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Gyeran gukEgg ribbon soup

Gyeran guk is the gentle soup Korean families make on a busy weeknight or for anyone feeling under the weather: soft ribbons of egg and spring onion drifting in a clear broth seasoned with soup soy sauce. Many homes use an anchovy stock; this one uses a quick kelp broth so it stays vegetarian. Serve it with rice and a couple of banchan. The common mistake is stirring the egg the moment it goes in, which clouds the soup into tiny grains; pour it in a thin stream and wait 20 seconds before giving one gentle stir. Chef's tip: take the kelp out just as the water starts to boil, because boiled kelp turns the broth slimy and bitter.

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Dubu kimchiTofu with stir-fried pork kimchi

Dubu kimchi is a favourite at Seoul's tent bars and at home dinner tables across Korea: soft blocks of blanched tofu served beside sour, spicy kimchi that has been stir-fried with thin slices of pork until glossy. You pick up a slice of mild tofu with a little kimchi on top, so every bite is cool and hot at once. It's eaten as an evening dinner with rice, or as something to share with friends over drinks. The mistake is using freshly made kimchi; it stays crunchy and flat, while well-fermented, sour kimchi caramelises and turns deeply savoury. Chef's tip: add a spoonful of the kimchi juice at the end for extra tang.

15 minKoreanMeatSpicy
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Gyeran bapEgg rice with sesame oil

Gyeran bap, egg rice, is the five-minute meal of Korean childhoods and student flats from Seoul to Busan: a bowl of steaming rice topped with a crisp-edged fried egg, a little butter or sesame oil and a splash of soy, all mixed together and scooped up with sheets of roasted seaweed (gim). Kimchi on the side is all it needs. The common mistake is using cold rice: it must be freshly cooked or reheated until piping hot so the yolk and butter melt into it. Chef's tip: fry the egg in sesame-scented oil on a high heat so the white blisters and crisps; that crunchy frill is the best bit. If you are cooking for anyone pregnant, a young child, an older person or anyone with a weakened immune system, cook the egg until the yolk is firm, or use British Lion or other pasteurised eggs.

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TripleAvocado, tomato and egg sandwich

The triple is the soft, layered sandwich of Lima's cafés and bakeries, eaten at lonche, the Peruvian late-afternoon meal, or as a light supper: three slices of crustless white bread layered with avocado, tomato and sliced hard-boiled egg, all held together with mayonnaise. It looks neat, tastes fresh and is loved by children. Shop-bought mayonnaise is made with pasteurised egg, so it is safe for everyone. The common mistake is letting wet tomato touch the bread, which turns it soggy within minutes. Chef's tip: pat the tomato dry and sit it between the avocado and egg, then press the sandwich under a board for a minute before cutting.

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Pan con butifarraHam roll with onion salsa

Pan con butifarra is Lima's evening sandwich, sold in old-school sangucherías and made at home for a light dinner with coffee: a crusty roll filled with jamón del país, a spiced Peruvian pork ham, under a heap of salsa criolla, red onion sliced thin and soaked in lime with chilli. Outside Peru, use a good cooked pork ham. The common mistake is leaving the onion harsh; give it a quick rinse in salted water before dressing it. Chef's tip: a leaf of lettuce under the ham stops the lime juice soaking straight into the bread.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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AllerheiligenstriezelBraided sweet loaf

In Bavaria and Austria, godparents give their godchildren an Allerheiligenstriezel on All Saints' Day, 1 November: a large braided loaf of sweet yeast dough, brushed with egg and scattered with almonds or pearl sugar. The braid is said to recall the old custom of cutting a plait of hair in mourning, and the size of the loaf once showed how generous the godparent was. It is lightly sweet, with lemon and vanilla, and is eaten sliced with butter or jam. Some recipes add rum-soaked raisins; these are soaked in warm water instead. Chef's tip: braid four strands for an impressive, high loaf.

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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.

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ShilaplaviRice with lamb and spices

In Racha and Imereti, in western Georgia, shilaplavi is the dish of the kelekhi, the memorial feast held after a funeral and on remembrance days, when long tables are laid for family and neighbours. Lamb is simmered until tender and its broth used to cook rice with plenty of onion, coriander seed and blue fenugreek, so the grains turn soft and a little sticky, closer to a thick pilaf than a dry one. It is eaten quietly with bread, herbs and pickles. Chef's tip: use short-grain rice and don't rinse it too much; shilaplavi should be soft and clinging, not fluffy.

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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 minAlgerianMeatGluten freeSpicy
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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.

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OsterpinzeEaster anise brioche

Osterpinze is the Easter bread of Styria, Carinthia and the area around Trieste, a soft, golden brioche dome with three deep cuts on top for the Holy Trinity, so that it opens into a crown as it bakes. The dough is rich with egg yolks and butter and flavoured with anise and lemon; old recipes add a splash of white wine, left out here. It is blessed in the Easter basket on Holy Saturday and eaten on Easter morning with ham, horseradish and eggs, or with butter and jam. Chef's tip: make the three cuts with scissors just before baking, deep enough to reach halfway down, so the crown opens wide.

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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.

