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Chhanar murkiSugar-coated chhena cubes

In Bangladesh and West Bengal, Hindu families mark Bijoya Dashami at the end of Durga Puja by visiting neighbours with plates of sweets, and chhanar murki is one of the simplest to make at home. Fresh chhena is pressed firm, cut into tiny cubes and cooked in sugar syrup, which is then boiled down until it crystallises and clings to each cube as a white, crunchy coat; inside they stay soft and milky. Common mistake: using soft, wet chhena, which dissolves in the syrup. Press it under a weight until it is firm enough to slice cleanly. When the syrup turns cloudy and grainy, it is about to crystallise onto the cubes, so lower the heat and keep tossing. Chef's tip: toss the cubes off the heat for a full minute as the syrup dries; constant gentle movement gives an even, snowy coating instead of clumps.

85 min

Bangladeshi Indian Sweets

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MurkiPuffed rice in jaggery

Nabanna, the 'new rice' festival of late autumn in Bangladesh and West Bengal, celebrates the first harvest of aman paddy, and the season's first date-palm jaggery arrives just in time. Murki is the treat every village makes for it: crisp puffed rice tossed in a pan of thick, boiling khejur gur until each grain is coated in a thin, crackly glaze, with a hint of dry ginger. It is offered to guests on Nabanna and on Bijoya and Lakshmi Puja, and children eat it by the handful. The common mistake is undercooking the syrup, which leaves the murki chewy and clumped; overcook it and it tastes burnt. The syrup is ready when large, slow bubbles cover the surface and a drop in cold water sets into a ball you can roll. Chef's tip: toss with two spatulas, lifting from the bottom, and keep going until the grains separate and stop sticking.

20 min

Bangladeshi Desserts

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BatashaPuffy sugar drops

On Pohela Boishakh, the Bengali New Year in mid-April, the fairs that spring up in Dhaka, across Bangladesh and in West Bengal sell batasha by the basket, and shopkeepers hand them out with sweets as they open their new account books for halkhata. Temples receive them as offerings, and children crunch them on the way home. They are simply sugar boiled hot, then foamed with a pinch of soda and dropped in coins that set airy, crisp and melt-in-the-mouth. The common mistake is pulling the syrup off too early: below the hard-ball stage the drops spread flat and stay sticky. The syrup is ready at about 125 °C, when a drop in cold water forms a firm ball that keeps its shape. Chef's tip: work fast once the soda goes in, because the syrup sets within a minute; ask someone to help you drop them.

25 min

Bangladeshi Desserts

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Chushi pithaRice flour strands in milk

When the new rice is in and the date palms start giving their winter sap, Bangladeshi families make pitha for Nabanna and through the cold months, and chushi pitha is the one grandmothers roll by hand, an evening of small grain-shaped strands rubbed out between the palms. The strands are cooked in reduced milk with bay leaf and cardamom, then sweetened with fresh khejur gur, giving a pale caramel pudding with soft, slightly chewy pieces. The common mistake is adding the jaggery while the milk is still boiling: it can curdle it, so take the pan off the heat and let it cool for a few minutes first. The strands are done when they float, turn translucent at the edges and are soft right through. Chef's tip: let the rolled strands dry on a tray for 15 minutes before cooking; they hold their shape instead of dissolving into the milk.

75 min

Bangladeshi Desserts

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Ilish bhajaFried hilsa fish

Breakfast on Pohela Boishakh in Dhaka means panta bhat, rice soaked overnight in water, eaten under the trees at Ramna with crisp fried hilsa, raw onion and green chilli. Ilish bhaja is the simplest way to cook Bangladesh's national fish: steaks rubbed only with turmeric and salt and fried in mustard oil until the edges crisp and the rich, oily flesh turns soft and sweet. The oil left in the pan, perfumed with the fish, is poured over rice and is half the pleasure. The common mistake is turning the steaks too soon, which tears the delicate skin; leave them until they release from the pan by themselves. The fish is done when the flesh is opaque right through and flakes away from the central bone. Chef's tip: hilsa is full of fine bones, so eat it slowly with your fingers and warn guests who have not tried it before.

