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Hua dan xia ren (shrimp with silky scrambled egg)

Hua dan xia ren comes from Guangdong and the Hong Kong cha chaan teng, where it is spooned over rice for a quick lunch or set in the middle of a family dinner: prawns folded into eggs that are barely set, glossy and soft as custard. The classic error is stirring the eggs like a breakfast scramble over a high flame, which gives you dry little curds. Because the eggs are only just set, cook them a little longer for anyone pregnant, very young, older or vulnerable. Chef's tip: a spoon of cornflour slurry and a little oil in the beaten eggs keeps them silky even if you overshoot by a few seconds.

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Qing jiao rou si (shredded pork with green pepper)

Qing jiao rou si is one of the first dishes a home cook in China learns, made in a few minutes from Sichuan to the north-east: thin strips of pork loin, velveted with a little cornflour, flashed in a hot wok with green pepper and garlic. This is a pork dish, and the marinade uses a splash of Shaoxing rice wine, which cooks off only partly; an alcohol-free swap is given below. The mistake most people make is cutting the pork too thick or overcrowding the wok, so the meat stews and toughens. Chef's tip: half-freeze the pork for 20 minutes before slicing and you can cut matchstick-thin strips easily.

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MandelhörnchenMarzipan almond crescents

Look along the glass counter of almost any German bakery and you will find these: fat crescents of almond paste, crusted in toasted flaked almonds, with both horns dipped in dark chocolate. Inside they stay soft and chewy, almost like a macaroon, while the outside crunches. People buy one to eat with a coffee on the way home rather than keeping them for a festival, though they turn up on Christmas plates too. They need no flour, so they are naturally gluten free. Chef's tip: take them out when the almond flakes are golden but the crescents still feel soft; overbaking is the common mistake, and they set hard as they cool.

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Chicharrón de pescadoCrisp fried fish chunks

Up and down the Peruvian coast, from Chorrillos in Lima to the beaches of Piura, chicharrón de pescado is the crunchy plate ordered alongside ceviche at a long seafood lunch: bite-size chunks of firm white fish marinated briefly in garlic and lime, dusted in flour and fried, then served with fried cassava, salsa criolla and tartar or rocoto sauce. Using frozen peeled cassava keeps it to half an hour. The common mistake is leaving the fish in the lime too long: after about ten minutes the acid starts to 'cook' the outside and the coating slips off. Chef's tip: toss the floured pieces in a sieve to shake off every bit of loose flour; a thin coat fries crisp, a thick one turns pasty.

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Toast HawaiiHam, pineapple and cheese toast

Toast Hawaii arrived in West German kitchens in the 1950s and never left: a slice of buttered toast layered with cooked ham (pork), a ring of pineapple and a slice of cheese, baked until the cheese melts down over the sides. It is still a nostalgic Saturday supper or party snack from Hamburg to Munich, often crowned with a cocktail cherry in the pineapple's hole. The mistake that ruins it is using pineapple straight from the tin, whose juice soaks the bread; drain the rings well and pat them dry. Chef's tip: toast the bread lightly before topping it, so the base stays crisp under the juicy layers.

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EierpfannkuchenEgg pancakes

Eierpfannkuchen are the thick, eggy pancakes German families fry for a quick Friday-night supper or a weekend lunch, thicker than a French crêpe but thinner than an American pancake. Children eat them rolled up with apple sauce, jam or sugar and cinnamon; grown-ups often fill them with mushrooms or cheese instead. The batter needs no resting, so they are on the table in 20 minutes. The most common mistake is a pan that is not hot enough, so the pancakes soak up fat and turn pale and greasy; wait until a drop of batter sizzles at once. Chef's tip: beat the egg whites separately and fold them in at the end if you want them especially light and fluffy.

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Chinese walnut cookies

Hap toh sou are a fixture of Cantonese bakeries in Guangzhou and Hong Kong, sold loose by the catty or packed in red tins for Lunar New Year visits, when walnuts stand for family happiness. They are wide, crumbly and slightly sandy, with a cracked golden top crowned by a walnut half and a gentle sweetness that suits a pot of oolong or pu'er. Traditionally they are made with lard, which gives an extra-short crumble; this version uses vegetable shortening or neutral oil, so it is vegetarian. The top is brushed with beaten egg for shine; milk mixed with a little honey or golden syrup is an egg-free alternative. A common mistake is pressing the balls flat: leave them domed and they crack open naturally in the heat. Chef's tip: toast the walnuts before chopping; it deepens their flavour and keeps them crunchy inside the soft crumb.

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HeidesandBrown butter slice-and-bake cookies

The name means 'heath sand', after the pale sandy soil of the Lüneburg Heath in Lower Saxony, and the texture lives up to it: these little rounds crumble the moment you bite. Browning the butter first gives them a nutty, toffee-ish flavour that plain shortbread lacks. German families bake them in Advent alongside Vanillekipferl and cinnamon stars, but they are just as good with afternoon coffee in any season. There is no egg in the dough, only butter, sugar, flour and a splash of milk, and the log is rolled in coarse sugar so every slice has a glittering edge. Chef's tip: let the browned butter set back to a soft, spreadable paste before you cream it; if you beat in butter that is still liquid, the dough turns greasy and the cookies flatten in the oven.