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Gotgam-ssam (walnut-stuffed dried persimmon rounds)

Sangju in North Gyeongsang is Korea's dried-persimmon capital, and in Andong and across the region gotgam-ssam is a sweet for Seollal and Chuseok tables and for welcoming guests in winter. Soft dried persimmons are opened out flat, rolled tightly around a row of walnut halves and sliced, so each round shows a pattern like a flower. They are chewy and honeyed from the fruit, with crunchy, slightly bitter walnuts in the middle. Serve them with sujeonggwa, the cinnamon-ginger punch, or with a cup of roasted barley tea. It is naturally egg-free: the sticky dried fruit is its own glue, and a short chill firms the roll so it slices neatly. Chef's tip: wrap the roll tightly in cling film and chill it before slicing; the common mistake is slicing it straight away, which squashes the rounds and lets the walnuts fall out.

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Dasik (Korean pressed tea cakes)

Dasik are small pressed tea cakes stamped with patterns of flowers, characters for long life and good fortune, made across Korea for Chuseok, weddings and the tables set for ancestral rites. Powders of roasted grain, black sesame or yellow pine pollen are kneaded with honey and pressed into carved wooden moulds, so a single plate shows contrasting colours. They are dense and melt slowly, tasting of toasted nuts and honey, and they are always served with tea: green tea, or a tea of jujube or citron. This version makes two colours, roasted soybean and black sesame. They are naturally egg-free: honey binds the powders and lets them hold the fine pattern of the mould. Chef's tip: add the honey a teaspoon at a time; the common mistake is too much, which makes a sticky dough that blurs the pattern and won't leave the mould.

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Gul jeon (oyster pancakes)

Oysters are at their sweetest in midwinter, just as Seollal arrives, and the farms around Tongyeong on Korea's south coast supply most of the country, so gul jeon are a treasured New Year treat. They are a quick, small luxury on a jeon platter that is otherwise mostly vegetables and pork, a taste of the sea brought to the family table for the new year. Each oyster is wrapped in a thin, tender egg coat, so the outside is golden and soft while the inside is briny, sweet and juicy. Use shucked fresh oysters from a tub or the fishmonger, and serve them hot with a soy-vinegar dip, a squeeze of lemon and steamed rice. Chef's tip: pat the oysters really dry, or the flour turns gluey and the oil spits.

20 minKoreanFish
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Saeu jeon (shrimp pancakes)Prawn pancakes

Saeu jeon are a celebratory addition to the jeon platter for Seollal and Chuseok in homes all over Korea; prawns, with their bent backs, have long stood for a wish to live until you are old and stooped. Butterflied and pressed flat, each prawn turns into a neat golden fan with a pink tail, sweet and tender inside a soft egg coat. Children love them, and they disappear faster than anything else on the table. Serve with a soy-vinegar dip, japchae and rice. Chef's tip: make a few shallow cuts across the inner belly before flattening; it stops the prawns curling up in the pan.

25 minKoreanFish
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Kkaennip jeon (stuffed perilla leaf pancakes)

For Chuseok and Seollal, Korean kitchens turn out tray after tray of jeon for the ancestral table, and kkaennip jeon are a fragrant favourite: whole perilla leaves are folded like a half-moon around minced pork, tofu and vegetables, then fried in egg. Perilla tastes of mint, anise and basil all at once, and its scent cuts through the richness of the holiday spread. Each little parcel is soft and juicy inside, with a thin, golden shell. Serve them with a soy-vinegar dip, rice and soup, or tuck them into a lunchbox the day after. Chef's tip: lay the leaves shiny side down so the matt, rougher side holds the flour and filling.

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Pyogo jeon (stuffed shiitake pancakes)

No Seollal or Chuseok table in Korea is complete without a platter of jeon, and pyogo jeon are among the prettiest: shiitake caps packed with a filling of minced pork and tofu, then fried in a thin egg coat so the dark mushroom edge frames a golden centre. Mushrooms were prized offerings on the ancestral (charye) table, and stuffed jeon show the care put into the holiday meal. They are juicy and savoury, with the shiitake giving an earthy, meaty bite. Serve warm or at room temperature with a soy and vinegar dip, alongside other jeon and a bowl of tteokguk; the last step gives an all-tofu vegetarian filling. Chef's tip: dust the gills with flour before stuffing; it acts as glue and stops the filling popping out in the pan.

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Gochu jeon (stuffed chilli pancakes)

Gochu jeon bring a flash of green to the jeon platter that Korean families fry together, often for hours, before Seollal and Chuseok, when jeon are laid out for the ancestors and then shared by everyone. Long, mild green chillies are split and filled with a pork and tofu stuffing, so each boat is half crisp, sweet-grassy pepper and half juicy, savoury filling, with only a little warmth. They hold well, which is why they are made ahead for the holiday. Serve with a vinegar and soy dip, steamed rice and kimchi. Chef's tip: choose straight, mild chillies (Korean green chillies, Anaheim or long Turkish peppers); curly hot ones are hard to fill and too fierce for a platter.

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Hwayangjeok (colourful skewers)

Hwayangjeok, made across Korea for Chuseok and Seollal, means something like 'flower-bright skewers': strips of seasoned beef, shiitake, carrot, yellow pickled radish, cucumber and egg are cooked separately and threaded side by side, so each skewer shows the five traditional colours (obangsaek) that stand for balance and good fortune on the ancestral table. Every bite mixes savoury, sweet soy beef with crunchy, tangy radish and soft egg. They are served at room temperature as part of the holiday spread, with rice, soup and other jeon. Chef's tip: cut every ingredient to the same length and thickness before you start; that is what makes the stripes look sharp.

60 minKoreanMeat
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