falls to shreds. Add it at the end. Chef's tip: make the broth with the fish bones and trimmings if your fishmonger gives them to you; it doubles the flavour.

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Calia (toasted chickpeas) and simenza (salted pumpkin seeds) are sold together in twisted paper bags by the old caliari of Palermo, at the Festino of Santa Rosalia in July, along the Foro Italico seafront and outside the Teatro Massimo after a show. You crack the seeds with your teeth and chase them with the crunchy, nutty chickpeas, a habit that can last a whole evening. This home version roasts soaked dried chickpeas and salted seeds in the oven. Chef's tip: dry the soaked chickpeas really well; any surface water steams them instead of making them crunchy.

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Calzone frittoFried ham and mozzarella calzone

In Palermo the calzone is fried, not baked: a soft, slightly sweet milk dough wrapped around cooked ham (pork) and mozzarella, sealed and dropped into hot oil until puffed and bronzed. It sits on the glass counters of every rosticceria, from the bars of Via Maqueda to the beach kiosks at Mondello, next to arancine and sfincioni, and Palermitans grab one for a mid-morning merenda or a quick lunch. The crust is thin and crisp, the dough inside pillowy and the cheese stretchy. Chef's tip: dry the mozzarella in the fridge on kitchen paper for an hour; wet cheese makes the seams burst in the oil.

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CancatoSalmon with cheese and tomato

Cancato belongs to Chiloé and the lakes around Puerto Montt, where salmon is everyday food: a whole fillet is opened like a book, stuffed with melting cheese, tomato, onion and slices of longaniza (a pork sausage like chorizo), then wrapped and cooked over embers or in the oven. It is party food, cut at the table. The common mistake is putting raw sausage inside: it won't cook through before the salmon dries out. Fry it first. Chef's tip: wrap the parcel in foil with the seam on top and open it for the last 5 minutes, so the cheese browns while the salmon stays juicy.

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CancháncharaAguardiente, lime and honey cocktail

In the colonial town of Trinidad, in Sancti Spíritus province, the canchánchara is served in little clay cups to the sound of a son band in the late afternoon. Its roots are in the independence wars of the 1860s and 70s, when the mambí fighters drank cane aguardiente mixed with honey, lime and water, warm or at camp temperature. Today it comes with crushed ice, but it is still a drink for adults only, rustic and honest: floral honey, sharp lime and the raw, sugary heat of young cane spirit, cold and only slightly diluted. The classic mistake is pouring honey straight onto the ice, where it sets into a hard lump at the bottom and the drink tastes of nothing but sour spirit. Stir the honey into the lime and water first until no streaks remain, then add the ice and spirit. It is ready when the honey has disappeared into a cloudy, even mixture and the outside of the cup sweats with cold. Drink it slowly and responsibly. Outside Cuba, use unaged white rum or cachaça for the aguardiente; a short tumbler is fine if you have no clay cup. Chef's tip: soak the clay cup in cold water for ten minutes first; it keeps the drink cold for much longer.

5 minCubanDrinksGluten free
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Escabeche de polloChicken in vinegar and carrot

Pollo en escabeche is a home classic in Córdoba and Buenos Aires, a legacy of Spanish preserving that Argentines make on a Saturday to eat cold all week. It comes out of the fridge for a picada before the asado, as a summer lunch with a green salad and crusty bread, or packed for a day in the sierras. Chicken is browned, then gently cooked in oil and vinegar with carrot, onion, red pepper, garlic, bay and black peppercorns, and left to rest at least a day. The meat turns tender and lightly tangy, the carrots keep a little crunch, and the oil carries the flavour of bay and pepper. Because garlic sits in oil, safety matters: the liquid is half strong vinegar (at least 5% acidity, never diluted beyond what the recipe says), and the jar always lives in the fridge, never on the shelf. Eat it within 5 days. The common mistake is letting it boil hard, which makes the chicken dry and stringy; it should barely tremble. It is ready the next day, when the chicken tastes seasoned right through and the oil has turned golden. Chef's tip: take it out 20 minutes before serving so the oil melts back to liquid.

