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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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Gaji bokkeumStir-fried aubergine

Gaji bokkeum is a summer banchan in Korean homes, cooked in the weeks when long, thin Korean aubergines fill the markets. Strips of aubergine are seared until soft and caramelised, then tossed in garlic, spring onion, soy sauce and sesame so they turn glossy and savoury-sweet. It sits beside rice and soup at dinner and keeps well in the lunchbox. The mistake is pouring in lots of oil at the start: aubergine soaks it all up and turns greasy. Chef's tip: sear the strips in a moderate amount of oil and add a splash of water if the pan dries; the steam softens them without more oil.

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Gamja bokkeumStir-fried potato strips

Gamja bokkeum is one of the banchan Korean mothers pack into lunchboxes and set out at dinner in Seoul and Busan: thin potato strips stir-fried with onion and carrot, seasoned only with salt, a little sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds. The strips should be tender and separate, with a slight bite, not crisp like chips and not mushy. The mistake is skipping the soak, so the surface starch makes the strips stick to each other and the pan and break up. Chef's tip: a quick soak in salted water also seasons the potato through.

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Moroccan bachkoutouOrange and sesame dunking biscuits

Moroccan grandmothers bake bachkoutou by the trayful and keep them in big tins for the afternoon glass of sweet mint tea, and neighbourhood ovens in Fes and Casablanca bake them for families who bring their dough. These are dry, crunchy little biscuits, not rich at all, made with eggs, sugar and oil rather than butter, with orange zest and a coating of toasted sesame; they are meant to be dunked until they soften slightly. Shapes vary from town to town: fingers, rings and rope twists are all common, and some cooks add aniseed. Too much flour is the easy mistake: the dough should stay soft and slightly sticky, or the biscuits bake heavy and hard rather than crisp and light. Chef's tip: once they are cold, put them back in a warm, switched-off oven for 20 minutes; that extra drying is what makes them keep their snap for weeks.

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Janchi guksu (Korean banquet noodles)

Janchi guksu means banquet noodles, the bowl once served at Korean weddings and birthdays for long life, and now a quick lunch at markets from Seoul to Busan: thin somyeon in a clear, gently fishy broth of dried anchovy and kelp, topped with egg ribbons, courgette and a spoon of seasoned soy. The mistake is boiling the anchovies hard or too long, which makes the broth bitter and cloudy. Chef's tip: remove the anchovy heads and the dark gut before simmering for a cleaner, sweeter stock.

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Ssal mieum (Korean first rice gruel)

In Korean homes the weaning journey, called iyusik, begins with ssal mieum, a gruel so thin it is almost a drink. The rice is soaked, blended raw with water and then stirred over a low flame, which gives a finer, silkier result than boiling whole grains. Families offer it at around six months, a spoonful in the morning, before moving on to thicker juk with vegetables a few weeks later. It contains none of the common allergens: no milk, egg, gluten, peanut, tree nuts, soya, sesame or fish. Chef's tip: grind the soaked rice with only part of the water first; a thick slurry blends smoother than a watery one.

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Soya bokkeum (sausage and vegetable stir-fry)

The name joins 'sausage' and 'vegetables' (yachae), and soya bokkeum is a staple banchan in Korean children's lunchboxes and on cheap and cheerful dinner tables: scored sausages and colourful peppers stir-fried in a glossy ketchup and soy glaze. It is sweet, a little tangy and tastes as good cold as hot. Adults often add a spoonful of gochujang. It contains soya and wheat (soy sauce) and sesame; check your sausages for milk. Chef's tip: score the sausages diagonally; the cuts open up in the pan and catch the sauce.

15 minKoreanMeat
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Dubu buchim tofu fingers

Dubu buchim, slices of tofu dipped in beaten egg and fried until golden, is an everyday Korean banchan, and families cut it into fingers for babies from about nine months to hold and gum. The outside is lightly crisp and the inside custard-soft, with a mild, nutty flavour. For babies it is made without salt, soy sauce or the usual sesame-soy dip; older children and adults can add the dip at the table. It contains soya and egg. Chef's tip: press the tofu well first, so it fries rather than steams and the egg coating sticks.

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Gyeongju breadRed bean pastries

Near the grassy royal tombs of Gyeongju, the ancient Silla capital, a baker in Hwangnam-dong began making these small round pastries in 1939, and the city's shops have sold them by the boxful ever since. Gyeongju bread (황남빵, also called Gyeongju-ppang) is mostly filling: a generous ball of coarse red bean paste in a skin so thin it looks painted on, stamped with a flower pattern and glazed until shiny brown. It tastes gently sweet and nutty, soft and moist rather than bready, and it is the souvenir every visitor carries home, eaten with barley tea or green tea. The usual mistake is a dough shell that is too thick, which bakes into a cookie and hides the bean flavour; aim for roughly one part dough to two and a half parts filling. Chef's tip: press the pattern in with a small cookie stamp or the back of a citrus press dipped in flour, while the buns are cold and firm, so the design stays sharp.

