All recipes

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Tom kha gai (chicken in coconut-galangal soup)

Central Thai home cooks make tom kha as one of the dishes at a shared dinner, spooned over rice rather than drunk as a starter, and Bangkok restaurants serve it in a bubbling fire pot. Galangal, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaf are simmered in coconut milk with chicken and mushrooms, then seasoned at the end with fish sauce and lime, so the soup is creamy, sour, salty and only gently hot. For a vegetarian version (tom kha het), use 400 g mixed mushrooms and firm tofu, vegetable stock and light soy sauce instead of fish sauce. Chef's tip: add the lime juice off the heat; boiling lime turns bitter and dulls the whole pot.

30 min

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Nom yen (pink milk)Pink iced milk

Thai drink stalls outside schools and markets keep a bottle of red sala syrup next to the condensed milk for this sweet, bubblegum-pink milk, a favourite of children from Bangkok to Hat Yai. Sala is a tangy palm fruit, and the syrup tastes of it lightly, almost like cream soda; any red sala-flavoured syrup from an Asian shop works. Shake it with ice until frothy. Chef's tip: the mistake is too much syrup, which turns it lurid and cloying; start with a tablespoon per glass and add more to taste.

5 min

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Gaeng liang (peppery pumpkin and lemon basil soup)

Older cooks in Ayutthaya and the central plains make this soup for new mothers and anyone feeling run down: a cloudy broth of pounded shallot, white pepper and krachai (fingerroot), packed with pumpkin, baby corn, sponge gourd and handfuls of lemon basil. It is eaten as one of several dishes with rice at a home meal, never as a creamy starter. The everyday version pounds dried shrimp and shrimp paste into the base and seasons with fish sauce; here dried shiitake and tamari give the savouriness, so it is vegan. Chef's tip: add the lemon basil off the heat at the very end; boiled basil turns black and loses the peppery perfume the soup is named for.

30 min

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Nam takrai (lemongrass drink)

Thai spa receptions and roadside rice shops both pour this from big glass jars, and in Chiang Mai and Bangkok homes a pot is often simmering on hot afternoons. Bruised lemongrass gives a clean, lemony, slightly grassy taste and pandan a soft vanilla note; lightly sweetened, it is refreshing over ice and soothing warm on a rainy-season evening. Chef's tip: the usual mistake is chopping the lemongrass fine and boiling it hard, which makes it bitter; bash the stalks and simmer gently.

20 min

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Nam dok anchan (butterfly pea lemonade)

Vines of butterfly pea climb fences in gardens all over Thailand, and cafés from Bangkok to Krabi serve the flowers as an iced drink that changes colour at the table. The tea itself is mild and earthy, blue as ink; stirring in lime juice turns it violet and makes it tangy, which children love to watch. Chef's tip: the common mistake is mixing the lime in beforehand; serve the blue tea and lime separately so the colour change happens in the glass.

15 min

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Tom klong (smoky sour dried-fish soup)

Tom klong is the older, rustic cousin of tom yum, cooked in central Thai homes along the rivers of Suphan Buri and Ang Thong, where fish was dried and smoked to keep through the rains. Shallots, garlic and dried chillies are charred first, then simmered with tamarind, lemongrass and galangal, and smoked dried fish turns the clear broth deep and savoury. It is sour, smoky and hot, eaten with rice and a plain omelette. Look for dried smoked fish (pla krob or pla salid) in Asian grocers, or use smoked mackerel. Chef's tip: grill the aromatics until blackened in patches; pale, raw shallots give a thin soup without the smoke that defines it.

35 min

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Gaeng jued tao hoo (clear tofu soup, jay style)

During the nine days of the Vegetarian Festival in Phuket Town and Bangkok's Chinatown, yellow flags mark the stalls selling food that is jay: no meat, no dairy and none of the pungent alliums. This gentle soup is what people drink alongside their stir-fries, a clear broth of daikon and dried shiitake sharpened with crushed white pepper and coriander root, holding soft silken tofu and slippery mung bean vermicelli. Out of festival season, cooks add garlic oil and minced pork. Chef's tip: don't boil after the tofu goes in; silken tofu breaks into crumbs, so let it warm through at a bare simmer.

