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WhatToEat.Today

High-protein vegetarian meals

Meat-free meals with plenty of protein from paneer, dal, beans, tofu and eggs. (513 recipes)

Thiébou niébéTomato rice with black-eyed peas

Thiébou niébé is the bean version of Senegal's famous rice dish, cooked in Dakar and Saint-Louis homes as a cheaper weekday lunch and on days without fish. Black-eyed peas, cabbage, carrot, aubergine, cassava and pumpkin are simmered in a rich tomato sauce scented with garlic, parsley and chilli; the vegetables come out to be served on top, and the rice cooks in the remaining sauce until it is red, fluffy and crusted at the bottom. A generous portion gives about 22 g of protein from the black-eyed peas and rice. The peas need 6 hours of soaking first, which is not counted in the times. The most common mistake is adding too much liquid for the rice, which makes it mushy; measure the sauce left in the pot before you add the rice. Chef's tip: don't stir the rice once it is covered; the crisp layer that forms on the bottom, the xooñ, is the part everyone fights over.

95 minSenegaleseRice & GrainsVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

TubaaniSteamed bean flour dumplings

Tubaani is street food and home food in Tamale and across Northern Ghana, sold in the mornings and evenings from big steaming pots and eaten with a drizzle of oil and a hot pepper sauce. A smooth batter of black-eyed pea (cowpea) flour is poured into small leaf or foil parcels and steamed until it sets into soft, savoury puddings with a gentle bean flavour. A portion of three or four dumplings gives about 23 g of protein, nearly all from the bean flour. Many sellers serve it with shito, which contains dried fish and shrimp, so this version uses a fresh vegan pepper sauce. The most common mistake is getting the batter thickness wrong: too thin and it never sets, too thick and the dumplings are dense and crack. Aim for thick pancake batter that drops slowly from a spoon. Chef's tip: beat the batter hard for 3–4 minutes; the air you whip in makes the dumplings lighter.

60 minGhanaianSnacks & StartersVeganGluten freeSpicy
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Tahu tekFried tofu with peanut sauce

After dark in Surabaya, the tahu tek seller's cart is easy to find: listen for the tek-tek-tek of scissors snipping fried tofu, potato and egg into bite-sized pieces straight onto the plate, before it all disappears under bean sprouts, cucumber and a thick peanut sauce. It is a supper dish, filling and saucy. The street version stirs petis, a black shrimp paste, into the sauce; this vegetarian version leaves it out and gets its depth from sweet soy, tamarind and fried garlic instead. A portion gives about 32 g of protein, from the tofu, egg and peanuts. The common mistake is making the sauce too thin; it should be thick enough to sit on top of the tofu. Chef's tip: grind the peanuts with the garlic and chilli while the fried peanuts are still warm, so the oil releases and the sauce turns creamy.

45 minIndonesianVegetarian
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Pepes tahuTofu and basil in banana leaf

In Bandung and the hills of West Java, pepes means anything wrapped in banana leaf, steamed and then charred over coals, and pepes tahu is the everyday meat-free one, eaten at lunch with rice, raw vegetables and sambal. Mashed tofu is bound with egg, shallot, chilli, lemon basil and lime leaf, so it sets into a soft, fragrant, smoky cake inside its leaf. Each portion has about 150 g of tofu and most of an egg, giving roughly 24 g of protein, from the tofu and eggs. The common mistake is skipping the steaming and going straight to the grill: the outside burns while the egg in the middle stays raw. Chef's tip: steam first until the filling is firm right through, then grill only to scorch the leaf and add smoke.

65 minIndonesianVegetarianGluten freeSpicy
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Insalata di risoRice salad

From July to the end of August, a big bowl of insalata di riso sits in Italian fridges ready for beach days, Ferragosto picnics and lazy suppers on the balcony. Firm, separate grains of rice are tossed with diced Emmental, hard-boiled egg, peas, sweet pepper, olives and the tangy chopped pickled vegetables called giardiniera, dressed only with olive oil. Many versions add ham, tuna or frankfurters; this one is vegetarian and gets its protein, about 23 g per portion, from the cheese, eggs, peas and rice. Emmental is usually made with animal rennet, so pick a vegetarian Swiss-style cheese if that matters. The classic mistake is overcooking the rice, which goes mushy and claggy as it cools; cook it just al dente and rinse it cold. Chef's tip: dress the rice with half the oil while it is still slightly warm so the grains stay separate, then add the rest when you mix in everything else.

35 minItalianSaladsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

GrünkernbratlingeGreen spelt patties

Grünkern is spelt picked while still green and dried over beech smoke, a speciality of the Bauland and Odenwald in northern Baden. Simmered and shaped into Bratlinge, it became the vegetarian patty of German wholefood kitchens and school canteens, eaten for a weekday lunch with potato salad or a crisp green salad. They are nutty and slightly smoky, crisp outside and soft within. With the herb quark, one portion of three patties gives about 23 g of protein, from the spelt, eggs, mountain cheese and quark. Hard mountain cheese is often made with animal rennet, so choose one labelled vegetarian if that matters to you. The usual mistake is frying the mixture while it is still warm and loose; it must cool and firm up first, or the patties fall apart in the pan. Chef's tip: use coarsely cracked green spelt rather than whole grains; it soaks up the stock evenly and binds without any extra flour.

50 minGermanVegetarian
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Pasuts tolmaBean and bulgur cabbage rolls

Across Armenia, from Yerevan kitchens to village homes in Shirak, pasuts tolma is the dish of the long Lenten fast before Easter, and many families also make it for the first days of the new year: cabbage leaves wrapped around a thick filling of red beans, lentils, chickpeas and bulgur, simmered in a tangy tomato broth. The rolls come out soft and savoury, with a gentle sourness, and are just as good cold the next day with a spoonful of garlic yoghurt for those who eat dairy (leave it out to keep the dish vegan). A portion of about six rolls gives roughly 22 g of protein, all from the beans, lentils, chickpeas and wheat. The beans and chickpeas must soak for 12 hours first; that time is not counted below. The most common mistake is rolling the parcels loosely: they open in the pot and the filling drifts into the broth. Chef's tip: cook the legumes until just tender, not soft, because they keep cooking inside the leaves for another hour.

155 minArmenianVegetarianVegan
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Beoseot deulkkae tangMushroom and perilla seed soup

This creamy, nutty soup is cooked in Korean homes and temple-style restaurants all through autumn and winter, when the first wild mushrooms arrive and people want something warming and gentle. Ground perilla seeds and a spoon of glutinous rice flour turn a plain broth thick and pale, with mixed mushrooms and soft tofu simmered through it. With the perilla and a block of firm tofu, a bowl gives about 24 g of protein, making it a proper main course with rice. The most common mistake is adding the perilla powder too early and boiling it hard, which makes the soup gritty and bitter; stir it in near the end. Chef's tip: buy perilla seed powder that has been skinned (it is paler), for the smoothest, creamiest soup.

30 minKoreanSoupsVegan
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Macco di faveBroad bean purée

In Sicily, from the villages around Palermo to the hill towns of Ragusa, macco di fave is old peasant food that still appears every 19 March for the feast of San Giuseppe, and on cold evenings through the winter. Dried, peeled broad beans are cooked slowly until they fall into a thick, pale green-gold purée, scented with wild fennel and finished with a thread of peppery olive oil. It is eaten hot from the bowl with bread, or loosened with broken spaghetti; leftovers set firm and are sliced and fried. A bowl gives about 26 g of protein, almost all from the broad beans. Soak the split beans for 6–8 hours first; that time is not counted below. The most common mistake is walking away from the pot near the end: the purée thickens fast and catches on the base, which makes it taste scorched. Chef's tip: if you can't find wild fennel, use a bulb's feathery fronds plus a teaspoon of crushed fennel seeds for the same aniseed lift.

115 minItalianSoupsVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Oseng tempeStir-fried tempeh with chilli

Oseng tempe is the quick fix of Javanese home cooking, made in Semarang, Surabaya and every student boarding house in between for weekday lunch or dinner with plain rice. Thin matchsticks of tempeh are fried until crisp-edged, then tossed with shallot, garlic, sliced chilli, galangal and bay leaf in sweet soy sauce until sticky, sweet, salty and hot. A portion with about 125 g of tempeh gives roughly 24 g of protein, almost all from the tempeh. The common mistake is adding the sweet soy too early, before the tempeh has browned: it soaks in, burns and turns the strips soft. Chef's tip: fry the tempeh separately first, then build the sauce and return it at the end, so every strip stays a little crunchy.

25 minIndonesianVegetarianVeganSpicy
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Botok tempeTempeh and coconut in banana leaf

In village kitchens of Central and East Java, from Klaten to Kediri, botok is a weekday parcel dish: crumbled tempeh mixed with freshly grated coconut, chilli, galangal and a little palm sugar, wrapped in banana leaf with a bay leaf and steamed until set. It comes to the table at lunch, unwrapped beside rice, and tastes of toasted coconut and bay, moist and crumbly rather than saucy. Each portion has about 125 g of tempeh plus coconut, giving roughly 24 g of protein, mainly from the tempeh. The common mistake is wrapping the parcels loosely, so steam gets in and the filling turns wet; fold them snugly and pin them shut. Chef's tip: squeeze a little of the coconut through your fingers before mixing; if it feels dry, add a spoon or two of water so the botok binds when it steams.

55 minIndonesianVegetarianVeganGluten freeSpicy
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Atsuage no nimonoSimmered fried tofu and greens

Atsuage no nimono is the kind of simmered dish that turns up on everyday dinner tables across Japan, especially in autumn and winter when komatsuna and spinach are at their best. Thick blocks of fried tofu, crisp outside and soft within, are simmered in a light, slightly sweet broth of dashi and soy until they drink it up, then the greens go in for the last few minutes. This version uses kombu and shiitake dashi and no mirin, so it is vegan and alcohol-free. Served as a main for two with rice, each portion gives about 23 g of protein, from the fried tofu. The common mistake is boiling the broth hard, which toughens the tofu and makes the greens drab. Chef's tip: pour boiling water over the atsuage first to rinse off surface oil; the broth then soaks in instead of sliding off.

25 minJapaneseVegetarianVegan
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Cuban red bean potaje (vegetarian)Red bean and pumpkin stew

Potaje de frijoles colorados is everyday Cuban home cooking, eaten in Havana, Camagüey and Santiago alike as the midday meal over white rice, often with a simple avocado salad. Red kidney beans cook until soft and are thickened with calabaza and potato, then flavoured with a sofrito of onion, pepper, garlic, cumin and oregano. It is usually made with pork or chorizo; this is the vegetarian and vegan version, with smoked paprika and a spoonful of vinegar-pickled pepper brine giving the same savoury depth. A bowl gives about 25 g of protein from the beans. Soak the beans for 12 hours first (not counted below), and boil them hard for 10 minutes before simmering, as raw kidney beans contain a toxin. The most common mistake is salting at the start, which keeps the skins tough. Chef's tip: a teaspoon of sugar in the sofrito is a Cuban touch that rounds out the tomato and beans.