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Bonchi curryGreen bean coconut curry

Bonchi curry is one of the small vegetable curries that fill a Sri Lankan rice-and-curry lunch, cooked daily in Colombo kitchens and village homes in the hill country, where green beans grow in terraces near Nuwara Eliya. The beans are simmered in thin coconut milk with turmeric, curry leaves, pandan and green chilli until just tender, then enriched with a splash of thick milk so the sauce is mild, creamy and pale yellow. Suitable as part of a balanced diet, it is a high-fibre vegetable dish: about 150 kcal and 9 g carbohydrate per portion; serve it with red rice for slower-releasing carbohydrate. The usual mistake is boiling the thick coconut milk, which curdles it; add it at the end and only heat through. Chef's tip: cut the beans on a long diagonal so they soak up more of the sauce.

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Suan rong xilanhuaGarlic broccoli

Garlic broccoli is on the menu of almost every Chinese home kitchen and family restaurant, from Guangzhou to Shanghai, as the quick green dish at a weekday dinner. The florets are blanched just until bright, then tossed in a hot wok with a big spoon of minced garlic and a splash of water, so they stay crisp, glossy and full of garlic flavour. Serve with tofu, fish or eggs and a modest portion of rice. It is suitable as part of a balanced diet. About 90 kcal and 8 g carbohydrate per portion. The usual mistake is adding the garlic to very hot oil before the broccoli, where it burns and turns bitter. Chef's tip: add a few drops of oil to the blanching water; it keeps the broccoli shiny and green.

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by KrazyBadal 0 views

Beli mal (bael flower tea)

Beli mal is the herbal tea almost every Sri Lankan grandmother keeps in a tin. The small white flowers of the bael tree, the sacred tree found around temples and village gardens, are dried in the sun and brewed into a fragrant, amber drink that tastes softly floral, slightly fruity and a little bitter, a bit like a lighter chamomile. It is drunk in the morning or in the evening instead of black tea, offered at almsgivings and alongside kevum and kokis at Avurudu, and is traditionally taken after rich food to help digestion. Coriander seeds and a slice of ginger are a common addition at home. The custom is to sip it hot with a small piece of kithul jaggery held in the mouth, or stirred in. The common mistake is boiling the flowers fast for a long time: the tea turns dark and unpleasantly bitter. Simmer gently for a few minutes and then let it steep off the heat. It is ready when the tea is clear amber and smells sweet and flowery. It is caffeine-free, but bael may lower blood sugar, so check with a doctor if you take diabetes medication or are pregnant. Chef's tip: buy flowers that look pale cream; dark brown, crumbly ones are old.

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Tomato bredieMutton and tomato stew

Winter Sundays in the Boland and the Cape Flats smell of tamatiebredie: fatty mutton neck left to murmur for two hours with a kilo of ripe tomatoes, a stick of cinnamon, a few cloves and potatoes that soften into the sauce. The tomatoes collapse into a thick, brick-red gravy that is sweet, gently spiced and glossy with mutton fat, and the meat falls from the bone at a nudge. Serve it over plain white rice with a spoonful of fruit chutney or a beetroot salad on the side; like most bredies it tastes even better the next day. Most people drown it in water at the start, which leaves a thin, sour soup, so let the tomatoes provide the liquid and top up only by the splash. Chef's tip: for a meat-free pot, skip the mutton, soften the onions and spices the same way, then simmer two drained 400 g tins of butter beans with the tomatoes and potatoes for 40 minutes.