30 min

Bangladeshi Fish

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SkābputraSoured barley porridge drink

Skābputra, 'sour porridge', is one of the oldest Latvian foods, and at Jāņi, Midsummer on 23–24 June, it is served cold alongside caraway cheese, pīrāgi and wreaths of flowers. Pearl barley is cooked soft, then soured with buttermilk or kefir for a day or two until it is tangy and fresh-tasting, and it is thinned with milk into a thick, cooling drink sipped or eaten with a spoon on hot summer days. This home version uses bought live buttermilk to start the souring safely. Chef's tip: use clean jars and utensils, and taste it each day; once it is pleasantly sour, chill it so it stops souring.

60 minBaltic Drinks

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KaguyjyWhite corn pudding

On the night of 23–24 June, Paraguayans celebrate San Juan with bonfires, games like walking over hot coals and the 'paso de fuego', and a table of traditional foods, and kaguyjy (also mazamorra) is one of them. It is a soft, creamy pudding of cracked white corn (locro) simmered slowly in water and then milk with sugar or honey, sometimes with orange peel. It is eaten warm or cold. It is gluten free. Chef's tip: soak the corn overnight and cook it until each kernel is tender before adding the milk, or it never turns creamy.

130 min

Paraguayan Desserts

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RabarbrikookRhubarb crumble cake

By Jaanipäev, Estonian Midsummer on 24 June, the rhubarb in every country garden is tall and red, and Estonians take rhubarb cake to the Jaaniõhtu bonfire evening along with grilled sausages, cheese and the beer for the grown-ups. Rabarbrikook is a simple, soft butter cake packed with sharp rhubarb under a thick, sweet crumble that soaks up the juices. Serve it warm with vanilla sauce or cold in squares. Chef's tip: toss the rhubarb in a spoonful of sugar and flour first; the flour thickens the juice so the cake below does not go soggy.

65 minBaltic Baking

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DouaraLamb tripe and chickpea stew

Douara is the dish that fills Algerian kitchens on the second day of Eid al-Adha, when the tripe, intestines and lung from the family's sacrifice are cleaned, cut small and stewed slowly with chickpeas, plenty of garlic, cumin and paprika. The sauce is deep red and peppery and the offal turns tender and rich. At home, cleaned lamb or beef tripe and lamb heart from a halal butcher make an easy start; lung can be added if your butcher sells it. Chef's tip: blanch the tripe first in water with a squeeze of lemon to freshen the flavour before it goes into the stew.

180 min

Algerian Meat

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Chipa so'oCheese bread with spiced beef

In Paraguay, families bake chipa in the clay tatakua ovens on Holy Wednesday so there is food for Thursday and Good Friday, when cooking stops. Chipa so'o ('chipa with meat') is a cassava-starch and cheese bread wrapped around a little filling of minced beef cooked with onion and egg, then baked until crisp outside and chewy within. It is naturally gluten free. Chef's tip: knead the dough until it no longer cracks at the edges when pressed; dry dough splits around the filling.

90 min

Paraguayan Breads & Parathas

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Sopa teólogaTurkey broth with bread and cheese

Sopa teóloga ('the theologian's soup') goes back to colonial convents in Lima and Arequipa, where it was cooked for feast days, and it is still served at Holy Week and family celebrations. A rich turkey (or chicken) broth is thickened with soaked bread, milk and fresh cheese, with yellow potatoes and shreds of turkey, and finished with a little ají amarillo and chopped huacatay or parsley. It is thick, comforting and filling. Chef's tip: blend part of the soaked bread with broth before adding it, which gives the soup its creamy body without lumps.

115 min

Peruvian Soups

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Pajagua mascadaBeef and cassava patties

Pajagua mascada is a Paraguayan street-food classic that appears on every table for the San Juan festival on 24 June, when bonfires burn and the night is full of games and traditional food. Minced beef is mixed with mashed cassava, onion, garlic and a little egg and flour, shaped into flat patties and fried until crisp. The name comes from Guaraní and refers to the 'chewing' of old Paraguayan cooks, who made it from leftover meat. Chef's tip: dry the boiled cassava well and remove its woody core, which keeps the patties light and crunchy.

