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MariquitasGreen plantain chips

Mariquitas are the thin, glassy green-plantain chips that come in paper cones at Cuban cafeterías in Havana and Miami, always with a little bowl of garlicky mojo for dunking. They are a party and weekend snack, but with a mandoline they are ready in twenty minutes on any evening. The most common mistake is using plantains that have started to ripen: yellow ones are sweet and soft and burn before they crisp, so buy them hard and fully green. Take care with the mandoline and use its guard, and never leave hot oil unattended. Chef's tip: cut long, paper-thin slices lengthwise and drop them into the oil one at a time so they don't stick together.

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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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Urap (Javanese vegetables with spiced coconut)

Urap is a Javanese and Balinese side dish served at everyday meals and at slametan gatherings, and it is just as common heaped next to rice and tempeh on a weeknight. Freshly blanched long beans, spinach, cabbage and bean sprouts are tossed with grated coconut that has been steamed with shallot, garlic, chilli and lime leaf, so the vegetables taste bright and the coconut sweet, warm and fragrant. Many cooks add terasi (shrimp paste) to the coconut; this version leaves it out so it stays vegan. The common mistake is mixing the coconut into the vegetables hours ahead, when it turns sour and soggy; toss just before eating. Chef's tip: plunge the vegetables into cold water straight after blanching and squeeze the greens dry, or the dressing will be watery.

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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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SeñoritasCustard slices in puff pastry

Señoritas are a fixture of Cuban bakeries in Havana and Santiago, and of the Cuban-run ventanitas in Miami: two sheets of crisp, flattened puff pastry sandwiching a thick vanilla-and-lemon custard, with a shiny white sugar glaze on top. They are Cuba's cousin of the mille-feuille, eaten mid-morning or after lunch with a tiny cup of sweet café cubano, and they are always in the box for a birthday or a baptism. Adding the custard while it is still warm is where it goes wrong: the pastry goes limp within an hour. Chef's tip: bake the pastry under a second baking tray so it stays flat, thin and evenly crisp, which makes clean cutting far easier.

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KlappertaartBaked young coconut custard

Manado, at the northern tip of Sulawesi, inherited klappertaart from its Dutch colonial kitchens (klapper is old Dutch for coconut), and it is still the dessert North Sulawesi families bring to birthdays, Christmas and church gatherings. Soft strips of young coconut flesh are folded through a creamy, cinnamon-scented milk custard with raisins, then baked under a sprinkle of almonds until barely set and bronzed on top. It is eaten warm or cold, spooned straight from the dish. Many recipes soak the raisins in rum or add a splash to the custard; this one is alcohol-free, with the rum as an option. Overbaking it until firm is the mistake to avoid; it should be soft and spoonable. Chef's tip: use the jelly-soft flesh of young coconuts (or frozen young coconut strips); grated mature coconut makes the custard dry and chewy.

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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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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.

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Tumis jamur (Indonesian stir-fried oyster mushrooms)

Tumis jamur tiram is a favourite in Javanese homes and cheap warung kitchens across Indonesia, where grey oyster mushrooms are grown locally and sold by the bag every morning. Cooked fast in a hot wok, the mushrooms turn meaty and juicy, picking up garlic, shallot, a little chilli and the sweetness of kecap manis and tomato. It is eaten with rice as part of an everyday dinner, often next to tempeh or tofu. The usual mistake is crowding the pan, which makes the mushrooms release water and stew instead of browning. Chef's tip: tear the mushrooms by hand along their natural lines rather than slicing them; the ragged edges catch the sauce.

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Kue bangkitTapioca coconut flower cookies

Jars of kue bangkit sit on coffee tables across Riau and the Sumatran coast at Lebaran, and Chinese-Indonesian families bake the same little white flowers for Lunar New Year. They are made from tapioca starch slowly roasted with pandan leaves, then bound with sugar, egg yolk and thick coconut milk and pressed into tiny flower shapes. When they are right they feel crisp and light in the hand and then dissolve instantly on the tongue, leaving the taste of coconut and pandan. The step people rush is roasting the starch; it must be dry-fried until feather-light, or the cookies bake hard and chalky. Chef's tip: keep the dough covered with a cloth while you work, because tapioca dough dries in minutes and then crumbles in the mould.