30 min

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Nam bai toey (pandan drink)

Every Thai garden seems to have a clump of pandan by the tap, and on hot days cooks across the country blitz a handful of leaves into this bright green drink sold at temple fairs and noodle shops. It tastes sweet, grassy and faintly of vanilla and basmati, and is said to cool the body. Fresh leaves give the best colour; frozen ones from Asian shops work well too. Chef's tip: the mistake is serving it unstrained or leaving it for hours; strain it twice through cloth and drink it the same day, as it fades and turns grey.

15 min

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Nam krachiap (roselle drink)

In the dry hot season Thai markets from Isan to Bangkok sell bags of this ruby drink tied with a straw, made from the dried calyces of the roselle plant grown in the northeast. It tastes like cranberry with a floral edge, sharply tart and only lightly sweet, with a pinch of salt to lift it. Drink it very cold; it keeps for days in the fridge. Chef's tip: the mistake is boiling the roselle for a long time, which turns it bitter and dull; simmer briefly and then let it steep off the heat.

20 min

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Potage Saint-GermainFresh pea soup

Potage Saint-Germain is a Parisian classic named after the Saint-Germain district, a bright green spring soup served at the start of family dinners in May and June when fresh peas arrive, though frozen peas make an excellent version all year. Peas are simmered briefly with lettuce, spring onions and mint, then blended smooth so the soup tastes fresh and sweet. The common mistake is cooking the peas too long, which turns the soup khaki and dull. Chef's tip: cool the blended soup quickly in a bowl set over iced water if you are not serving it at once; it keeps its vivid colour.

30 min

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Crêpes dentelleCrisp lace crêpe biscuits

Crêpes dentelle, "lace crêpes", are a speciality of Quimper in Brittany, said to have been invented by a baker there in 1886 who burnt a crêpe and rolled it up; they are wafer-thin, crisp, buttery rolled biscuits, sold in tins all over Brittany and eaten with coffee or crumbled over ice cream. The common mistake is spreading the batter too thick, so they will not crisp. Chef's tip: spread the batter so thin you can see the tray through it, and roll each one as soon as it comes out of the oven.

40 min

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Gâteau nantaisAlmond rum-free lemon cake

The gâteau nantais comes from Nantes in the Loire, created in 1820 by a local baker when the city's port imported sugar and rum from the Caribbean; it is a dense, moist almond cake with a crackly white glaze, eaten at goûter and family lunches. Traditionally the cake is soaked in rum and the glaze flavoured with it; this version uses lemon juice for both so all ages can eat it, and adults can add 2 tablespoons of rum to the glaze. The common mistake is overbaking, which dries it. Chef's tip: soak the cake while it is still warm.

50 min

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Torteau fromagerGoat's cheese cake

The torteau fromager is the cake of the Poitou-Charentes, a tall, light goat's cheese cake with a dramatically burnt, almost black dome, sold at markets around Poitiers and served at Sunday lunch and weddings. Fresh goat's cheese is beaten with egg yolks and sugar, folded with whisked whites and baked in a pastry-lined dome mould at a high heat, which gives the dark crust. Use pasteurised fresh goat's cheese. The common mistake is opening the oven early, which makes it fall. Chef's tip: do not worry about the black top; it is meant to be that way and tastes of caramel.

80 min

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Langues de chatCat's tongue biscuits

Langues de chat, "cat's tongues", are long, thin butter biscuits with golden edges, served with coffee, ice cream or a bowl of chocolate mousse in French homes and cafés; they keep well in a tin and children love them. A simple batter of butter, sugar, egg white and flour is piped in strips and baked until the edges just brown. The common mistake is piping them too close together; they spread. Chef's tip: tap the tray firmly on the worktop after piping so the strips flatten evenly.

25 min

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Tarte courgette et chèvreCourgette and goat's cheese tart

Tarte courgette-chèvre is a modern French classic, the tart everyone brings to summer picnics, family barbecues and school fêtes from June to September. Lightly fried courgette slices and rounds of fresh goat's cheese are set in a savoury egg and cream custard in a crisp case, with thyme and a little honey to round off the tang. Many French goat's cheeses use animal rennet; choose one labelled vegetarian if needed, and a pasteurised one for anyone pregnant or with a weakened immune system. The common mistake is adding raw courgettes, which weep into the custard. Chef's tip: blind-bake the case for 15 minutes first so the base stays crisp.