135 minCubanCurriesVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Hongshao doufuRed-braised tofu

Hongshao doufu is the meat-free cousin of red-braised pork, cooked in home kitchens from Shanghai to Sichuan as a weeknight dinner with rice and a green vegetable. Slices of firm tofu are fried until golden, then braised in a glossy, mahogany sauce of light and dark soy, a little sugar, ginger and spring onion until they turn sweet-salty and slightly chewy. This version skips the usual splash of Shaoxing wine. A portion gives about 26 g of protein, from 200 g of firm tofu each. The common mistake is moving the tofu too soon in the pan; leave it until it releases on its own, or it tears. Chef's tip: let the sauce reduce until it bubbles thickly and coats the back of a spoon; that is when the tofu is properly lacquered.

30 minChineseVegetarianVegan
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Palak paneerPaneer in spinach sauce

Palak paneer is a Punjabi winter favourite, made when fresh spinach piles up in the markets of Amritsar and Ludhiana, and now cooked on weeknights all over India with makki di roti, naan or rice. The spinach is blanched for just a minute, blended smooth and cooked with fried garlic, onion, tomato and gentle spices, then soft cubes of paneer are folded in. Paneer is acid-set, so it contains no animal rennet. The usual mistake is overcooking the spinach, which turns the sauce khaki and bitter: blanch it briefly, cool it fast, and simmer the purée for only a few minutes. Chef's tip: fry a little extra sliced garlic in ghee and pour it over just before serving for the classic dhaba finish.

30 minIndianCurriesGluten free
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AkuriSpiced scrambled eggs

Akuri is the Parsi community's breakfast scramble, served in Mumbai's old Irani cafés and Parsi homes on Sunday mornings with soft pav or buttered toast. It is softer and wetter than an ordinary scramble, cooked slowly so the eggs stay creamy and barely set, with sweet fried onion, tomato, ginger, green chilli and plenty of coriander. A spoonful of milk keeps it silky. The common mistake is cooking it over high heat: the eggs seize into hard, rubbery curds and the masala catches. Chef's tip: take the pan off the heat while the eggs still look slightly underdone, because they keep cooking on the plate.

15 minIndianBreakfast & BrunchGluten free
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Gzik (Poznań quark with radish and chives)

Gzik is a Poznań favourite, so much a part of Greater Poland that the region's potato-and-quark supper, pyry z gzikiem, has its own festival. Soft white quark is beaten with sour cream, then mixed with chopped radish, onion and chives into a cool, tangy, crunchy spread that is spooned over hot boiled potatoes in their skins, or onto rye bread for breakfast. The most common mistake is using dry, crumbly quark without loosening it, which gives a pasty gzik; it should be smooth and just spoonable. Quark and sour cream are made without rennet, so this is a good vegetarian choice. Chef's tip: salt the chopped radish and onion only at the last minute, so they stay crisp instead of weeping into the cheese.

30 minPolishChutneys & DipsGluten free
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Chilli paneerPaneer with peppers and soy

Chilli paneer was born in the Chinese restaurants of Kolkata's Tangra and Tiretta Bazaar, where Hakka cooks adapted their chilli chicken for vegetarian customers, and today it is the Friday-night order from Delhi to Bengaluru. Cubes of paneer are coated in cornflour and fried crisp, then tossed over a fierce flame with onion petals, green pepper, garlic, soy sauce and plenty of green chilli in a glossy sauce. Paneer is set with acid, not rennet, so it is fully vegetarian. The mistake to avoid is letting the paneer sit in the sauce, which makes the crust soggy; toss it in at the very end and serve. Chef's tip: soak the paneer in hot salted water for 5 minutes before coating; it stays soft inside even after frying. Soy sauce contains wheat; use tamari if you need it gluten-free.

25 minIndianVegetarianSpicy
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Egg ghotalaSpicy egg mash

Egg ghotala was born on the evening street stalls of Surat in Gujarat, where cooks on huge iron tawas mash boiled eggs and fresh eggs together into a rich, buttery masala and serve it with pav for dinner. 'Ghotala' means a muddle, and that is the point: half the eggs are grated, half are scrambled straight into the onion-tomato base, so you get creamy and chunky bites together. Some stalls finish it with grated cheese; if you add some, check the label, because many cheeses are made with animal rennet, and choose one marked vegetarian. The usual mistake is adding the raw eggs too early, before the masala is cooked down, which leaves the dish watery and pale. Chef's tip: keep the heat high and keep mashing with the back of the spatula, as the stall cooks do, so the eggs and masala blend into one thick mix.

23 minIndianBreakfast & BrunchGluten freeSpicy
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Omelet-e gojeh farangiTomato and egg omelette

In Iran the word omelet means something quite different from a folded French one: ripe tomatoes are cooked down in oil with a little onion and turmeric until jammy, then eggs are stirred through so they set in soft streaks of red and gold. It is the classic quick dinner of Tehran apartments and student dorms, eaten from the pan with lavash and a plate of herbs. The mistake that makes it watery is adding the eggs before the tomato juices have cooked away; wait until the sauce is thick and the oil sizzles again. Chef's tip: grate the tomatoes on a box grater and throw away the skins, so the base melts down in minutes.

20 minPersianBreakfast & BrunchGluten free
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Tortilla de plátanoRipe plantain omelette

In Havana and across the Cuban countryside, tortilla de plátano is a home supper made from what is in the kitchen: slices of very ripe plantain fried until caramelised, then set in a thick, golden omelette. The sweet fruit against salty egg is the whole point, and it is served with white rice and black beans or a simple tomato salad. The mistake people make is using a plantain that is still yellow and firm; it stays starchy and dry, so wait until the skin is mostly black and the fruit gives when pressed. Chef's tip: flip the tortilla by sliding it onto a plate, covering with the pan and turning both over together, which keeps it whole.

20 minCubanBreakfast & BrunchGluten free
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NimrooHalf-set fried eggs

Nimroo, literally 'half-done', is what Iranian students in Tehran and families in every city cook when there is no time: eggs fried gently in a small pan until the whites set and the yolks stay soft, sprinkled with salt, pepper and sometimes a pinch of turmeric. It is eaten straight from the pan with torn lavash or sangak, fresh herbs and sweet black tea, for breakfast or a late supper. The common mistake is a fierce heat that burns the edges of the white while a raw film stays round the yolk; a lid for the last minute sets the top gently. For anyone pregnant, very young, older or with a weakened immune system, cook the yolks until firm. Chef's tip: serve it in the pan it was cooked in, on a board, so it stays hot.

8 minPersianBreakfast & BrunchGluten free
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Kosua ne mekoBoiled eggs with pepper relish

In the traffic of Accra and at the lorry stations of Kumasi, hawkers carry trays of peeled boiled eggs with a jar of meko, a fresh, fiery relish of chilli, onion and tomato ground in an earthenware asanka. Buyers split the egg and spoon the pepper inside, and at home it is a quick evening snack or a light supper with bread. The usual mistake is boiling the eggs too long, which leaves a grey-green ring round the yolk and a rubbery white; ten minutes and a cold-water plunge give a firm, bright yolk. Wash your hands well after handling the chillies. Chef's tip: grind the onion and salt first, then the chilli and the tomato last, so the relish stays chunky rather than watery.

15 minGhanaianSnacks & StartersGluten freeSpicy
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Huevos al albañil (bricklayer's eggs)

Huevos al albañil, 'bricklayer's eggs', come from the fondas and food stalls of central Mexico that feed builders a filling breakfast before the sun gets hot: scrambled eggs cooked gently and then bathed in a spicy salsa of charred tomato and serrano chile. They are eaten with warm corn tortillas and refried beans, and they make an equally good quick dinner. The mistake is cooking the eggs fully before they meet the salsa; they keep cooking in it and end up dry and rubbery. Chef's tip: char the tomatoes and chiles until properly blackened in spots, which gives the salsa its smoky depth.

20 minMexicanBreakfast & BrunchGluten freeSpicy
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Ghanaian egg stew

Egg stew is the fastest stew in a Ghanaian kitchen, made in Accra and Kumasi homes for breakfast or a weeknight dinner: onions, fresh tomatoes and red pepper are cooked down in oil until thick and sweet, then beaten eggs are stirred through so they set in soft, sauce-coated curds. It is eaten with boiled yam or green plantain (ampesi), rice, or a soft bread roll. The mistake that makes it taste raw and sharp is adding the egg too soon: the tomato base must fry until the oil rises to the top. Many cooks use a stock cube, which is often chicken-based, so this version uses a vegetable cube. Chef's tip: pour the eggs in a thin stream and wait 30 seconds before the first stir, so they form large, tender pieces instead of crumbs.

25 minGhanaianCurriesGluten free
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Anda curryEgg curry

Anda curry is the North Indian weeknight curry that comes together when the fridge holds little more than eggs, onions and tomatoes, served across Punjab and Uttar Pradesh with rotis, jeera rice or paratha. Hard-boiled eggs are scored and fried with turmeric and chilli so they get a speckled, golden skin, then simmered in a gravy of browned onion, ginger, garlic, tomato and garam masala. The common mistake is under-browning the onions: pale onions give a thin, raw-tasting gravy, so cook them until they are deep golden. Chef's tip: make shallow cuts in the boiled eggs before frying, so the masala seeps into the whites.

30 minIndianCurriesGluten free
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Matar paneerPea and paneer curry

Matar paneer is one of Punjab's most-cooked dinners, made in North Indian homes for a midweek meal or when guests drop in, and served with butter rotis, parathas or jeera rice. Soft cubes of paneer and sweet green peas simmer in a gravy of browned onion, tomato, ginger and garlic, finished with garam masala and a pinch of crushed fenugreek. Paneer is set with lemon juice or vinegar, not rennet, so it is a safe choice for vegetarians. The common mistake is boiling the paneer in the gravy for too long, which makes it rubbery and squeaky. Chef's tip: soak the paneer cubes in hot salted water for 10 minutes while the gravy cooks; they turn soft and spongy and soak up the sauce.