150 minSouth AfricanMeatGluten free
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GatsbyMasala steak and chips roll

Born in an Athlone fish-and-chip shop in the 1970s, the Gatsby is Cape Town's sharing sandwich: a roll as long as your arm, stuffed with hot chips, salad, sauce and a filling, then chopped into four and handed round at a match, a birthday or after Friday prayers. This version uses masala steak, thin strips of beef fried hard with Cape curry masala, garlic and chilli-garlic sauce until sticky and dark. Many takeaways add sliced polony too, which usually contains pork and/or beef or chicken, so check the label if that matters to you. The usual letdown is soggy chips, so fry them last and build the roll the moment they come out of the oil. Chef's tip: for masala chicken, swap in 600 g thin-sliced boneless chicken thigh and fry until it reaches 74 °C in the thickest piece, with no pink left.

40 minSouth AfricanFast Food
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Catuto (mültrün)Pounded wheat cakes

In the Mapuche communities of Araucanía, around Temuco, mültrün (catuto in Spanish) is made by cooking whole wheat grains until soft, then pounding them on a grinding stone into a sticky dough that is shaped into little logs. They are eaten as they come, toasted on the hearth, or dipped in honey or pebre, and they are sold in Temuco's market alongside merkén and piñones. A food processor does the job of the stone. The usual mistake is undercooking the wheat: the paste won't hold together. Chef's tip: shape with wet hands, and flatten the logs slightly before toasting so they crisp on two sides.

85 minChileanBreads & ParathasVegan
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CatalinasChewy panela anise cookies

Catalinas are the big dark cookies stacked in clear bags by the till of every Venezuelan bodega and panadería, eaten as a mid-afternoon snack with a glass of cold milk or a small black coffee. The dough is sweetened with melted panela and perfumed with anise, cinnamon and clove, and they stay soft and chewy for days. The mistake people make is baking until hard; they firm up as they cool. Chef's tip: take them out when they have puffed and the edges just feel set.

45 minVenezuelanBakingVegan
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Leshta chorbaLentil soup

Leshta chorba is cooked in Bulgarian homes all winter, and it is the soup of choice on fasting days before Christmas and Easter, when families eat no meat or dairy. Brown lentils simmer with onion, carrot and tomato, coloured with sweet paprika and scented with chubritsa (summer savory), the herb that makes Bulgarian cooking taste like itself. It is eaten with a slice of wholemeal bread and a few pickles. Suitable as part of a balanced diet. About 280 kcal and 34 g carbohydrate per portion. The usual mistake is frying the paprika in very hot oil: it burns and turns bitter in a few seconds, so take the pan off the heat first. Chef's tip: a splash of vinegar stirred into each bowl at the table brightens the earthy lentils.

50 minBulgarianSoupsVeganGluten free
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Divul kiri (wood apple drink)

In Sri Lanka's dry zone, around Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and down towards Hambantota, wood apple trees fruit through the hot months, and roadside sellers crack the hard grey shells open for you. Divul kiri, wood apple with coconut milk, is what families blend at home in the afternoon heat or offer guests during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year season in April. The pulp is brown, sticky and full of seeds, with a sour, funky smell that turns fruity once it meets creamy coconut milk and dark jaggery. The drink is thick and smooth, tangy-sweet and a little smoky. The common mistake is blending the seeds in: they break and make the drink gritty and bitter. Squeeze the pulp by hand and strain out every seed before blending. It is ready when it is thick enough to coat a glass, pale caramel-brown and tastes clearly sour under the sweetness. Outside Sri Lanka, look for frozen or tinned wood apple pulp in South Asian shops; there is no true substitute, though tamarind pulp with a few soft dates gives a similar sweet-sour idea. Chef's tip: pick a fruit that sounds hollow when tapped and smells strongly when cracked; it is fully ripe.

15 minSri LankanDrinksVeganGluten free
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Chai pohPreserved radish

Chaozhou and Shantou on the Guangdong coast dry chai poh in the clear, breezy weeks after the winter radish harvest, laying white strips across bamboo mats on every flat roof. Repeated rounds of salting and drying turn juicy daikon into golden, chewy strips that are salty, sweet and faintly funky, and the Teochew diaspora carried it to Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. Diced and fried until crisp, it goes into chai poh neng (preserved radish omelette), chwee kueh topping, congee and stir-fried kway teow. This home version uses a little sugar for the sweet style. Common mistake: drying the strips too fast in a hot oven; the outside hardens while the inside stays wet and spoils. Low and slow keeps the texture chewy-supple. It is ready when the strips are amber, flexible and leathery, have lost about 80% of their weight and feel dry, not tacky. Store in a clean airtight jar in the fridge for up to 6 months; discard if mould, slime or a sour, rotten smell appears. Chef's tip: soak the chopped radish for 5 minutes and squeeze before frying, then fry with a pinch of sugar until it smells toasty.