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Cucumber and egg stir-fry

Huang gua chao ji dan is a ten-minute dish from northern Chinese home kitchens, made in summer when cucumbers are cheap and nobody wants to stand over the stove. Soft, fluffy scrambled egg and thin cucumber slices are tossed with garlic and salt for just a minute, so the cucumber stays cool and crisp against the warm egg. Eat it with rice or steamed buns. The mistake is cooking the cucumber too long, which turns it watery and dull green. Chef's tip: take the eggs out while they are still a little wet; they finish cooking when they go back in.

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Pejerrey arrebozadoBattered fish fillets with onion salsa

Pejerrey arrebozado is a Lima classic from the cevicherías and home kitchens of the coast, eaten at lunch on a plate with white rice, a heap of sharp salsa criolla and sometimes boiled potato. The pejerrey, a small silverside, is opened into butterflied fillets, dipped in a light egg-and-flour batter and fried golden. Outside Peru, use small fillets of whiting, sole, haddock or tilapia. The batter here uses sparkling water, not beer, so it is alcohol free. The common mistake is frying in oil that isn't hot enough: the batter drinks the oil and turns greasy, so test with a drop of batter first. Chef's tip: make the salsa criolla first and let the onion sit in lime for ten minutes; it softens its bite and turns a pretty pink.

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Hand-torn cabbage

Shou si bao cai is a Hunan restaurant classic that every Changsha family also cooks at home: cabbage leaves torn by hand, then flash-fried in a roaring wok with garlic and dried chillies and splashed with black vinegar until smoky, sweet and still crunchy. It goes alongside rice and a meat or tofu dish at dinner. The mistake is putting wet leaves into a lukewarm pan: the cabbage stews and goes limp instead of charring at the edges. Chef's tip: tear rather than cut, because the ragged edges catch the heat and the sauce better than clean knife cuts.

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SchinkennudelnPan-fried noodles with ham and egg

Schinkennudeln is the frying-pan supper of Bavaria and Austria: yesterday's cooked noodles fried in butter with onion and diced cooked ham (pork) until crisp in places, then bound with beaten egg and finished with chives. It is not the same as the oven-baked Austrian Schinkenfleckerl; this one is made on the hob in 20 minutes, and children everywhere love it with a green salad or a spoon of ketchup. The common mistake is stirring the noodles constantly, which stops them browning, so leave them alone long enough to crisp. Keep leftover pasta in the fridge and use it within 2 days. Chef's tip: let the eggs set only until just creamy before you take the pan off the heat; they keep cooking on the plate.

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Zhacai rousi mian (pork and pickled mustard noodle soup)

Zhacai rousi mian is a breakfast and late-night bowl from Chongqing to Shanghai noodle shops: plain wheat noodles in a light seasoned broth, topped with shreds of pork stir-fried with crunchy, salty zhacai, the pickled mustard tuber from Fuling. This is a pork dish. The mistake to avoid is salting the topping before you taste it; zhacai is already very salty, and rinsing it briefly saves the bowl. Chef's tip: season the empty bowls with soy, sesame oil and spring onion first, then pour the hot stock over, the way noodle stalls do.

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Tallarines rojosSpaghetti in red sauce with chicken

Tallarines rojos is the Sunday-lunch and weeknight pasta of homes all over Peru, from Lima to Arequipa: spaghetti in a sweet, deep-red sauce of blended tomato, onion and garlic with a little ají panca and oregano, often with pieces of chicken cooked right in it. Children love it, and it is served with a sprinkle of grated cheese and sometimes a spoon of huancaína on the side. The usual mistake is cooking the sauce too briefly, so it tastes of raw onion; let the blended tomato fry until it darkens and the oil shows at the edges. Chef's tip: a bay leaf and a spoon of ají panca paste give the sauce its Peruvian character; paprika will do if you can't find the paste.

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Spinat mit Spiegelei und KartoffelnCreamed spinach with fried egg

Spinat mit Spiegelei und Kartoffeln is the Thursday-night supper many Germans remember from childhood, and still a school-canteen favourite: soft creamed spinach, a sunny fried egg and boiled potatoes, with the yolk running into the green sauce. It is gentle, filling and cheap, and on Maundy Thursday (Gründonnerstag) many families eat it as their green meal. For pregnant people, young children, older or vulnerable people, fry the eggs until the yolks are firm. The most common mistake is adding raw spinach to the sauce without squeezing it, which floods it with water; wilt and squeeze it first. Chef's tip: start the potatoes in cold salted water so they cook evenly through to the centre.

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Belgian frangipane tartlets

Look in the glass counter of a Flemish bakery and between the rice tarts and cream puffs sit rows of frangipanetaartjes: small shortcrust cases with a hidden layer of apricot jam, filled with almond frangipane and glazed with a thin, crackly white icing. Belgians pick them up on Saturday mornings or for a birthday at the office and eat them with coffee. They are buttery, nutty and moist, with a sharp fruity note from the jam. Too much jam is the mistake to watch: it bubbles up through the frangipane and glues the tartlets to the tin. Chef's tip: brush the warm tartlets with hot apricot jam first and let it set before the icing goes on; the jam seals the surface so the glaze stays white and shiny.