30 minIndianCurriesGluten free
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Jajecznica (Polish scrambled eggs)

Jajecznica is what a Polish household cooks when there are ten minutes and a box of eggs: soft, large curds stirred slowly in plenty of butter, sometimes with a little onion softened first and always with a shower of chives. It turns up at weekend breakfasts with bread and sliced tomato, and just as often as a light supper after work. The usual mistake is a pan that is too hot, which turns the eggs rubbery and weepy before they have had a chance to go creamy. If you are cooking for anyone pregnant, very young, older or otherwise vulnerable, cook the curds until no liquid egg remains. Chef's tip: take the pan off the heat while the eggs still look slightly underdone; they finish setting on the way to the plate.

10 minPolishBreakfast & BrunchGluten free
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Œufs mimosaStuffed eggs with grated yolk

Œufs mimosa have been a starter in French bistros and on family tables for generations, served at Sunday lunch, on Easter platters and as a light supper with salad and bread. Hard-boiled eggs are halved, their yolks mashed with mayonnaise and mustard and piped back in, then a little yolk is grated over the top so it looks like the fluffy yellow flowers of the mimosa tree. They are naturally gluten free. The most common mistake is overboiling the eggs, which leaves a grey-green ring around the yolk and a sulphurous taste; 10 minutes and an ice bath is enough. Chef's tip: keep back one yolk just for grating, so the topping stays bright yellow and dry.

24 minFrenchSnacks & StartersGluten free
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Tvorog so smetanoy (farmer's cheese with sour cream)

Across Russia, a bowl of soft tvorog with a spoon of smetana and a little sugar or jam is the breakfast grandmothers swear by and the supper students live on. The fresh, slightly sour curd and the cool cream make something like a rustic cheesecake you eat with a spoon, high in protein and ready in five minutes; add berries in summer. Tvorog, like quark and cottage cheese, is set with culture rather than rennet, so it suits vegetarians. The mistake is buying the driest block and serving it as it is, which feels chalky; break it up and loosen it with the smetana first. Chef's tip: mash the tvorog with the sugar and let it stand two minutes so the sugar dissolves before you add the cream.

5 minRussianBreakfast & BrunchGluten free
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Dim bhunaFried boiled eggs in masala

Dim bhuna is a Bangladeshi weeknight standby, cooked in kitchens from Chattogram to Sylhet when there are eggs in the basket and rice on the stove. Boiled eggs are fried until their skins blister golden, then tossed in a thick, dark masala of slow-browned onion and garlic that clings to them rather than pooling as a gravy. Eat it with plain rice, daal and a squeeze of lime. The mistake most people make is dropping smooth whole eggs into hot oil: they spit and can burst, and the masala slides off. Chef's tip: score each peeled egg with three shallow cuts so it fries safely and soaks up the spices.

30 minBangladeshiCurriesGluten free
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Pad thua ngok tao hoo (Thai bean sprouts and tofu stir-fry)

This plain, fast stir-fry is a fixture of home kitchens and made-to-order rice stalls across central Thailand, where it is eaten as one of two or three dishes shared over jasmine rice at dinner. Firm tofu is browned first, then the sprouts go in for barely a minute so they stay juicy and snap when you bite them. Thai cooks often season it with oyster sauce and fish sauce; this version uses soy and a mushroom-based sauce so it is vegan. The mistake almost everyone makes is cooking the sprouts too long, which turns them limp and watery. Chef's tip: pick off the stringy tails of the sprouts if you have five spare minutes; it makes the dish noticeably crisper.

11 minThaiVegetarianVegan
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Japanese tofu salad

Tofu sarada is a fixture on Japanese izakaya menus and family dinner tables everywhere from Tokyo to Fukuoka, especially in the humid summer months. Cool cubes of tofu sit on crisp lettuce, tomato and cucumber under a sesame-soy dressing sharpened with rice vinegar and ginger, with a few strands of wakame if you have them. It makes a light dinner with rice and miso soup. The usual mistake is not draining the tofu, so its water dilutes the dressing into a bland pool. Many shop-bought wafu dressings contain bonito; this home-made one is vegan. Chef's tip: dress the salad at the table so the leaves stay crisp.

10 minJapaneseSaladsVegan
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Sukhi moong dalDry yellow moong dal

Sukhi (dry) moong dal is made in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh when there is no time for a soupy dal, or to roll into parathas and pack for journeys; Marwari families often serve it at weddings with kachoris. Soaked yellow moong is cooked with just enough water to soften it while keeping the grains whole, then lifted with amchur, ginger and a ghee tempering. The mistake to avoid is too much water or stirring hard, which turns it into a mushy khichdi; add water a little at a time and fold gently. Chef's tip: soak the dal for at least 30 minutes, which is why this dish takes longer than the cooking alone. It is one of the few dals that is just as good at room temperature.

55 minIndianCurriesGluten free
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Tempe goreng (Javanese crisp fried tempeh)

Tempe goreng is the everyday protein of Central and East Java, fried fresh in homes and warungs morning and evening and eaten with rice, sambal and a vegetable such as urap or sayur asem. The tempeh is soaked briefly in a salty garlic and coriander-seed brine, then fried until the outside is crunchy and the inside nutty and firm. The mistake people make is slicing it too thick, which leaves a bitter, raw-tasting centre; keep slices about 5 mm thick. If you soak it for longer than 15 minutes, do it in the fridge. Chef's tip: fry in oil that comes halfway up the slices and turn them only once, so the crust stays whole.

20 minIndonesianSnacks & StartersVeganGluten free
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Dim bhajiOnion and chilli omelette

In Dhaka homes dim bhaji is what appears when there is rice and daal on the table but nothing else: a thin, lacy omelette packed with red onion, green chilli and coriander, fried in mustard oil until the edges crisp. It is eaten folded over a plate of hot rice, or with paratha for breakfast. The usual mistake is a pan that isn't hot enough, which leaves the omelette pale, flat and rubbery instead of puffed with golden edges. Chef's tip: heat mustard oil until it just smokes, then let it calm for a few seconds; that tames its raw sharpness and gives the classic nutty flavour.

10 minBangladeshiBreakfast & BrunchGluten free
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CrepiocaTapioca and egg crêpe

Crepioca is the crêpe that took over Brazilian breakfast tables and gym cafés from São Paulo to Recife: one egg whisked with a spoonful of tapioca starch, cooked thin in a non-stick pan and folded round cheese and tomato. It is naturally gluten free, ready in ten minutes and just as good as a late, light supper as it is with morning coffee. The common mistake is pouring the batter without a last whisk: tapioca starch sinks to the bottom of the bowl in seconds, and the crêpe then comes out patchy and gluey. Mozzarella is often made with animal rennet, so choose a vegetarian mozzarella if that matters to you. Chef's tip: let the pan heat for a full minute before the batter goes in, so the crêpe sets at once and slides free when you shake the pan.

10 minBrazilianBreakfast & BrunchGluten free
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Masala omeletteSpiced chilli omelette

From hostel kitchens in Pune to the egg carts outside Chennai railway stations, the masala omelette is what India makes when breakfast, a late supper or a tiffin filling has to be ready in minutes. Eggs are beaten with raw onion, tomato, green chilli, coriander and a pinch of turmeric, then spread thin on a hot tawa so the edges crisp and the middle stays soft and juicy. Eat it folded with buttered toast, rolled in a chapati, or beside dal and rice. The usual mistake is chopping the onion and tomato too coarsely: big pieces stop the egg setting round them and the omelette tears when you flip it. Chef's tip: salt the eggs only at the last second before they hit the pan, because salted tomato weeps water into the batter and the omelette turns spongy.

11 minIndianBreakfast & BrunchGluten free
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Mchuzi wa mayaiEgg curry in coconut and tomato

On the Swahili coast, from Mombasa and Malindi to Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar, mchuzi wa mayai is the curry made when there is no meat or fish in the house: boiled eggs simmered in a turmeric-yellow sauce of tomato and coconut milk with ginger, chilli and fresh coriander. It is a weeknight supper with white rice or soft chapati, and it costs very little. The mistake to avoid is boiling hard once the coconut milk goes in, which makes the sauce split and turn oily; keep it at a gentle bubble. Chef's tip: score each peeled egg with a few shallow cuts so the sauce seeps inside and the eggs don't slide around the pan.

25 minEast AfricanCurriesGluten free
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Bean broth for babies (caldito de frijol)

Mexican families nearly always have a pot of frijoles de la olla on the stove, and before the salt goes in a cup of caldito is set aside for the baby. Black or pinto beans are cooked slowly with a piece of onion until they collapse; the broth is offered first on its own and, a week or two later, thickened with the sieved bean flesh into a smooth, earthy purée. Families from Oaxaca to Monterrey give it at midday, the time of the main meal. It has none of the common allergens (milk, egg, gluten, peanut, tree nuts, soya, sesame, fish). Chef's tip: soak the beans overnight and change the water; they cook more evenly and are easier on small tummies.

130 minMexicanSoupsVeganGluten free
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Liangban fuzhuTofu skin and cucumber salad

Fuzhu, the dried sticks made from the skin that forms on simmering soy milk, are a pantry staple in Guangxi and Sichuan and in Buddhist vegetarian kitchens across China. Soaked until soft and chewy, they are tossed in this cold dish with cucumber, carrot and wood ear in a dressing of garlic, vinegar and sesame oil, served in summer with rice or noodles. It is high in protein and very satisfying. A portion is about 170 kcal. Soak the fuzhu in cold water for 2–3 hours or overnight, not counted in the times. The common mistake is soaking in hot water, which leaves the outside mushy and the centre hard. Chef's tip: blanch the soaked sticks briefly; it cleans off the beany taste and makes them softer and juicier.

20 minChineseSaladsVegan
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Dubu buchim tofu fingers

Dubu buchim, slices of tofu dipped in beaten egg and fried until golden, is an everyday Korean banchan, and families cut it into fingers for babies from about nine months to hold and gum. The outside is lightly crisp and the inside custard-soft, with a mild, nutty flavour. For babies it is made without salt, soy sauce or the usual sesame-soy dip; older children and adults can add the dip at the table. It contains soya and egg. Chef's tip: press the tofu well first, so it fries rather than steams and the egg coating sticks.

20 minKoreanSidesGluten free
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Fliegenpilz-Eier (toadstool eggs)

German children's birthday parties and Easter tables often feature a little forest of Fliegenpilz-Eier: hard-boiled eggs standing on cress, each wearing a red tomato cap dotted with mayonnaise like a fly agaric toadstool. Children love making them as much as eating them. They are meant for school-age children: for younger ones, cut the eggs and tomatoes into small pieces rather than serving them whole. Contains egg (also in the mayonnaise); free of gluten and milk. Chef's tip: slice a thin piece off the bottom of each egg so it stands steady.