45 minChineseChutneys & DipsVeganGluten free
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Chamorro red riceAchiote rice

Red rice, hineksa' agaga', is on the table at every Chamorro fiesta, christening and Sunday barbecue in Guam and the Northern Marianas, its sunset colour coming from achiote (annatto) seeds soaked in water. The rice is cooked with onion and garlic and sometimes peas; it is soft, savoury and mild, the perfect side for grilled chicken, kelaguen and finadene. A common mistake is leaving the seeds in the rice; they're tough and bitter, so soak and strain them. Chef's tip: rub the soaking seeds between your fingers to release more colour.

45 minPacific IslanderRice & GrainsVeganGluten free
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Fondue de poireauxSlow-cooked leeks in butter

Fondue de poireaux is a winter side from northern France and Belgium, cooked in home kitchens from Picardy to Lille whenever leeks are cheap and sweet. Thinly sliced leeks are sweated very gently in butter with a lid on until they collapse into a soft, pale-green tangle, then finished with a spoon of cream and nutmeg. Serve it with roast fish, eggs, potatoes, or spooned onto toast as a light supper. The usual mistake is cooking over too high a heat, which browns the leeks and makes them bitter; they should never colour. Chef's tip: wash the sliced leeks in a bowl of water and lift them out with your hands, so the grit stays at the bottom.

35 minFrenchSidesGluten free
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ApigigiGrilled coconut and tapioca parcels

Apigigi are an old Chamorro sweet from Guam and Saipan, made for fiestas and family gatherings: soft young coconut is grated and mixed with tapioca starch and sugar, wrapped in banana leaves and grilled over coals until chewy and lightly charred. They are sticky, mildly sweet and smoky. Grated frozen young coconut and tapioca starch from Asian shops make them easy at home. A common mistake is grilling over a fierce flame; the leaves burn before the centre sets. Chef's tip: steam them first for 15 minutes, then finish on the grill for flavour.

60 minPacific IslanderDessertsVeganGluten free
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FinadeneSoy and lemon dipping sauce

Finadene is the sharp, salty, fiery sauce that every Chamorro family in Guam makes to spoon over grilled meat, fish, red rice and just about everything at a fiesta. Soy sauce is mixed with lemon juice or vinegar, chopped onion and the small, very hot local donne' peppers. There are many versions; this soy-lemon one is the most common. A common mistake is making it hours ahead; the onion is best still crunchy. Chef's tip: use Thai bird's-eye chillies if you can't find donne'.

5 minPacific IslanderChutneys & DipsVeganSpicy
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LatiyaSponge cake with custard

Latiya is the Chamorro custard cake found at every Guam fiesta and wedding, a legacy of Spanish rule: a light sponge in a tray is covered with a thick, silky vanilla custard and dusted with cinnamon, then chilled and cut into squares. It is cool, creamy and perfect after a hot-weather feast. A common mistake is pouring hot custard straight onto a hot sponge, which turns it soggy; cool the cake first. Chef's tip: lay cling film directly on the custard as it cools so no skin forms.

55 minPacific IslanderDesserts
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Pasta e zuccaPasta with pumpkin

When the long Neapolitan pumpkins appear in autumn markets, pasta e zucca becomes the weekday lunch in Naples and around the Bay. The pumpkin is cooked down in olive oil with garlic and rosemary until it turns into a soft orange sauce, then short pasta is cooked in the same pot with a little water so it comes out velvety, sweet and peppery. Children love it, and it needs nothing more than grated cheese. The usual mistake is using a watery pumpkin, which never thickens; choose a dense, deep-orange squash such as butternut or delica. Chef's tip: save a few small cubes of pumpkin and add them later, so you get both a creamy sauce and soft pieces to bite into.