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Dragon and phoenix cakesLotus seed paste wedding pastries

In Guangdong and among Cantonese families in Hong Kong and overseas, a groom's family sends boxes of 'lung fung beng', dragon and phoenix cakes, to the bride's relatives ahead of the wedding, and the cakes are shared out among guests as a token of the match. The dragon stands for the groom and the phoenix for the bride, and the cakes are stamped in red with the two creatures or the double-happiness character. Inside the many-layered, flaky crust is smooth, sweet lotus seed paste, sometimes with a salted duck egg yolk, served with tea. Older bakeries often use lard; this version uses butter and vegetable shortening, so it is vegetarian. Chef's tip: roll the laminated pastry lightly and evenly; uneven rolling is the common mistake that leaves thick patches of raw dough and torn, leaking sides.

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Rote-Bete-SalatBeetroot salad

Rote-Bete-Salat is on the table in German homes through autumn and winter, beside potato pancakes, fried eggs or simply bread and butter. Cooked beetroot is cut into slices or batons and dressed with onion, vinegar, oil and a little caraway or grated horseradish, so it is sweet, earthy and sharp at once. It is vegan, gluten free and keeps for days in the fridge. The most common mistake is serving it straight after dressing: give it at least 10 minutes, or better an hour, so the beetroot soaks up the flavour. Chef's tip: wear gloves or rub your hands with lemon juice afterwards, as beetroot stains everything it touches.

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BethmännchenMarzipan almond balls

Frankfurt am Main claims these little domes as its own Christmas sweet, sold by the bag at the Römerberg Christmas market and in the city's cafés through Advent. The story goes that they were made for the banking family Bethmann, with four almonds for the four sons, and one was dropped when a son died; whatever the truth, they now carry three. The marzipan is mixed with a little rosewater and powdered sugar, then glazed with egg yolk so the tops bake golden while the inside stays soft. Serve them with tea or a mug of hot spiced apple juice. For an egg-free glaze, brush with a little cream or milk instead; the colour is paler but still pretty. Chef's tip: bake them on the middle shelf and watch from the 10-minute mark, because the almond tips scorch before the marzipan is golden if your oven runs hot.

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Tomato and egg drop soup

Tomato and egg drop soup, fan qie dan hua tang, is one of the first soups Chinese home cooks learn, made from Shanghai to Chengdu in the ten minutes before rice is ready. Tomatoes cook down into a light, sweet-sour broth and beaten egg is poured in to set into fine yellow ribbons, finished with spring onion and sesame oil. The mistake that makes it cloudy is pouring the egg into a rolling boil and stirring hard; you want a gentle simmer and a slow, thin stream. Chef's tip: fry the tomatoes in a little oil before adding water, so the broth turns rosy and full of flavour.

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TopfengolatschenSweet quark puff pastry squares

A Topfengolatsche is what Viennese office workers grab from the bakery on the way in, and what grandparents order with a Melange in a coffee house on a Sunday afternoon. The corners of a puff pastry square are folded over a lemony, vanilla-scented filling of Topfen (Austrian quark) with plump raisins, and the top gets a thin white glaze. It is flaky, light and not too sweet. Raisins are sometimes soaked in rum; warm water or orange juice works just as well, and the recipe below is alcohol-free. Wet quark is the classic problem, because it turns the filling runny and it leaks out in the oven. Chef's tip: hang the quark in a sieve lined with a clean cloth for an hour, or squeeze it, until it is as thick as soft cream cheese.

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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.

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Liangban haidai siShredded kelp salad

Kelp is farmed in huge quantities along the coast of Shandong and Liaoning, and liangban haidai si is the cheap, crunchy cold dish served in every northern canteen, street stall and home: long, thin strands of kelp blanched and dressed in garlic, vinegar, soy, sugar and chilli oil. It is salty-sour, a little spicy and tastes of the sea, and it goes with dumplings, noodles or a bowl of congee. A portion is about 55 kcal. The common mistake is not rinsing the kelp well; it is coated in a salty, slippery film that must be washed off before blanching. Chef's tip: add a few drops of vinegar to the blanching water; it keeps the kelp bright green and crisp.

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Dong gua tangWinter melon soup

In the sticky summers of Guangzhou and Hong Kong, a big pot of winter melon soup is on the stove in many homes: slabs of the pale green gourd simmered until translucent and almost melting, in a clear broth. Cantonese families believe it cools the body and drains the "dampness" of the season. Usually it is made with pork ribs or dried shrimp; this version uses dried shiitake and ginger for a deep, savoury vegetarian broth, seasoned only with salt and white pepper. A bowl is about 40 kcal. The common mistake is cutting the melon too thin, so it disintegrates; cut it into 2 cm slabs and simmer gently. Chef's tip: keep the soaking water from the mushrooms and add it to the pot; it is full of flavour.

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