70 min

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Pâté aux pommes de terrePotato and cream pastry pie

Pâté aux pommes de terre is the farmhouse pie of the Limousin, the Berry and the Allier in central France, baked for Sunday lunch and village fêtes and served warm with a green salad. Thin slices of potato with onion, garlic and parsley are baked inside puff pastry, and when the pie comes out of the oven a lid is lifted and thick crème fraîche is poured in to soak through the potatoes. The common mistake is slicing the potatoes too thick, so they are still hard when the pastry is done. Chef's tip: slice the potatoes 2 mm thick and cook the pie for the full hour; the potatoes must be soft before the cream goes in.

85 min

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OranaisApricot custard pastry

The oranais, also called abricotine, is a French bakery pastry that is said to come from the city of Oran in Algeria, brought back by returning pieds-noirs in the 1960s, and it is now found in boulangeries all over France for breakfast and goûter. A square of puff or croissant dough has its corners folded over a spoonful of pastry cream and two apricot halves, so it looks like a pair of eyes. The common mistake is using wet canned apricots, which make the pastry soggy. Chef's tip: drain the apricots on kitchen paper and glaze them with warm apricot jam after baking for a jewel-like shine.

50 min

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Crème Du BarryCream of cauliflower soup

Crème Du Barry is a Parisian cauliflower soup named after Madame du Barry, the last favourite of King Louis XV, and any dish "Du Barry" in French cookery contains cauliflower. It is a soft, pale, comforting winter soup served as a starter at family dinners and in classic restaurants, made from cauliflower simmered with potato and leek and blended with cream. The common mistake is overcooking the cauliflower until it smells cabbagey; it needs only 20 minutes. Chef's tip: keep a few tiny florets back, roast them until golden and use them as a garnish.

40 min

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Velouté de potironCreamy pumpkin soup

Velouté de potiron is the soup French families make all autumn, from the October markets piled with orange pumpkins right through to Christmas, often served as a starter for Sunday lunch or a simple supper with bread and cheese. The pumpkin is simmered with onion and potato in vegetable stock, then blended until velvety and finished with a spoonful of crème fraîche. The common mistake is too much stock, which makes it thin and bland; you can always add more after blending. Chef's tip: a small potato gives body without masking the sweet pumpkin flavour.

45 min

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Velouté de topinamboursJerusalem artichoke soup

Velouté de topinambours is a winter soup French cooks rediscovered in the last twenty years; the knobbly Jerusalem artichoke was wartime food for older generations and is now a favourite at markets and bistros from November to March. Simmered with leek and potato and blended smooth, it has a sweet, nutty flavour close to artichoke and hazelnut. The common mistake is leaving the peeled roots in the air, where they turn grey; drop them straight into lemon water. Chef's tip: finish each bowl with a few drops of hazelnut or walnut oil to bring out the nutty taste.

45 min

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Soupe à l'oseilleSorrel and potato soup

Soupe à l'oseille is an old country soup made in French homes in spring and early summer, when sorrel grows back in the vegetable garden, and served at supper with bread. The lemony leaves melt in butter into a khaki purée, then simmer with potatoes and are finished with an egg yolk and cream, which softens the sharpness into a silky, tangy soup. The common mistake is letting the soup boil after adding the yolk, which scrambles it. Chef's tip: cut the sorrel into ribbons and melt it in butter first; it collapses in a minute and releases all its flavour.

35 min

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Agneau pascalLamb-shaped Easter cake

The lammele, or agneau pascal, is the Easter cake of Alsace, a light sponge baked in a lamb-shaped earthenware mould from Soufflenheim and dusted with icing sugar, with a little paper flag tied round its neck. It is bought from bakeries in Strasbourg and Colmar or made at home for Easter Sunday breakfast. No lamb meat is involved; it is a vegetarian cake. The common mistake is not greasing the mould well enough, so the head sticks. Chef's tip: brush the mould with soft butter, chill, then dust with flour, so every detail comes out clean.

60 min

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Brioche à têteTopknot brioche

Brioche à tête, the brioche parisienne, is the little fluted bun with a round head that sits in every French bakery window, eaten for Sunday breakfast, dunked in hot chocolate or served with jam at goûter. The dough is very rich in eggs and butter, kneaded long until silky, then chilled overnight, which makes it easy to shape and gives a deep flavour. The common mistake is adding the butter too fast, which leaves a greasy dough. Chef's tip: add the butter a little at a time while the mixer runs, and wait until each piece disappears before adding the next.

620 min