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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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Jumeokbap (Korean vegetable rice balls)

Jumeokbap means 'fist rice', and Korean parents squeeze it together in minutes for picnics, school trips and busy mornings: warm rice tossed with sesame oil, crumbled seasoned laver and tiny pieces of vegetables, then pressed into balls a child can hold. It tastes nutty and gently salty. Tuna with mayonnaise or minced beef is a common addition, but this version is fully vegan. It contains sesame and, from the soy sauce in some seasoned laver, may contain soya and wheat. Chef's tip: mix the rice while it is warm; cold rice won't stick and the balls crumble in the lunchbox.

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Korean corn cheese

Corn cheese arrives sizzling on a small iron plate as a side at Korean barbecue restaurants, and at home it has become a five-minute after-school snack and a favourite for children's sleepovers in Seoul and beyond. Sweet, juicy corn is stirred with a little butter and mayonnaise, then covered in mozzarella and heated until it melts into long strings. Most versions add sugar; this one lets the corn's own sweetness carry it. It contains milk and egg (mayonnaise). Chef's tip: drain and dry the corn really well, or the dish turns watery under the cheese.

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Sogogi yachae-juk (beef and vegetable baby porridge)

In Korea, beef is added to a baby's rice porridge, or ijuksik, within the first weeks of weaning at about six months, because it is rich in iron. This sogogi yachae-juk blends soaked rice with lean beef, carrot and courgette into a smooth, savoury porridge that tastes gently meaty and sweet. It is made without salt, soy sauce or the sesame oil grown-ups would add. It contains none of the common allergens (milk, egg, gluten, peanut, tree nuts, soya, sesame, fish). Chef's tip: soak the beef in cold water for 15 minutes first to draw out the blood, which keeps the porridge clean-tasting and pale.

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Mayak gimbap (mini gimbap with mustard dip)

Mayak gimbap began at Gwangjang Market in Seoul, where stallholders roll stubby, finger-sized gimbap and sell them by the plate with a tangy mustard and soy dip. The nickname 'mayak' jokes that they are addictive, and the small size makes them a favourite in Korean children's lunchboxes and snack boxes. They are vegan, with sesame, soya and wheat (soy sauce) and mustard in the dip; leave the mustard out of a child's portion if they prefer it mild. Chef's tip: use only a thin layer of rice; with a mini roll, too much rice is what makes them burst.

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BossamBoiled pork wraps

Bossam started as the dish Korean families made on kimjang day in November, when the whole street gathered to make the winter's kimchi: a slab of pork belly was boiled while everyone worked, sliced and wrapped in the salted cabbage leaves with the fresh, spicy radish filling. Today Seoul's bossam restaurants around Jangchung-dong serve it all year, and it is a favourite takeaway. This is a pork dish, and pork belly is rich, so it is not a low-calorie choice: about 450 kcal a portion. Boiling the pork in water with doenjang, onion, garlic and ginger renders out much of the fat and leaves it tender with no smell. The most common mistake is slicing it hot; rest it for 10 minutes or it falls apart. Chef's tip: let the pork cool in the broth for 10 minutes before lifting it out; it stays much juicier.

90 minKoreanMeat
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Sotteok sotteok (sausage and rice cake skewers)

Sotteok sotteok, from sausage (so) and rice cake (tteok), is sold at Korean motorway service stations and school-gate snack stalls, and children make it at home with a parent after school: chewy rice cake sticks and sausage pieces threaded in turn, fried until the rice cakes blister, then brushed with a sweet ketchup glaze. Grown-ups like a little gochujang in the sauce. It contains soya and wheat (soy sauce); check your sausages for milk. Take everything off the skewers for younger children. Chef's tip: soak hard rice cakes in hot water first, or they crack when you skewer them.

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Kongbiji jjigaeSoybean pulp stew

Kongbiji jjigae is the rustic winter stew of Korean farmhouses, once made with the soy pulp left from tofu-making and now with soaked soybeans blended into a creamy, nutty paste: it is simmered with sour kimchi and a little pork belly until thick, and eaten with rice in Gyeonggi and Chungcheong homes when the weather turns cold. It is filling, mildly spicy and full of protein. This recipe contains pork. A portion is about 290 kcal. Soak the soybeans overnight first (not counted). The most common mistake is stirring the stew once the bean paste goes in; it should be left to bubble gently so the beans set into soft curds on top. Chef's tip: use well-aged, sour kimchi; fresh kimchi tastes flat against the rich beans.

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Yennal dosirak (Korean shaken lunchbox)Shaken rice lunchbox with kimchi

Yennal dosirak, 'the old-days lunchbox', is a slice of nostalgia for Korean parents who carried a dented tin box to school in the 1970s and 80s and warmed it on the classroom stove. Rice goes in first, then stir-fried kimchi, sweet-salty anchovies, egg-dipped sausage slices and a fried egg on top; at lunchtime you close the lid and shake it hard so it all mixes. Restaurants now serve it for fun, and families make it at home for children. It contains egg, fish, soya and wheat (soy sauce) and sesame. Chef's tip: toast the anchovies in a dry pan first so they stay crisp under the glaze.