25 minGermanSnacks & StartersGluten free
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Dal paratha

In north Indian kitchens, last night's thick dal rarely goes to waste: the next morning it is kneaded into wholewheat flour with ajwain and coriander and rolled into soft, savoury parathas for breakfast and the school tiffin. They are golden-flecked, faintly spiced and filling, and taste good cold with yoghurt or pickle. They contain gluten (wheat) and milk (ghee); use oil to make them dairy free. Chef's tip: add the dal before any water; it is often all the liquid the dough needs.

35 minIndianBreads & Parathas
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Hong dan (Chinese red eggs)

When a Chinese baby turns one month old, the family holds a full-month party and sends red eggs to relatives and friends: the round egg stands for new life and the red for luck and joy, and an even number is given for a boy in some families and an odd number for a girl in others. The eggs are shared by the guests and older children, peeled and eaten plain or with a little salt. This version dyes them with beetroot rather than food colouring. It contains egg. Chef's tip: dye the eggs while they are still warm and the shells take the colour much more evenly.

30 minChineseSnacks & StartersGluten free
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Ash-e dandooni (Persian first-tooth soup)

When an Iranian baby's first tooth appears, the family cooks a big pot of ash-e dandooni and shares it with relatives and neighbours, who return the bowl with a small gift for the baby. It is a hearty, mild soup of whole wheat, chickpeas, beans and lentils, eaten by the whole family; in some homes the little one gets the soft, mashed grains without salt or toppings. It is free of milk, egg, nuts and soya and contains gluten (wheat). Chef's tip: soak the wheat and pulses together overnight, so everything cooks at the same speed.

120 minPersianSoupsVegan
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UnohanaSimmered okara with vegetables

Okara, the soft white pulp left after making soy milk and tofu, is sold for pennies in Kyoto tofu shops, and grandmothers turn it into unohana, named after the white deutzia flowers that bloom in early summer: the pulp is simmered with carrot, shiitake, fried tofu, konnyaku and spring onion in sweet soy dashi until moist and fluffy. It is a side dish for rice and a classic of frugal, high-fibre home cooking. Many homes add a little chicken; this version is vegetarian, with kombu-shiitake dashi. A portion is about 140 kcal. The most common mistake is cooking it dry and crumbly; it should be moist enough to hold together when pressed with chopsticks, so don't skimp on the broth. Chef's tip: dry-fry the okara in the pan for a few minutes first; it loses its beany smell and absorbs the seasoning better.

35 minJapaneseSidesVegan
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UlavacharuHorse gram soup

Horse gram (ulavalu) was once the grain fed to horses and the poorest farmers in the dry Rayalaseema and Krishna districts; today ulavacharu is a prized dish in Vijayawada restaurants, served with hot rice, a dot of ghee for those who eat it and fresh cream in the fancier places. The beans are boiled for a long time, and their dark, earthy cooking liquid is simmered down with tamarind, jaggery and spices into a thick, glossy, sweet-sour soup. A portion is about 210 kcal. The beans need soaking overnight first. The most common mistake is throwing away the cooking water: it is the soup. Chef's tip: let ulavacharu reduce slowly until it coats a spoon like thin gravy; that thick, almost syrupy finish is what separates it from rasam.

90 minIndianSoupsVeganGluten free
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Moong dal chillaMoong dal pancakes

In Jaipur and Lucknow, a stack of chilla is what a careful mother makes on a weekday morning when she wants the family to eat protein before school: soaked yellow moong dal is ground with ginger and chilli into a pale batter and spread thin on a hot tawa. They come off golden at the edges and soft in the middle, and are eaten with green chutney or rolled around a spoon of grated paneer for those who want more. Two chillas make a portion of about 205 kcal. The dal needs 3 hours of soaking first (or overnight), which is not counted in the times. The most common mistake is a batter that is too thick: it should pour like single cream, or the chilla turns stodgy and cracks when you flip it. Chef's tip: wipe the tawa with a halved onion dipped in oil between chillas; it greases the pan lightly and stops sticking without extra oil.

25 minIndianBreakfast & BrunchVeganGluten free
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Sárgaborsó-főzelékSplit pea purée

In Hungarian homes split yellow peas are winter food, and on New Year's Day many families in Budapest eat this thick purée (or lentils) for luck in the coming year. The peas collapse into a smooth, earthy mash flavoured with bay and garlic, and a crown of onions fried until dark gold gives sweetness and crunch. It is usually served beside sausage, but this version is fully vegan and makes a filling meal with fresh bread and pickled cucumbers. Chef's tip: let the onions go slowly to a deep brown in plenty of oil and pour that oil over the purée too, because it carries most of the flavour. Pale, hurried onions are the usual mistake.

65 minHungarianVegetarianVeganGluten free
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KongguksuCold soybean noodle soup

When the monsoon heat settles over Seoul in July, queues form outside old noodle houses near City Hall for kongguksu: thin wheat noodles in an ice-cold, thick, nutty broth of soybeans boiled and blended with their skins, topped with cucumber and sesame. It is plain, rich and very cooling, and people season it at the table with salt (in Seoul) or sugar (in Jeolla). A bowl is about 520 kcal, a full meal with plenty of protein. Soak the soybeans overnight first, not counted in the times. The most common mistake is overboiling the soybeans, which gives a fermented, "meju" smell; boil them for exactly 10–12 minutes and taste one: it should be cooked but not soft. Chef's tip: blend a handful of pine nuts or toasted sesame with the beans; it makes the broth even creamier.

40 minKoreanPasta & NoodlesVegan
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Chana sundalChickpea coconut stir-fry

On the sand of Chennai's Marina Beach, vendors sell sundal in paper cones at sunset, and during the nine nights of Navaratri every Tamil home makes a different sundal to offer at the golu doll display and hand out to visiting neighbours. This one is chickpeas tossed in a hot tempering of mustard seeds, urad dal, dried chilli and curry leaves, finished with fresh coconut and a squeeze of lime. A portion is about 190 kcal. Using cooked or tinned chickpeas keeps it under 20 minutes; if you start from dried, soak 120 g overnight and pressure-cook them until soft. The common mistake is wet, mushy chickpeas, which make the coconut clump; drain them well and let them steam dry for a few minutes. Chef's tip: add the coconut off the heat; cooked coconut loses its fresh, milky sweetness.

17 minIndianSnacks & StartersVeganGluten free
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Gomoku mameSimmered mixed beans

Gomoku mame, "five-ingredient beans", is a pot of soybeans simmered with kombu, carrot, burdock, konnyaku and shiitake that grandmothers across Japan make on a Sunday and keep in the fridge for a week of small side dishes and bento, and it is often part of the New Year spread too. Every piece is cut to the size of a bean, so each spoonful has a little of everything, sweet, savoury and full of protein. This is vegetarian, with no bonito. A portion is about 150 kcal. Using cooked soybeans makes it a 45-minute dish; from dried, soak 150 g overnight and boil for 1 hour first. The usual mistake is cutting the vegetables in large chunks; they should be the size of the beans. Chef's tip: let it cool in its broth; the beans soak up the flavour as the temperature drops.

45 minJapaneseSidesVegan
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Paruppu usiliGreen beans with crumbled lentils

Paruppu usili is a Tamil Brahmin speciality, the dry dish that sits beside more kuzhambu or rasam on a Thanjavur lunch leaf at weddings and at home: chana and toor dal are soaked, ground coarsely with red chilli, steamed into a cake, crumbled, then fried with finely chopped green beans until the crumbs turn golden and crisp in places. The result is nutty, spicy and full of protein. A portion is about 220 kcal. The dals soak for 1 hour first (not counted in the times). The mistake most people make is grinding the dal to a smooth paste; it should be coarse like semolina, or the usili turns into lumps instead of crumbs. Chef's tip: steam the ground dal before frying, rather than frying it raw; it crumbles perfectly and needs far less oil.

40 minIndianSidesVeganGluten free
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Tofu steak

Tofu steak became a family-restaurant and home favourite across Japan in the health-food boom of the 1980s, and it is still how many Tokyo households get a quick, light main dish on the table: thick slabs of firm tofu dusted with potato starch, seared until golden, then glazed in a garlicky soy, mirin and sugar sauce until sticky. Serve with rice, shredded cabbage and miso soup. A portion is about 260 kcal. The common mistake is skipping the pressing, so the tofu spits in the pan and won't brown; press it for 10 minutes first. Chef's tip: add the sauce only once both sides are golden, and let it bubble down for just a minute so it coats rather than soaks.

20 minJapaneseVegetarianVegan
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Matki usalSprouted moth bean curry

Every Marathi kitchen from Pune to Kolhapur keeps a jar of matki, the small brown moth beans, sprouting on the counter, and a bowl of usal is what turns up with chapati or bhakri at a weekday lunch, or topped with farsan as misal on Sundays. The sprouts stay slightly firm in a thin, spicy gravy flavoured with goda masala, the sweet-smoky spice mix of Maharashtra, and a little fresh coconut. A portion is about 230 kcal. Sprouting takes 2 days (soak overnight, then leave wrapped in a cloth for 24–36 hours), which is not counted in the times. The common mistake is overcooking the sprouts until they split and go mushy; they should hold their shape and still have a slight bite. Chef's tip: add a teaspoon of jaggery and a few kokum petals at the end; the gentle sweet-sour balance is what makes usal taste Maharashtrian.

40 minIndianVegetarianVeganGluten free
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Anda bhurjiSpiced scrambled eggs

Late at night outside Mumbai railway stations, bhurji-pav carts scramble eggs on huge tawas with onion, tomato, chilli and a shake of pav bhaji masala, and the same dish is the Sunday breakfast in homes across North India. The eggs are cooked soft and moist with the masala, not dry, and scooped up with buttered pav or folded into a paratha. Eggs are a common allergen. A portion of two eggs is about 240 kcal. The most common mistake is cooking the eggs on a high flame until rubbery; once they go in, turn the heat to low and take them off while they still look slightly wet. Chef's tip: cook the onion and tomato masala until it is soft and jammy before the eggs go in; that is where all the flavour comes from.

16 minIndianBreakfast & BrunchGluten free
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Yaki atsuageGrilled thick fried tofu

Atsuage, thick blocks of tofu deep-fried on the outside and soft and white within, sit in every supermarket chiller in Japan, and grilling them until crisp is one of the fastest dinners there is: an izakaya favourite in Tokyo and an easy dish at home when there is nothing else in. The block is grilled until the skin crackles, cut into cubes and topped with grated ginger, spring onion and a few drops of soy. A portion is about 190 kcal. The common mistake is grilling it in oil; atsuage is already fried, so a dry pan is all it needs. Chef's tip: pour boiling water over the block and pat it dry before grilling; it removes stale oil and the skin crisps up much better.