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Spiku (lapis Surabaya)Three-layer butter sponge with jam

Visitors leaving Surabaya are expected to carry home a box of spiku as oleh-oleh, the gift from your travels, and it also turns up for Lebaran and Chinese New Year. The name comes from the Dutch spekkoek, but this is a different cake: three thick layers of rich, yolk-heavy butter sponge, two plain and one chocolate, stuck together with apricot or strawberry jam. The crumb is soft, tight and buttery, best in thin slices with tea. Folding the melted butter in roughly or too fast lets it sink and bake into a greasy band at the bottom, so add it in a thin stream and fold just until it vanishes. Chef's tip: bake the three layers at the same time in three identical tins; weigh the batter into them so the layers come out even.

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Tumis kacang panjang (Indonesian stir-fried long beans)

In Javanese homes and warungs, tumis kacang panjang is one of the quickest vegetable dishes on the table, cooked in minutes at dinner time and eaten with rice, fried tempeh and sambal. The beans keep a little bite, the tomato breaks down into a light, savoury gloss, and the chilli gives gentle heat. Plenty of cooks stir in a little terasi (shrimp paste); here it is left out to keep the dish vegan, with a pinch of sugar for balance. The common mistake is adding a lot of water and covering the pan, which boils the beans grey; a splash and a hot pan are enough. Chef's tip: cut the beans on a slant so more surface touches the pan and they cook faster.

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BakpiaMung bean pastries

Nobody leaves Yogyakarta without a cardboard box of bakpia; the Pathuk neighbourhood, a short walk from Malioboro, is lined with family bakeries turning them out for visitors as oleh-oleh, the snacks Indonesians bring home from a trip. These are small, round and slightly puffed, with a thin, flaky skin that goes golden in spots and a smooth, lightly salted sweet mung bean centre. They came to Java with Chinese bakers (the name comes from Hokkien bak pia) and are eaten with sweet hot tea or a glass of kopi. Using too much filling is the usual problem; the skin should wrap it with no stretching. Chef's tip: cook the mung beans with a knotted pandan leaf for the classic fragrance, and keep the pastry balls under a damp cloth so the skins stay supple while you work.

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Orak-arik telur (Indonesian scrambled eggs with vegetables)

Orak-arik means roughly 'scrambled up', and this Javanese home dish is what students in Yogyakarta and families everywhere in Java make when the fridge is nearly empty: a cheap, filling plate of cabbage, carrot and egg to eat with rice at dinner or pack into a lunchbox. The vegetables stay sweet and slightly crunchy while the egg sets into soft, savoury curds around them. The common mistake is adding the eggs while the vegetables are still wet and watery, which gives a pale, soggy mess; cook the vegetables until the pan is dry first. Chef's tip: let the egg set for 20 seconds before you start stirring, so you get large curds rather than crumbs.

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Ayam kecap (sweet soy chicken)

Ayam kecap is everyday Indonesian home cooking, made from Jakarta to Surabaya for family dinners and lunchboxes: bite-size chicken pieces browned, then simmered in kecap manis, the thick palm-sugar soy sauce, with garlic, shallot, ginger and tomato until glossy and sticky. The mistake is adding the kecap manis too early on a high heat; its sugar burns before the chicken is cooked, so add it once the chicken is browned and turn the heat down. Chef's tip: use boneless thighs, which stay juicy and cook in the time the rice takes.

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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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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.

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Boniato fritoFried white sweet potato

Boniato, the pale, chestnut-sweet sweet potato of the Caribbean, is fried in rounds all over Cuba as an everyday side for picadillo, eggs or rice and black beans, and in Miami's Little Havana it turns up next to most lunch plates. The slices come out golden and lightly crisp outside, fluffy and floury inside. The common mistake is oil that is too hot with slices that are too thick: the outside burns while the middle stays hard, so keep the slices 5 mm and the heat steady. Ordinary orange sweet potato works too, though it is sweeter and browns faster. Chef's tip: drop the cut slices into cold water as you go, as boniato darkens quickly, then dry them very well before frying.