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AgujjimSpicy steamed monkfish

Agu-jjim was invented in the 1960s in the port of Masan in South Gyeongsang, where fishermen's taverns started braising the ugly monkfish they used to throw back, and Masan's "agu-jjim street" is still full of restaurants serving it on huge platters to share. Chunks of firm monkfish are cooked with a mountain of crunchy soybean sprouts and minari in a fiery gochugaru sauce, thickened with starch until glossy. It is spicy, juicy and low in fat. A portion is about 240 kcal. The common mistake is cooking the bean sprouts too long; they should stay crisp, so add them only for the last few minutes. Chef's tip: steam the monkfish before saucing; it releases a lot of water, which you pour off so the sauce stays thick and red.

45 minKoreanFishSpicy
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Korean garlic cream cheese bread

Gangneung, the seaside city on Korea's east coast, made this bun famous: its name, yukjjok maneul-ppang (육쪽마늘빵), means 'six-clove garlic bread', because each round loaf is cut into six wedges like a bulb of garlic. The cuts are piped full of sweet cream cheese, then the whole bun is dunked in a garlicky butter custard and baked again, so it comes out crisp and golden on top, soft and rich inside, sweet, salty and savoury in one bite. Tourists queue for it at market stalls and cafés, and it is now a Korean café favourite eaten with iced americano. The most common slip is cutting right through the base; the wedges then fall apart in the garlic bath, so stop about 1 cm short. Chef's tip: bake and cool the buns a day ahead, or use day-old buns; firm, cooled bread slices cleanly and soaks up the garlic butter without going soggy.

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Galchi jorimBraised hairtail with radish

On Jeju island, the silvery hairtail caught on long lines at night by boats off Seogwipo is the pride of the local restaurants, and galchi-jorim is how islanders eat it most: pieces of the long, thin fish braised over thick slices of radish and potato in a bright red sauce of gochugaru, soy and garlic until the radish soaks up all the flavour. It is spicy, sweet and savoury and eaten with lots of rice. A portion is about 260 kcal. Hairtail has a soft, fine flesh and fine bones that lift away when cooked. The common mistake is stirring the pot, which breaks the delicate fish; spoon the sauce over instead. Chef's tip: put the radish on the bottom of the pan and the fish on top; the radish protects the fish from the heat and drinks up the sauce.

40 minKoreanFishSpicy
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Soboro-ppangPeanut streusel buns

'Soboro' describes something crumbled, and that is exactly what covers these buns: a craggy, peanut-scented streusel that bakes into a sweet, sandy crust over soft milk bread. Soboro-ppang (소보로빵) has been a fixture of Korean neighbourhood bakeries since the 1960s and is still one of the cheapest, most loved buns on the shelf, bought by students after school and eaten with a carton of banana or plain milk. The contrast is the point, crunchy and buttery on top, fluffy and lightly sweet inside. Some bakeries fill them with red bean paste or custard; this is the plain classic. Beating the streusel into a smooth paste is a common mistake, as it melts into a flat lid in the oven, so rub it only into clumpy crumbs and keep it cold. Chef's tip: brush the tops of the dough balls with milk and press them firmly, top down, into a bowl of crumbs; a thick, even coat sticks better than crumbs scattered on afterwards. They contain peanuts.

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Godeungeo guiGrilled mackerel

Andong, far inland, is oddly famous for its mackerel: the fish was salted on the coast and carried over the mountains, arriving perfectly seasoned, and Andong gangodeungeo is still sold that way. Across Korea, a salted mackerel fillet pan-grilled until the skin crackles is a staple of home dinners and set-meal restaurants, served with rice, doenjang soup and kimchi. Mackerel is an oily fish, so this is filling rather than low calorie: about 340 kcal a portion. The most common mistake is moving the fish too soon; leave it skin side down until the skin releases on its own, or it tears and sticks. Chef's tip: dust the skin very lightly with flour or starch before grilling, or simply pat it bone-dry; you'll get a crisp, glassy skin.

22 minKoreanFishGluten free
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Chwinamul muchimSeasoned aster greens

Chwinamul, the wild aster that grows on the mountains of Gangwon and the slopes around Jirisan, is one of the most loved spring greens in Korea, sold by grandmothers at village markets in April and dried for the namul of Daeboreum, the first full moon of the lunar year. Blanched and squeezed, it is seasoned with soup soy sauce, garlic and sesame oil and has a deep, herbal, slightly bitter flavour that wakes up the rice. A portion is about 45 kcal. If you can't find chwinamul, use spinach or watercress, blanched for less time. The common mistake is not squeezing the greens well, so the seasoning slides off; press them firmly in your fist. Chef's tip: season with your fingertips, rubbing the dressing gently into the leaves; Korean cooks call it son-mat, the taste of the hands.

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