15 minJapaneseVegetarianVegan
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Sukhe kale chaneDry black chickpeas

On Ashtami, the eighth day of Navratri, homes in Delhi, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh invite young girls for kanjak puja and feed them puri, sooji halwa and these dry black chickpeas, cooked without onion or garlic. The kala chana are boiled until tender and then tossed in a hot, dry masala of cumin, coriander, amchur and green chilli until every chickpea is coated and the edges catch slightly. Outside festivals they make a protein-rich side or a snack with a squeeze of lemon. A portion is about 240 kcal. Soak the chickpeas overnight first. The common mistake is undercooking them: black chickpeas need longer than white, and should squash easily between two fingers. Chef's tip: keep 3 tablespoons of the cooking water and add it with the spices; it helps the masala cling to each chickpea.

45 minIndianSidesVeganGluten free
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BabfőzelékCreamy white bean stew

Babfőzelék is what cooks in Transdanubian villages and Budapest workers' canteens make on Fridays and in the cold months, when a pot of dried white beans goes a long way. The beans cook until creamy, then a garlicky paprika roux thickens the liquid, a splash of vinegar makes it tangy and sour cream softens it. Served with a slice of rye bread or a fried egg, it is a hearty meat-free lunch. Soak the beans overnight first. Chef's tip: add salt and vinegar only once the beans are completely soft; acid in the pot early keeps the skins tough no matter how long they cook.

90 minHungarianVegetarian
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Awara

Evening hawkers in Kano, Zaria and Kaduna fry awara in wide pans of oil and sell it in paper with a sprinkle of yaji, the peanut-chilli suya spice: little cubes of homemade soybean curd that puff and turn golden outside and stay soft and tofu-like inside. It came to the North with soybean farming and is now a cheap, high-protein street snack, especially after maghrib prayers. Contains soy and peanut (in the yaji). The mistake is skipping the long boil: raw soy milk must simmer for a good 15 minutes to be digestible and taste sweet, not beany. Chef's tip: press the curd under a heavy pan for at least 20 minutes; firm awara cuts cleanly and doesn't spit in the oil.

560 minNigerianSnacks & StartersVeganGluten free
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Fasolia beida (white beans in tomato sauce)

Fasolia beida keeps Egyptian families going through the short Cairo winter: dried white beans, soaked overnight and stewed thick with tomato and onion, eaten on rice with crunchy turnip pickles and green chillies on the side. It's cheap, filling and better the next day, which is why many cooks make a double pot. Beans cooked in salted tomato from the start can stay hard forever, so they get boiled tender in plain water first. Chef's tip: mash a ladleful of the beans against the side of the pot near the end; it thickens the sauce naturally.

95 minEgyptianCurriesVeganGluten free
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Shorbet ads (Egyptian lentil soup)

Cairo cafés ladle shorbet ads all winter long, and at home it is the soup that opens the iftar meal in Ramadan, served smooth and golden with lemon wedges and crisp bread. Split yellow lentils are cooked with carrot, onion, tomato and cumin, then blended until velvety, with no cream at all. Serve it with lemon to squeeze and toasted pitta (leave the bread out for gluten free). The common mistake is under-cooking the lentils so the soup turns grainy; they should fall apart before you blend. Chef's tip: finish each bowl with a few drops of cumin-fried oil; it smells like an Egyptian kitchen in January.

45 minEgyptianSoupsVeganGluten free
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Ye-difin misir watSpicy brown lentil stew

The everyday misir wat of Addis Ababa's fasting houses is made with split red lentils, but in Tigray and Amhara homes many cooks prefer difin misir, whole brown or green lentils that keep their shape and give a thicker, nubbly stew with a deep, peppery berbere sauce. It is hearty, earthy and properly spicy, the backbone of a Lenten lunch with injera, cabbage and a cold salad. The mistake is adding the lentils to the sauce raw: whole lentils take far longer than the onions can stand, so cook them separately until tender first. Chef's tip: finish with a teaspoon of mitmita or a pinch of ground cardamom (korerima) just before serving for a fragrant top note.

65 minEthiopianCurriesVeganGluten freeSpicy
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NifroBoiled wheat and chickpeas

When a baby cuts a first tooth, Ethiopian families celebrate with tirs mastecha, and the dish at the centre is nifro: a big pot of whole wheat berries, chickpeas and fava beans boiled with salt and handed round warm in cupped hands or small bowls. It also turns up at funerals, saints' day gatherings and long coffee ceremonies in Gondar and Addis, chewy, nutty and plain in the best way. The common mistake is boiling everything together from dry, so the wheat bursts while the fava stay hard; soak them all overnight and add the wheat later. Fava beans are unsafe for anyone with G6PD deficiency (favism), so leave them out if in doubt. Not gluten free. Chef's tip: once drained, toss the warm nifro in a dry pan for two minutes; it dries the surface and makes the salt and a pinch of berbere cling.

795 minEthiopianSnacks & StartersVegan
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Ash-e haft danehSeven-grain soup

Ash-e haft daneh, the soup of seven seeds, is cooked as nazri, a votive offering, on Tasua and Ashura in Muharram, when families in Tehran, Kashan and Yazd stir huge cauldrons in the street and share bowls with neighbours and passers-by. Wheat, barley, rice, chickpeas, beans, lentils and mung beans cook slowly into a thick, nutty soup with herbs, topped with fried onion and mint. Serve it in bowls with bread. The mistake is adding all the grains together; they cook at different speeds, so the hard ones go in first. Chef's tip: soak everything except the rice and lentils overnight, each in its own bowl, and you'll cut the cooking time by an hour.

170 minPersianSoupsVegan
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Kik watSpiced split pea stew

On Wednesdays, Fridays and the long Lenten fast, Orthodox households from Addis Ababa to Bahir Dar fill the beyaynetu platter with kik wat, the fiery red sibling of the mild yellow kik alicha. Yellow split peas are cooked into a thick sauce built on a mountain of slowly dry-cooked red onions, garlic, ginger and plenty of berbere, so it is earthy, smoky-hot and spoonable on a sheet of injera. The mistake is frying the onions in oil from the start: Ethiopian cooks sweat them in a dry pot until they collapse and turn jammy, and only then add oil and spice, which gives the sauce its body. Chef's tip: bloom the berbere in the oil for a full two minutes with a splash of water so it turns brick-red and loses its raw, dusty edge.

65 minEthiopianCurriesVeganGluten freeSpicy
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Daal chanaChickpea dal

A bowl of daal chana with a fiery tarka poured over at the table is one of the most ordered plates at dhabas from Multan to Rawalpindi, and in many homes it is the Thursday dinner, eaten with roti, raw onion and pickle. The split chickpeas cook until soft but still hold their shape in a thick, yellow, gently spiced base, and then the tarka of fried onion, garlic, cumin and whole red chilli in ghee crackles over the top. The mistake is serving it before the dal is truly soft; chana dal takes longer than you think, so test a grain by squeezing it. Contains milk (ghee); use oil for a vegan version. Chef's tip: pour the tarka over at the very last moment so it hisses, and cover the pot for a minute to trap the smoky aroma.

60 minPakistaniCurriesGluten free
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Adalu

Across Yorubaland, from Abeokuta to Ibadan, adalu is the pot of beans and corn that keeps a family going: brown beans cooked until they collapse, sweetcorn stirred through for pops of sweetness, and a base of red palm oil, onion and blended pepper. People eat it for breakfast or an early lunch, often with fried plantain or a hunk of agege bread. It is soft, creamy and slightly sweet-savoury. Many cooks add ground crayfish; this version is vegan. The mistake is adding salt and stock cubes while the beans are still hard, which stops them softening; season only once they mash easily. Chef's tip: mash a ladle of the cooked beans against the side of the pot before adding the corn; it thickens the sauce without any flour.

95 minNigerianCurriesVeganGluten free
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Lobia masalaBlack-eyed bean curry

Truck drivers on the GT Road and students in Lahore's Anarkali eat lobia at dhabas for a few rupees a plate: soft black-eyed beans in a dark onion and tomato masala, mopped up with tandoori roti and a green chilli on the side. It tastes earthy and comforting, with a peppery edge and a thick, spoonable gravy. Undercooked beans that stay chalky in the middle are the common complaint, especially when tomato goes in before the beans are soft; boil them tender first, then simmer them in the masala. Chef's tip: mash a ladleful of the beans against the side of the pot near the end, which thickens the gravy the way dhaba cooks do.

50 minPakistaniCurriesVeganGluten free
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Misir alichaMild red lentil stew

Not everyone at the table in Gondar or Addis wants berbere, so the fasting platter almost always has a gentle yellow wat beside the red one: misir alicha, split red lentils cooked down with dry-sweated onion, garlic, ginger and turmeric until creamy. It is soft, warming and easy on children and anyone who finds misir wat too hot. The common mistake is letting the lentils cook to a thin soup; simmer uncovered at the end until it mounds on a spoon and sits on injera without running. Chef's tip: a sliced green chilli and a pinch of ground ajwain (netch azmud) stirred in at the end lift it without adding much heat.

35 minEthiopianCurriesVeganGluten free
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Ash-e joBarley and chickpea soup

Ash-e jo is a winter staple in Tehran, Kashan and the cold cities of the plateau, and many families cook a huge pot in the month of Ramadan to break the fast. Pearl barley simmers with chickpeas, beans and lentils until it turns creamy, then plenty of herbs and a swirl of kashk make it tangy, savoury and filling. Serve it hot with bread and extra kashk at the table. The common mistake is skipping the soaking, which leaves the chickpeas hard long after the barley has gone to mush; soak them overnight. Kashk contains dairy. Chef's tip: the soup thickens a lot as it stands, so make it a day ahead and loosen it with hot water as you reheat.

140 minPersianSoups
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Chaye dan (marbled tea eggs)

Tea eggs bubble in pots of dark broth beside the tills of convenience stores, at railway stations and on breakfast carts all over China; in Zhejiang and Jiangsu families make a big batch for spring outings and for New Year. The eggs are hard-boiled, their shells tapped all over, then simmered and soaked in black tea, soy sauce, star anise and cinnamon, so the whites come out mottled brown like old porcelain and taste gently of spice. The common mistake is to skip the long soak: an hour in the pot only colours the shell, while a night in the fridge gives the pattern and flavour. Chef's tip: crack the shells gently with the back of a spoon so they craze all over but stay on; if pieces fall off you'll get dark patches instead of fine lines.