40 minItalianPasta & Noodles
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Melon juice (cantaloupe drink)

Afternoon merienda across the Philippines means something cold from a plastic cooler at the school gate, a jeepney stop or a carinderia: sago't gulaman, buko juice or this melon drink, with ribbons of orange cantaloupe suspended in sweet water. Vendors scrape the melon with a special spiral shredder, a kayod ng melon, so you get thin strands to chew through a fat straw. It tastes fresh, sweet and gently musky, more refreshing than a smoothie because the water stays clear and light; some stalls add evaporated milk, but the plain version is the classic. The common mistake is using a melon that is not fully ripe, which gives pale, crunchy strands and a flat drink; choose one that smells sweet at the stem end and gives slightly when pressed there. Shred straight into the jug so the juice from the melon is not lost. It is ready when the strands are soft and floating, the water has turned faintly orange and it tastes of melon rather than plain syrup. Chef's tip: a box grater's coarse side or a fork scraped along the flesh both work if you don't own a melon shredder.

15 minFilipinoDrinksVeganGluten free
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Chanka de polloChicken soup with broad beans

Every Cochabamba market has a corner where chanka de pollo bubbles in huge pots: a clear, herby chicken broth full of broad beans, potatoes and spring onion, with a whole joint of chicken in each bowl and chuño or a boiled potato on the side. It is fresh and grassy rather than rich, sharpened with a little locoto. Many people let it boil hard, which clouds the broth. Chef's tip: add the herbs and spring onion right at the end so they stay bright green.

75 minAndeanSoupsGluten free
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MerkénSmoked chilli seasoning

Merkén comes from the Mapuche kitchens of Araucanía: cacho de cabra chillies are dried, smoked over a wood fire, then ground with toasted coriander seed and salt into a brick-red powder that is smoky, warm and lightly hot. In Temuco and across the south it is shaken over potatoes, eggs, sopaipillas, grilled fish and soups. Outside Chile, use dried smoked red chillies, or plain dried red chillies plus smoked paprika. The mistake to avoid is scorching the chillies in the pan: if they blacken, the whole jar is bitter. Chef's tip: grind it a little coarse, as it is sold in Temuco's market, so the coriander seeds stay noticeable.

23 minChileanBasicsVeganGluten freeSpicy
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Batata nu rasawalu shaakPotato curry in thin gravy

Batata nu rasawalu shaak is the potato curry that arrives with hot puris at Gujarati wedding breakfasts, Sunday brunches and festival thalis, and it is one of the first curries children in Gujarat love. Soft potato chunks float in a thin, red, sweet-and-sour gravy with mustard seed, curry leaves and hing, lightly spicy and very comforting. Serve with puri, rotli or plain rice. The usual mistake is cutting the potatoes in uneven pieces, so some fall apart while others stay hard; cut them all the same size. Chef's tip: once the potatoes are cooked, mash a few against the side of the pan; the starch gives the rasa (gravy) body without any flour.

30 minIndianVegetarianVeganGluten free
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Guyanese salaraRed coconut roll

Walk into any bakery in Georgetown or along the Berbice coast and the salara is easy to spot: a soft, slightly sweet loaf rolled around a bright red filling of grated coconut, sugar and spice, cut so every slice shows a spiral. It is tea-time and lunch-box food, eaten with a cup of cocoa tea or a cold drink after school. The coconut is coloured with red food colouring, which is part of the look but can be left out. The usual mistake is a wet filling: if the coconut is soggy, the roll splits and the spiral gapes open as it bakes. Chef's tip: squeeze fresh grated coconut lightly in a cloth before mixing it, and roll the dough tight like a Swiss roll, pinching the seam well.

70 minGuyaneseBaking
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