20 minCubanSidesVeganGluten free
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CapuchinosYolk sponge cones in spiced syrup

Named for the pointed hoods of Capuchin friars, these little cones of yolk sponge sit in neat rows in Havana dulcerías, glistening with syrup and sold by the half dozen for birthdays and Sunday visits. They're baked in small cone moulds, then dropped into warm syrup scented with lime peel, cinnamon and star anise until heavy and soaked through, so they are moist, eggy and very sweet. The syrup is often spiked with rum or anise liqueur; this one stays alcohol-free. A syrup boiled too thick won't soak in and leaves a sticky crust, so keep it at a light, pourable stage. No cone moulds? Bake them in a mini muffin tin; they just won't have the hood shape. Chef's tip: soak the sponges while they're still warm and the syrup is warm too; both at the same temperature, the syrup goes right to the centre.

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ChaplasHollow puffed Andean bread

Walk through Ayacucho's central market at seven in the morning and you will see women selling stacks of chaplas from cloth-lined baskets, still warm from the wood-fired ovens of the Andes. These round wheat breads puff up like pita in the fierce heat, leaving a hollow pocket inside a thin, soft, lightly floury crust. In Ayacucho and Huancavelica they are eaten with sweet coffee or hot emoliente for breakfast, or split and filled with queso fresco, avocado or a spoonful of rocoto sauce. Highland bakers traditionally work in a little lard; vegetable shortening gives the same tenderness and keeps the bread vegan. A cool baking tray is the reason chaplas stay flat, so preheat it thoroughly. Chef's tip: let the rolled rounds rest before baking and flip them upside down onto the tray, so the smooth, dry side meets the heat first and the pocket opens evenly.

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Kärntner ReindlingCinnamon raisin yeast cake

Carinthia's Easter loaf takes its name from the Reindl, the round, deep pan it is baked in, and in southern Austria no Easter basket goes to church without one. Inside the golden yeast crust is a spiral of butter, cinnamon sugar and plump raisins, so every slice shows a dark swirl. Locals eat it two ways: sweet with coffee on Easter morning, or alongside the savoury Easter platter with horseradish. Many bakers soak the raisins in rum overnight; warm water or tea works just as well and keeps it alcohol-free. A dry, crumbly Reindling usually means too much flour went in during kneading, so keep the dough soft and only lightly floured. Chef's tip: butter the pan well and dust it with sugar, which caramelises into a thin crunchy shell.

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Roti buayaCrocodile-shaped bread

Crocodiles, to the Betawi people of Jakarta, stand for faithfulness: they are said to take one mate for life. So in a Betawi wedding procession the groom's family carries a pair of roti buaya, a large male crocodile bread and a female one, often with a baby crocodile on her back, alongside the other gifts for the bride. Once the ceremony is over the bread is cut and shared among the guests and neighbours. Old-style roti buaya was plain and firm; today's are soft, lightly sweet milk bread, and some are filled with chocolate or kaya. Eat slices with coffee or sweet tea. Snipping the scales too shallowly is a common slip, since they close up as the dough rises; cut decisively at a steep angle. Chef's tip: shape the crocodile straight on the lined tray and build it from one main log, adding only the legs, so it does not crack apart in the oven.

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Bubur merah putih (red and white porridge)

In Java, bubur merah putih is cooked for a baby's naming day, a child's birthday or a new house: a red-brown porridge sweetened with palm sugar and a white one rich with coconut milk, spooned side by side into one bowl. The red is said to stand for courage and the white for purity, and the bowls are shared with neighbours as thanks. The family and older children eat the sweetened red half; it is not for babies under one because of the sugar. Free of milk, egg, gluten, nuts and soya. Chef's tip: tie a pandan leaf in a knot and simmer it in both pots for a gentle vanilla-like scent.

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Nasi tim ayam for toddlersSteamed chicken and mushroom rice

Nasi tim ayam comes from the Chinese-Indonesian kitchens of Java, and is the meal many Indonesian children eat when they first move on from porridge: rice steamed slowly in a bowl over diced chicken and mushrooms until very soft, then turned out like a little dome. For toddlers the seasoning is just garlic, ginger, a few drops of sesame oil and a little low-salt soy sauce. It contains soya and gluten (soy sauce) and sesame. Chef's tip: use no-salt stock in the rice; it soaks up the flavour of the chicken as it steams.

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