40 minChineseSnacks & Starters
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Paneer bhurjiScrambled paneer

Dhabas on the Delhi-Chandigarh highway and Punjabi homes everywhere make paneer bhurji when an egg bhurji won't do: for vegetarian guests, for a fast lunchbox, or when there's a block of paneer waiting in the fridge. The paneer is crumbled and folded into an onion-tomato masala with green chilli, a little garam masala and kasuri methi, and a splash of milk keeps it soft and moist. It goes with butter roti, a buttered pav from the Mumbai stalls, or rolled into a paratha for a tiffin. The common mistake is cooking the paneer too long; it toughens and dries out in minutes. Add it last and heat it through for no more than two or three minutes. Chef's tip: homemade or very fresh paneer crumbles best; grate a firm shop block instead of crumbling it.

20 minIndianVegetarianGluten free
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Mag nu shaakDry whole green moong

Wednesday is mag day in many Gujarati homes, and in Jain families this is how it is cooked: whole green moong soaked overnight, pressure-cooked until just soft, then tossed in a vaghar of mustard seed, ajwain and hing with green chilli and dry ginger powder instead of fresh ginger, and no onion or garlic at all. A pinch of jaggery and a squeeze of lemon give it the gentle sweet-sour taste Gujaratis expect. It's a dry shaak, each bean whole and coated, eaten with rotli, or with kadhi-bhaat for a light, very satisfying meal. A common mistake is overcooking the moong until it bursts and turns to mush; two whistles is enough, and the beans should still hold their shape. Chef's tip: save the cooking water; a few spoons loosen the shaak if it looks too dry, and the rest makes a lovely mag nu osaman with a little lemon and vaghar.

40 minIndianCurriesVeganGluten free
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GanmodokiTofu and vegetable fritters

The name means 'mock goose', a hint that these fritters were invented by Buddhist monks who wanted something rich and satisfying without meat; in Kyoto they are called hiryōzu. Firm tofu is pressed, mashed with grated yam, carrot, hijiki and sesame, then fried into golden discs that are crisp outside and soft and springy within. Eat them hot with ginger and soy, or simmer them in oden or sweet dashi on cold days. The common mistake is not pressing the tofu enough; wet tofu makes fritters that split and spit in the oil. Chef's tip: a little grated Japanese mountain yam (nagaimo) binds the mix without egg and makes it fluffier; potato starch alone gives a denser fritter.

45 minJapaneseSnacks & StartersVegan
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Koya dofu no nimonoSimmered freeze-dried tofu

Kōya-dōfu takes its name from Mount Kōya, where monks discovered that tofu left out in the winter frost dried into light, spongy blocks that would keep for months. Rehydrated and simmered in sweet dashi, it soaks up broth like a sponge, so every bite releases a mouthful of savoury-sweet liquid. It is a regular in bento boxes, osechi and temple meals across Japan. Mirin contains alcohol but simmers away; see the note for an alcohol-free swap. The common mistake is boiling it hard, which makes it crumble; keep the pan at a lazy simmer. Chef's tip: after soaking, press each block between your palms in fresh water until the water runs clear, or it tastes faintly of the packet.

35 minJapaneseVegetarianVegan
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Chora nu shaakBlack-eyed pea curry

Chora nu shaak is a Sunday favourite in Surat and Baroda homes and one of the pulse shaaks that rotate through a Jain kitchen in place of onion-based gravies. Black-eyed peas are cooked soft, then simmered in a thin tomato gravy built on a vaghar of mustard seed, cumin, hing, cloves and dry red chilli, sweetened with jaggery and sharpened with lemon in true Gujarati style. Dry ginger powder replaces fresh ginger, and there is no onion or garlic. The gravy should be loose enough to soak into rotli or rice, with a few beans mashed to give it body. A common mistake is adding tomato and jaggery before the beans are fully soft; acid and sugar keep them hard however long you cook them. Chef's tip: let the shaak rest for 10 minutes before serving; the chora drink up the gravy and the flavours round out.

45 minIndianCurriesVeganGluten free
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Chè đậu đen (black bean sweet soup)

In Hanoi summers, glass after glass of chè đậu đen is poured over crushed ice at pavement stalls, and many families keep a pot in the fridge because the beans are thought to cool the body. The beans are cooked whole until creamy inside but unbroken, then steeped in syrup until they turn dark and glossy; southern versions finish with a little coconut milk. Chef's tip: add the sugar only once the beans are completely tender; sugar too early toughens the skins and the beans never soften.

90 minVietnameseDessertsVeganGluten free
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Lentejas con piña y plátanoLentils with pineapple and plantain

Sweet and savoury share a pot in this Lent favourite from Puebla and Mexico City kitchens: brown lentils simmered in a tomato and garlic broth, finished with chunks of pineapple and slices of fried ripe plantain. It sounds unusual but tastes balanced and comforting, and many families eat it on the Fridays before Easter with white rice and tortillas. Chef's tip: use a plantain with a black-speckled skin; green ones stay starchy and never sweeten.

60 minMexicanCurriesVeganGluten free
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Lentilha de Ano NovoNew Year lentil stew

Just after the fireworks at midnight on 31 December, Brazilians from Copacabana to small towns in the interior eat a spoonful of lentils, because the little coin-shaped seeds are said to bring money in the year ahead. Many families keep a pot of this warm stew of lentils, tomato, carrot and smoked paprika on the stove all through the Réveillon party. It also makes a good weekday supper with rice. Chef's tip: keep it at a gentle simmer so the lentils hold their shape, as they are meant to look like little coins.

50 minBrazilianCurriesVeganGluten free
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Đậu hũ chiên sả ớt (lemongrass chilli tofu)

Saigon's chay restaurants, the ones tucked beside pagodas that fill up on the 1st and 15th of each lunar month, nearly always have a plate of this on the table: golden tofu cubes buried under a crunchy, fragrant rubble of fried lemongrass and red chilli. The tofu stays soft inside, the lemongrass turns nutty and crisp, and a splash of tamari with a little sugar glazes everything. Eat it with steamed jasmine rice, sliced cucumber and a bowl of clear vegetable soup. Many chay cooks skip garlic and shallot, so this version leaves them out. Chef's tip: mince the lemongrass really finely and fry it on its own until golden; coarse chunks or lemongrass added with the tofu stay woody and chewy.

25 minVietnameseVegetarianVeganGluten freeSpicy
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Caldo de habasDried fava bean soup

Few dishes say Good Friday in Mexico City, Hidalgo and Tlaxcala like a bowl of thick, golden caldo de habas, made from peeled dried fava beans cooked down until they almost dissolve. Tomato, onion and garlic give it body, cumin warmth and a handful of fresh mint lifts it, with lime and a pinch of chilli flakes at the table. Cheap, filling and protein-rich, it suits any cold weekday. Look for yellow, peeled split favas at Latin or Middle Eastern shops. Chef's tip: add the mint only at the very end, or it turns grey and loses its scent.

65 minMexicanSoupsVeganGluten free
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Huevos tiradosEggs with black beans

In the port of Veracruz and the coffee towns around Xalapa, morning cafés roll out a dark, savoury omelette that looks plain and tastes rich: eggs are 'thrown' into a pan of black refried beans and stirred, then rolled into a log and served with tortillas, fresh cheese and salsa. It keeps workers going till lunch. Chef's tip: the beans should be thick and fairly dry, like mashed potato, or the roll won't hold.

20 minMexicanBreakfast & BrunchGluten free
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Bánh hỏi with lemongrass tofuRice vermicelli with lemongrass tofu

In Quy Nhơn and across Bình Định, breakfast stalls sell bánh hỏi by the tray: mats of hair-fine rice vermicelli brushed with scallion oil and eaten rolled in lettuce with roast pork, grilled meat or, at temple stalls, tofu. Making the woven mats from scratch needs a press, so cooks everywhere now buy dried bánh hỏi sheets or very fine vermicelli and steam them into mats, which is what this version does. The lemongrass tofu and a soy-lime dipping sauce keep the whole plate vegan; the usual partner is nước mắm chấm with grilled pork. Chef's tip: steam the vermicelli rather than boiling it; boiled strands go soft and clump, and the mats will not hold together.

45 minVietnamesePasta & NoodlesVeganGluten free
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Ovos de codorna em conservaPickled quail eggs

A big glass jar of pickled quail eggs sits on the counter of countless botecos in Rio and São Paulo, and a few speared on toothpicks are the classic thing to nibble with a cold chopp. At home they keep for two weeks in the fridge and make an easy snack for parties or a picnic. The tiny eggs are boiled, peeled and covered in a hot, garlicky vinegar brine with bay and black pepper, which seasons them right through after a couple of days. Chef's tip: peel the eggs under a trickle of cold water, starting at the wide end where the air pocket sits.

30 minBrazilianSnacks & StartersGluten free
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Ciceri e triaChickpeas with pasta

In the Salento, at the heel of Puglia, ciceri e tria is an ancient dish, its name from the Arabic "itriya" for dried pasta: creamy chickpeas cooked with bay and garlic, tossed with homemade ribbons of flour-and-water pasta, a third of which are fried in olive oil until crisp and scattered on top. It is made for the feast of San Giuseppe on 19 March, and in the trattorie of Lecce all year round. Chef's tip: the contrast is the whole point; fry the pasta strips until golden and crunchy and add them only at the very last moment, so they stay crisp.

130 minItalianPasta & NoodlesVegan
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Omelette aux fines herbesHerb omelette

Every French home cook learns the omelette aux fines herbes, the quick lunch or late supper served all over the country with a green salad and a glass of water or cider, and the test dish of every cookery school from Paris to Lyon. The eggs are stirred over a gentle heat so they set into soft, creamy curds, then rolled into a pale, smooth cigar with no brown colour at all. The four fines herbes, chives, parsley, chervil and tarragon, go in raw at the last minute so they stay bright. The usual mistake is a pan that is too hot, which browns and toughens the outside before the middle sets. Chef's tip: take the omelette off the heat while the centre still looks a little runny; it finishes cooking on the plate.

10 minFrenchBreakfast & BrunchGluten free
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Frittata di zucchineCourgette frittata

Frittata is Italy's everyday dish for a quick supper or a packed lunch: a thick, flat omelette cooked slowly in a pan, then flipped over a plate. Courgette frittata, with soft, golden slices of courgette and Parmigiano, is the summer favourite, taken to the beach in a panino or cut into squares for children. It is just as good cold the next day. Parmigiano is made with animal rennet; choose a vegetarian hard cheese if you need to. Chef's tip: cook the courgettes until golden before adding the eggs; raw courgettes make the frittata watery.