60 min

Paraguayan Meat

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KalanehWild leek stuffed flatbread

In Kurdistan and Kermanshah, Newroz arrives with the first spring greens on the hillsides, and families gather wild leeks to fold into kalaneh, thin griddle breads cooked over a fire or a hot pan and soaked in melted butter. The dough is plain and soft, rolled very thin around a pile of chopped leek or chives with a little salt and pepper, so the greens steam inside as the bread blisters. Eat it hot, torn into strips, with yogurt and tea at a Newroz picnic. The common mistake is wet greens, which turn the dough soggy and make it tear; dry them well after washing. Chef's tip: brush the butter on the moment the bread leaves the pan so it soaks right in.

65 minMiddle Eastern Breads & Parathas

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Dowina (Kurdish yogurt soup)

Dowina, called ash-e doogh in Persian, is warming spring food in Kurdish homes around Newroz, when yogurt is plentiful and the first herbs are cut from the garden. Rice and chickpeas simmer in a tangy, lightly thickened yogurt broth, finished with fresh dill, coriander and a sizzle of dried mint in oil. It is eaten warm, never boiling hot, with flatbread. The common mistake is to heat the yogurt too fast without stirring, which makes it split into grainy curds. Chef's tip: whisk an egg yolk and a spoonful of rice flour into the yogurt before it goes on the heat; it holds the soup smooth all the way to the simmer.

75 minMiddle Eastern Soups

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KesraSemolina pan bread

Kesra is the flat semolina bread of Algerian homes, and in Ramadan a fresh round sits on almost every iftar table, cooked on a clay tajine and torn into pieces to dip into hot chorba frik. This unleavened version is a thin, crumbly-edged galette, golden in patches and slightly chewy in the middle, with a nutty taste from the olive oil. It is made in minutes before sunset so it reaches the table still warm. Chef's tip: work the dough only until it holds together; kneading it like a yeast bread makes kesra tough instead of tender.

40 min

Algerian Breads & Parathas

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ParihuelaSpicy seafood soup

Parihuela is the big weekend seafood soup of Callao and the Peruvian coast, eaten at long Sunday lunches in cevicherías and praised as a cure for tiredness and late nights. A deep red broth of ají panca, ají amarillo, tomato and fish stock is loaded with chunks of fish, prawns, squid and mussels. A portion gives about 30 g of protein, from the fish and shellfish, for roughly 300 kcal. Some cooks add chicha de jora or beer; this version has none. The common mistake is adding all the seafood at once: squid and prawns turn rubbery while the fish cooks, so they go in last. Before cooking, discard any mussels that stay open when tapped, and after cooking discard any that stay shut. Chef's tip: fry the chilli pastes in the oil until they darken and smell sweet; that toasted ají is what gives parihuela its depth.

70 min

Peruvian Fish

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Shemai (Bangladeshi Eid vermicelli in milk)

On Eid morning in Dhaka, Chattogram and villages across Bangladesh, a pot of shemai is usually on the stove before anyone leaves for prayers, and it's the first sweet offered to every visitor that day. Fine wheat vermicelli is toasted in ghee until golden, then simmered in milk with sugar, cardamom, cinnamon and the bay leaf that gives Bengali sweets their gentle, warm scent, and finished with raisins and nuts. It's creamy and soft but still loose, and it thickens as it cools. Serve it warm, or chilled the day after. It is naturally egg-free: the starch from the toasted vermicelli thickens the reduced milk, so it needs nothing to bind it. Chef's tip: take it off the heat while it still looks a little thin; cooking it until thick in the pan is the common mistake, because it sets into a stiff paste once it cools.

25 min

Bangladeshi Indian Sweets

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Chilcano de pescadoClear fish broth

In the fishermen's terminals of Chorrillos and Callao, chilcano is what you drink on a Sunday morning after a long night: a clear, gingery broth made from the heads and bones left over from cleaning fish for ceviche, with chunks of fish, red onion, chilli and a squeeze of lime in the bowl. It is light and warming, around 160 kcal a bowl, and still gives about 24 g of protein from the fish fillet and the broth. The common mistake is squeezing the lime into the pot while it boils, which turns it bitter; add it to each bowl at the table. Don't boil the bones for more than 30 minutes either, or the broth turns cloudy and harsh. Chef's tip: ask the fishmonger for heads and frames from mild white fish like sea bass or cod, and leave out oily fish such as mackerel, which makes the broth strong and fishy.