25 minItalianVegetarianGluten free
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Scarola e fagioliEscarole and bean soup

Scarola e fagioli is one of the oldest dishes of Neapolitan home cooking: tender escarole, a slightly bitter winter salad green, simmered with creamy cannellini beans, garlic, chilli and olive oil into a thick soup, sometimes with broken pasta stirred in. In Naples it is a cold-weather supper, eaten with toasted bread rubbed with garlic. Chef's tip: mash a ladle of the beans into the broth; it thickens the soup and makes it creamy without any cream.

40 minItalianSoupsVeganGluten free
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Zuppa di cicerchieGrass pea soup

Cicerchie (grass peas) are an ancient legume that looks like a small, squared-off chickpea, grown on the hills of the Marche and Umbria around Serra de' Conti and Gubbio. They make a thick, nutty, rustic winter soup cooked with garlic, tomato and rosemary, served over toasted bread with a thread of new olive oil. Grass peas contain a natural toxin when eaten in large amounts, so always soak them for at least 24 hours, changing the water a few times, and enjoy them as an occasional dish. Chef's tip: change the soaking water at least three times; it removes most of the toxin and makes the peas easier to digest.

105 minItalianSoupsVeganGluten free
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Natto gohan (natto on rice)

Mito, the capital of Ibaraki Prefecture, is Japan's natto town, but this sticky, pungent breakfast is eaten in homes all over eastern Japan, usually before work with miso soup and a pickle. The fermented soybeans are beaten until they form long silky strings, seasoned, and spooned over steaming rice; they are packed with plant protein. Most packs come with a little sauce sachet that contains bonito fish stock, so for a vegan bowl leave it out and season with soy sauce as here. The common mistake is pouring in the sauce before you stir: whip the beans first, or they never get properly frothy. Chef's tip: stir about 50 times until the strings turn white and fluffy, then season and stir 10 more.

5 minJapaneseBreakfast & BrunchVegan
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Zuppa di farro della GarfagnanaEmmer and bean soup

In the Garfagnana, the wooded mountain valley north of Lucca in Tuscany, farro (emmer wheat) has been grown for 2,000 years and has its own protected status. The classic local dish is a thick, warming soup of farro and borlotti beans, half of them puréed, with onion, carrot, celery, tomato and herbs, served in winter with a thread of new olive oil. Chef's tip: blend half of the cooked beans before adding the farro; it gives the soup a creamy body.

110 minItalianSoupsVegan
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Pasta e lenticchiePasta and lentil stew

In Naples, pasta with legumes is weekday food, and pasta e lenticchie is the one every family makes in winter: small lentils cooked with garlic, celery and a little tomato until soft, then mixed short pasta (pasta mista, the broken ends of different shapes) is cooked right in the pot until thick and creamy. Lentils also bring luck for the New Year, so many families make it on 1 January. Chef's tip: cook the pasta in the lentils with only just enough water, adding it a ladle at a time; the starch from the pasta makes the stew creamy without any cheese.

50 minItalianPasta & NoodlesVegan
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KongjabanSoy-braised black soybeans

Kongjaban is the shiny black bean banchan that sits in a small dish on Korean tables from Gwangju to Seoul and fills countless lunchboxes, because one batch keeps for a week. Dried black soybeans are soaked, simmered in soy and sugar and finished with rice syrup until each bean is chewy, sweet-salty and gleaming. It is a good source of plant protein and children usually love it. The common mistake is adding the syrup too early: it scorches before the beans are tender and makes them hard. Chef's tip: keep the lid off while the beans cook; the steam escaping helps the skins stay intact and wrinkled rather than bursting.

45 minKoreanSidesVegan
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Paneer parathaPaneer-stuffed flatbread

Dhaba breakfasts on the Grand Trunk Road out of Amritsar always have paneer paratha on the board, and it's a lunchbox favourite in Delhi homes because it stays soft and filling until the afternoon. The filling is fresh paneer grated fine, mixed with green chilli, lots of coriander, ajwain, a little onion and a pinch of amchur. Rolled inside atta dough and cooked with ghee, it becomes a mild, milky, protein-rich paratha with crisp brown patches. Serve with dahi, mint chutney or mango achar, and a cup of adrak chai. Use homemade or shop paneer; both are made with lemon or vinegar, not rennet. Common mistake: crumbling the paneer roughly; big lumps poke through the dough and tear it. Grate it finely or mash it with the heel of your hand. Chef's tip: if your paneer is very fresh and moist, add a tablespoon of atta to the filling to bind it, and roll these slightly thicker than a gobi paratha.

40 minIndianBreads & Parathas
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Lentilles de CilaosMountain lentils

High in the volcanic cirque of Cilaos, farmers grow tiny brown-green lentils on terraces, and the whole island prizes them: they hold their shape, taste nutty and mineral, and turn up beside every kind of cari, with a mound of white rice and a spoon of rougail. The village holds a lentil festival each autumn, and a pot of lentilles is a fixture of family Sunday lunches across Réunion. Outside the island, use small French green or brown lentils, which behave in the same way. Don't let them boil hard; a fierce boil splits the skins and turns the pot into mush, so keep it at a gentle bubble. Chef's tip: take the time to brown the onions properly before the lentils go in, because that slow, sweet browning is what gives the sauce its depth.

60 minMauritianCurriesVeganGluten free
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Kari gros poisButter bean curry

In Mauritius, gros pois (butter beans) are a pantry staple, and kari gros pois is cooked in Creole and Indo-Mauritian homes alike for weekday lunches and Friday meat-free meals. The beans simmer in a curry of onion, tomato, garlic and ginger, flavoured with curry powder, fresh thyme and curry leaves, so it tastes of both India and the island's French side. It is served with rice, farata flatbreads and a tomato or chilli chutney. The usual mistake is frying the curry powder on high heat; it scorches in seconds and turns bitter. Pressure cooker option: cook the soaked beans for 15 minutes at pressure. Chef's tip: crush a few beans into the sauce at the end, which thickens it without any flour.

85 minMauritianCurriesVeganGluten free
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Kale chane ka salanBlack chickpea curry

Across Pakistani Punjab, from Faisalabad homes to roadside tandoors near Gujranwala, black chickpeas in a thin, peppery gravy are winter food and a Friday staple, eaten with fresh roti or rice. The small brown chana keep their bite and give a nutty, earthy broth flavoured with cinnamon, black cardamom, cloves and bay. It is cooked in one pot, on the stove or in a slow cooker, and tastes even better the next day. The usual mistake is skipping the overnight soak: unsoaked black chana stay hard however long you cook them. Chef's tip: mash a ladleful of the cooked chana against the side of the pot at the end; it thickens the gravy without any flour.

70 minPakistaniCurriesVeganGluten free
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Lauki chana dalBottle gourd and chana dal

In Punjabi and Haryanvi homes lauki chana dal is a weekday staple, and it travels in the dabba's lidded steel bowl beside rotis or rice. Chana dal holds its shape while the bottle gourd melts into it, so the dal is thick enough not to slosh about. The mistake is adding the lauki at the start with the dal: it collapses into strings and turns the dal watery. Add it once the dal is half cooked. Chef's tip: choose a young, pale-green lauki that your nail dents easily; an old one is bitter and seedy, so taste a small piece raw and discard it if it is bitter.

50 minIndianCurriesVeganGluten free
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Soya chunks sabziDry soya chunk curry

Soya chunks, called nutrela or meal maker across India, are a hostel and office-tiffin favourite from Delhi to Hyderabad because they are cheap, keep for months and soak up masala like a sponge. Here they are boiled, squeezed and cooked dry with onion, tomato and garam masala until each chunk is glossy and coated. The mistake is not squeezing hard enough: water left inside dilutes the masala and the chunks taste of nothing. Squeeze them in a fist, twice. Chef's tip: soak them in hot salted water with a pinch of turmeric, so they are seasoned all the way through.

35 minIndianVegetarianVegan
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Verkadalai sadam (peanut rice)

Peanut rice is the filling variety rice that Tamil and Kannada parents send when the school day ends with games: roasted peanuts, dry coconut, sesame and red chillies are ground into a coarse powder and tossed through rice in a curry leaf tempering. It tastes a little like a savoury peanut brittle, and it stays good at room temperature for hours. The mistake is grinding the peanuts too long; they turn into peanut butter and the rice clumps. Pulse in short bursts and stop while it is still sandy. Chef's tip: keep a few whole roasted peanuts aside and add them at the end for crunch.

23 minIndianRice & GrainsVeganGluten free
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Kadle manoliBlack chickpea and coconut curry

Kadle manoli is a Konkani dish from Mangaluru and Udupi, cooked for festive meals, Saturday temple days and family gatherings, where it sits beside rice, dalitoy and papad. Black chickpeas and quartered ivy gourd are cooked together, then tossed in a coarse, roasted masala of coconut, byadgi chillies and coriander, a little tamarind and a coconut-oil tempering. It is dry-ish, coating each piece rather than swimming in gravy. The usual mistake is cutting the ivy gourd into rounds; slice it lengthwise into quarters so it stays crunchy-tender. Slow-cooker: cook the soaked chana and gourd with 500 ml water on low for 7 hours, then stir in the masala and heat through. Chef's tip: grind the masala coarse, with very little water, so it clings to the chickpeas and stays fragrant.

70 minIndianCurriesVeganGluten free
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Ndizi na maharageGreen bananas and red beans

Across Tanzania, from Dar es Salaam to the banana farms around Kilimanjaro, ndizi na maharage is a filling weekday lunch: green cooking bananas and red beans simmered in one pot with tomato, onion and coconut milk until the bananas are soft and the sauce creamy. It needs nothing more than a few slices of avocado or a fresh kachumbari salad on the side. The usual mistake is cooking dried red kidney beans gently from the start: they must boil hard for 10 minutes first to be safe. Peel green bananas with oiled hands, as the sap stains and sticks. Chef's tip: add the bananas only once the beans are tender, then let them simmer until they just break at the edges and thicken the sauce.

90 minEast AfricanVegetarianVeganGluten free
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Besan chillaGram flour pancakes

Across North India, besan chilla is the answer when the tiffin needs packing in fifteen minutes: a pourable gram flour batter studded with onion, tomato, chilli and coriander, cooked thin on a tawa, then rolled up with chutney or ketchup. It is naturally egg-free and filling. The common mistake is a thick batter, which gives a heavy, raw-tasting pancake; it should flow like single cream. Chef's tip: spread the batter with the back of a ladle in quick circles from the centre outward, and cover the pan for the first minute so the top steams set.

25 minIndianBreakfast & BrunchVeganGluten free
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DrachenaBaked egg and milk custard

Drachena belongs to the old peasant cooking of northern Russia, from Arkhangelsk to Vologda, where it was baked in the cooling Russian stove on Sunday mornings. Eggs are whisked with milk, a little sour cream and flour, poured into a hot buttered pan and baked until puffed, golden and wobbly, somewhere between an omelette and a soufflé. It is eaten warm, plain or with sour cream. The common mistake is opening the oven early; the drachena collapses if it gets a draught before it is set. Chef's tip: heat the buttered dish in the oven before pouring in the batter, so it starts to set and rise from the bottom at once.

40 minRussianBreakfast & Brunch
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ChikandaOrchid tuber and peanut loaf

In Kasama and across the Bemba country of northern Zambia, chikanda is cooked for weddings, funerals and family gatherings, then sliced and sold on Lusaka street corners as 'African polony' because it looks like a pale sausage. It is made from the dried, pounded tubers of ground orchids mixed with groundnut flour, chilli and a little bicarbonate of soda, stirred over the fire until thick and then baked until firm. The texture is dense and springy, a little like a savoury jelly, with a nutty, earthy flavour and a gentle heat. Use bought dried chikanda powder from Zambian or Southern African grocers; wild orchids are badly over-harvested, so buy only from a trusted supplier. Too little stirring is the usual mistake, and it leaves raw lumps of powder through the loaf. Chef's tip: let the slices cool completely before frying or eating, as the loaf firms up a lot as it sets.

90 minSouthern AfricanSnacks & StartersVeganGluten free
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Tvarohová pomazánkaQuark spread

Tvarohová pomazánka is the savoury quark spread made in Czech and Slovak kitchens for breakfast, snacks and the evening bread plate: tvaroh beaten with a little butter, finely chopped onion, sweet paprika and chives, then spread on dark rye bread. It is fresh, tangy and pale orange. The mistake is using raw onion cut too coarsely, which overpowers the mild quark and makes the spread watery; chop it very finely or grate it. Chef's tip: make it 30 minutes ahead and chill it, so the paprika colours the spread and the onion mellows.

10 minCzechBreakfast & BrunchGluten free
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MsetoRice and green grams

Mseto, meaning 'mixture', is a staple of the Swahili coast from Mombasa to Lamu and Zanzibar, often eaten at lunch or for breaking the fast in Ramadan. Rice and green grams (whole mung beans) cook together in coconut milk with onion and a little turmeric until soft, fluffy and gently creamy. It is served beside a vegetable or bean curry, a kachumbari salad and a squeeze of lime. The usual mistake is adding the rice before the green grams are tender, so the rice turns mushy while the beans stay hard. Chef's tip: once the rice is in, cover the pot tightly and leave it on the lowest heat without lifting the lid, so the rice steams evenly.

55 minEast AfricanRice & GrainsVeganGluten free
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KajganaScrambled eggs with peppers

Kajgana is the everyday breakfast of Serbia and Montenegro, cooked in every home and kafana: eggs scrambled softly in a little fat, often with sweet peppers or onion, and finished with a spoon of kajmak, the rich clotted cream of the Balkans, or crumbled white cheese. It is eaten straight from the pan with warm bread. The mistake is high heat: the eggs seize into dry, rubbery lumps; a medium-low flame and constant gentle stirring give soft, creamy curds. Chef's tip: take the pan off the heat while the eggs still look slightly underdone, because they keep cooking in the hot pan for another minute.

13 minBalkanBreakfast & BrunchGluten free
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NjahiBlack beans mashed with banana

Kikuyu families in Kiambu, Murang'a and Nyeri cook a big pot of njahi for a woman who has just given birth, and visitors bring the beans as a gift; the dish is said to build strength and milk. The beans are small, glossy black lablab beans, simmered for a long time until creamy, then mashed with ripe bananas so the result is dark, soft and gently sweet against the savoury onion and tomato. Look for dried njahi at African grocers (sometimes labelled black dolichos or black lablab beans); black turtle beans are the closest swap and cook a little faster, but skipping the overnight soak is the classic error with either: unsoaked beans stay chalky even after hours. Eat it warm with a cup of tea, or as a main with greens. Chef's tip: choose bananas with brown freckles but still firm; overripe black ones make the mash taste like dessert.

150 minEast AfricanCurriesVeganGluten free
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MucapataCoconut rice and cowpeas

Quelimane cooks have a gift for making rice taste rich without a scrap of meat, and mucapata proves it: rice and boiled cowpeas are cooked down in coconut milk until the grains swell, burst at the edges and bind into a soft, spoonable mass. It sits somewhere between a pilaf and a porridge, mild and faintly sweet from the coconut, with the beans giving it body and an earthy note. Families along the Zambezi delta serve it at lunch beside a tomato and onion sauce, greens cooked with peanuts, or a fiery dab of piri-piri. The usual mistake is adding the rice before the beans are properly soft; they never catch up once the coconut milk goes in. Chef's tip: stir it only now and then once the rice is in and keep the heat very low, so the bottom turns lightly golden rather than scorched.

60 minSouthern AfricanRice & GrainsVeganGluten free
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Pasta jajecznaEgg spread

In Poland pasta jajeczna is the everyday breakfast and kanapki spread, piled thickly on rye bread or a crusty roll and topped with radish slices, and it is always on the table at Easter breakfast. Hard-boiled eggs are chopped finely or mashed with mayonnaise, a little mustard and a lot of chives into a creamy, savoury spread. The common mistake is boiling the eggs too long: overcooked yolks turn grey-green and taste sulphurous, so stop at 10 minutes and chill them at once. Chef's tip: grate the eggs on the coarse side of a box grater instead of chopping; you get a fluffy, even spread in seconds without mashing it to paste.

18 minPolishBreakfast & BrunchGluten free
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Lynyvi varenykyLazy curd dumplings

Lynyvi varenyky, 'lazy dumplings', are the Ukrainian weekday breakfast for families who love varenyky but have no time to fill them: the curd cheese goes into the dough itself, which is rolled into a log, sliced and boiled for a few minutes. They come out soft, tender and lightly sweet, finished with melted butter and a spoon of sour cream, sometimes with jam. The mistake is adding too much flour to make the dough easier to handle, which makes the dumplings heavy; the dough should stay soft and a little sticky. Chef's tip: dust your hands and board rather than the dough, and boil one test dumpling first; if it falls apart, add just one more tablespoon of flour.

27 minUkrainianBreakfast & Brunch
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ÄggostEgg cheese

Äggost, egg cheese, belongs to the farm kitchens of Västergötland and Halland in west Sweden, where it is made for Christmas, Easter and midsummer tables and the leftovers become breakfast with cloudberry or lingonberry jam. Eggs and milk are heated until soft, sweet curds form, which are drained in a holed mould so they keep its pattern. It is creamy, mild and slightly sweet. The common mistake is rushing the heat: boiling the milk too hard makes rubbery curds, so keep it at a gentle simmer. Chef's tip: this version sets the curds with buttermilk, not rennet, so it is suitable for vegetarians; drain it overnight in the fridge for the firmest slice.

45 minScandinavianBreakfast & BrunchGluten free
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Mayai pasuaSplit eggs with kachumbari

Glass-boxed carts outside Nairobi's bars and matatu stages sell mayai pasua into the evening: a vendor splits a hard-boiled egg with a knife, packs the gap with fresh kachumbari and shakes over salt and chilli. It is a quick, protein-heavy snack that tastes cool and sharp from the onion, tomato and lime against the soft yolk. Make a plateful for a party or a packed lunch, and serve with a dash of chilli sauce. The mistake to avoid is a soft or jammy yolk; for street style the eggs must be fully hard-boiled so they split cleanly. Chef's tip: salt the chopped onion with the lime juice for 5 minutes before adding the tomato; it softens the raw bite the way the vendors' pre-mixed kachumbari does.

15 minEast AfricanSnacks & StartersGluten free
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Lubia pokhteSpiced pinto beans

On cold winter mornings in Tehran, steam rises from street carts selling lubia pokhte: pinto beans simmered with a pinch of salt until soft as butter, ladled into a cup with some of their cooking liquid and sprinkled with golpar, the citrusy ground seed of Persian hogweed, plus a squeeze of lemon. It is cheap, warming and filling. The mistake is salting the water at the start; add salt once the beans are tender or the skins stay tough. Chef's tip: skim the foam in the first 10 minutes and keep the beans at a lazy simmer, never a rolling boil, so they stay whole but creamy inside.

120 minPersianBreakfast & BrunchVeganGluten free
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Kos ata curryJackfruit seed curry

During the jackfruit season, roughly April to July, Sri Lankan households save every seed, and kos ata curry is how they become a hearty weekday dish served with rice and greens. The seeds are boiled tender, peeled of their papery skin, then simmered in a dark roasted curry powder and coconut milk gravy until they taste like chestnuts in a spicy sauce. Serve with red rice and a sambol. The usual mistake is undercooking the seeds; they must be boiled until a fork goes in easily, or they stay hard and are hard to digest. A pressure cooker saves time: boil the seeds for 10 minutes on high. Chef's tip: crack each seed lightly with the flat of a knife before simmering so it soaks up the gravy.

50 minSri LankanCurriesVeganGluten free
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Akkha masoorWhole brown lentil curry

Akkha masoor is the dish that made the dhabas on the Kolhapur–Pune highway famous: whole brown lentils cooked into a rich, fiery onion, tomato and Kolhapuri-masala gravy, finished with a big knob of butter and eaten with jowar bhakri, tandoori roti or jeera rice. At home it is a weeknight dinner and a favourite on cold evenings. The lentils keep their shape while the roasted dry coconut and red chilli give a deep, nutty heat. The usual mistake is undercooking the onions; they must turn deep brown before the tomatoes go in, or the gravy tastes thin. Slow-cooker: cook everything except the butter on low for 6 hours, then stir the butter in at the end. Chef's tip: toast the dry coconut until it is the colour of a biscuit; it is the secret of the dhaba flavour.

60 minIndianCurriesGluten freeSpicy
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Guyanese egg ballsFried cassava-coated eggs

Egg balls are the snack you buy in a paper bag at a Georgetown cake shop or from a tray at a cricket match at Bourda, with a generous spoon of mango sour over the top. A whole hard-boiled egg is wrapped in a layer of mashed cassava seasoned with garlic, hot pepper and herbs, then fried until crisp and golden. The usual problem is cassava that is too wet or too thin a layer, so the balls crack in the oil; mash it dry and keep the coat about 1 cm thick. Eggs are the main allergen here. Chef's tip: chill the wrapped balls for 20 minutes before frying so they hold their shape.

60 minGuyaneseSnacks & StartersGluten free
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