55 min

Peruvian Soups

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Aguadito de polloCoriander chicken rice soup

Aguadito is the soup Lima serves in the small hours: at the end of a wedding, after New Year's Eve and at weekend family lunches, it is ladled out thick and steaming to revive everyone. Rice simmers in chicken broth coloured deep green with blended coriander and warmed with yellow ají amarillo, along with peas, carrot, pepper, sweetcorn and potato. A portion gives about 24 g of protein, from the chicken with a little from the rice and peas, for around 480 kcal. The common mistake is adding the coriander purée too early: cooked for long it turns khaki and loses its fresh taste, so stir it in for the last 10 minutes. The chicken must reach 74 °C at the bone. Chef's tip: blend a handful of spinach with the coriander; it keeps the colour vivid green without changing the flavour.

75 min

Peruvian Soups

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Narkel naru (Bengali coconut balls)

Narkel naru are made by the plateful in Bengali homes for Lakshmi Puja and on Bijoya Dashami, when they're offered to every visitor who comes to exchange greetings after Durga Puja. Freshly grated coconut is cooked slowly with jaggery, ideally the winter date-palm jaggery called nolen gur, until the mixture turns sticky and caramel-brown, then rolled into small balls while still warm. They're chewy and moist, intensely coconutty, with a deep molasses sweetness. Serve them at room temperature with tea or as part of a festival plate. They're naturally egg-free and vegan: the jaggery, cooked down to a sticky syrup, binds the coconut, with no flour or milk needed. Use sugar for a white naru if you prefer. Chef's tip: roll them while the mixture is still warm; waiting until it's cold is the common mistake, because it then crumbles and won't hold a ball shape.

40 min

Bangladeshi Indian Sweets

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Lau ghontoBottle gourd with moong dal

Lau ghonto is a gentle summer dish from Dhaka and Kolkata kitchens, served in the first courses of a Bengali lunch with plain rice, when the bottle gourds are young and sweet. The gourd is grated, cooked down in its own juice with a handful of roasted moong dal, ginger and a little cumin until soft and almost creamy, and seasoned with a pinch of sugar. It is light, about 190 kcal a portion, and gives about 8 g of protein from the moong dal, so it is a vegetable side rather than a protein dish and is not tagged High protein. The most common mistake is adding water: bottle gourd releases plenty of its own, and extra water turns the ghonto into a soup. Chef's tip: choose a gourd that feels heavy, with pale, fuzzy skin you can dent with a fingernail; older gourds have hard seeds and turn bitter.

45 min

Bangladeshi Vegetarian

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Malai chop (chhana dumplings filled with sweet malai)

Malai chop is a sweet-shop showpiece in Dhaka and Kolkata, bought by the box for weddings, Eid visits, Durga Puja and the arrival of guests. Soft chhana (fresh milk curd) is kneaded, shaped into ovals and boiled in sugar syrup until spongy, then each one is split and filled with thick, sweet reduced-milk malai and topped with pistachios. They're juicy, light and creamy, best served cold, two to a plate. It's naturally egg-free: well-kneaded chhana holds itself together, a little cornflour helps it bind, and the long-reduced milk thickens the filling without any custard. Chef's tip: squeeze the chhana until it's moist but not wet and knead it until your palm feels greasy; chhana that's too wet is the common mistake that makes the dumplings fall apart in the syrup.

190 min

Bangladeshi Indian Sweets

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Taler bora (Bengali palm-fruit fritters)

When the ripe palmyra palm fruits (tal) fall in the late monsoon, Bengal's kitchens fill with their heavy, almost fermented-fruit scent, and taler bora are made, above all for Janmashtami in August and September. The dark orange pulp is scraped from the fibrous seeds, mixed with rice flour, a little wheat flour, grated coconut and sugar, and dropped by the spoonful into hot oil. They puff into soft, spongy balls with a dark brown crust and a sweet, fruity, slightly smoky taste. Eat them warm or at room temperature with tea, or as part of a Janmashtami offering. They are naturally egg-free and vegan: the thick, fibrous palm pulp and the rice flour bind the batter, and a pinch of bicarbonate lightens it. Use fresh pulp when you find the fruit, or frozen palmyra pulp from a South Asian grocer. Chef's tip: fry at about 165°C; the sugar in the palm pulp burns easily, so oil that's too hot is the common mistake that blackens the outside while the centre stays raw.

50 min

Bangladeshi Indian Sweets

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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 min

Bangladeshi Breakfast & Brunch

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