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65 recipes

TokashMilk bread buns

Tokash are the soft, round milk breads Kazakh families bake for breakfast and for the dastarkhan, the generous tea table set for guests in Almaty and the steppe villages. Traditionally they were baked in a cast-iron kazan or a tandyr; at home a round cake tin gives the same pull-apart loaf. They are eaten with butter, jam, kaymak cream and milky tea. The mistake is too much flour: the dough should stay soft and slightly tacky, or the buns turn dry. Allow about 2 hours with rising. Chef's tip: brush the buns with warm milk as they come out of the oven and cover them with a cloth; the crust softens beautifully.

55 min

Kazakh Breads & Parathas

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TsaramasoWhite beans with pork

Sunday lunch in a Highland family home often means a big pot of tsaramaso sy henakisoa, white beans stewed slowly with pork until the beans are creamy and the meat falls apart, ladled over a mound of plain rice. Pork belly or shoulder is browned first so its fat flavours the whole pot, then onion, tomato, garlic and ginger cook down into a thick, savoury, gently sweet sauce that the beans soak up. A spoon of sakay and a tangle of lasary achards on the side cut the richness. Adding salt or tomato before the beans are tender is the mistake that keeps them hard, so season only once they crush easily. The pork should reach at least 71 °C, though by the end it will be far past that and spoon-tender. Chef's tip: soak the beans overnight and simmer them separately first; it keeps the stew from burning while the beans take their time.

140 min

Malagasy Curries

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Vary sosoa for babiesSoft rice with greens for babies

Vary sosoa, rice cooked with lots of water until soft and soupy, is the classic Malagasy breakfast, eaten in Antananarivo and the highland villages before the day's work starts, and the food given to the sick and the very young. For babies from about nine months it is cooked with diced pumpkin and finished with a handful of mild greens, then mashed. It is gentle, sweet and creamy. Skip brède mafane (paracress), the tingling green used for grown-ups' romazava, as it numbs the mouth; spinach or sweet potato leaves are kinder. It is free of the major allergens: no milk, egg, gluten, nuts, soya, sesame or fish. Chef's tip: use a short, starchy rice such as vary gasy or any broken rice; it releases more starch and makes the creamiest sosoa.

40 min

Malagasy Rice & Grains

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LasopyBlended vegetable soup

Highland evenings in Antananarivo can turn surprisingly cold, and that is when lasopy comes out, a smooth, pale-orange soup of carrot, leek, potato, turnip and green beans blended until velvety. Market cooks and grandmothers usually simmer it with beef bones; this version keeps it fully vegetarian, with the vegetables browned lightly first and a bay leaf and thyme for depth, so the water turns into a sweet, savoury broth on its own. It is often eaten with a handful of thin vermicelli cooked in it, or simply with bread, and a dab of sakay stirred in at the table. Leave the vegetables in big chunks: chopping them tiny makes them boil to mush before the flavour comes out. Chef's tip: hold back a ladle of cooking liquid and blend the rest, then thin to taste, because once lasopy is too watery there is no fixing it.

60 min

Malagasy Soups

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SakayChilli and ginger paste

No table in Madagascar is fully set without a saucer of sakay, from a Fianarantsoa family lunch to a coastal fish shack in Mahajanga. Fresh red chillies are pounded with ginger, garlic and salt, then loosened with hot oil, so the paste is bright, sharp and searingly hot, with a warm ginger finish rather than the sourness of a vinegar sauce. A dab is stirred into broth, smeared over rice or eaten with grilled zebu skewers; a little goes a long way. Wear gloves when you chop the chillies, and wash the board straight away: rubbing your eyes after handling them is the classic beginner's mistake. Chef's tip: pour the oil in while it is hot but not smoking, which cooks the raw edge off the garlic and helps the paste keep for a week in the fridge.

15 min

Malagasy Chutneys & Dips

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VarangaCrisp shredded beef

Varanga belongs to the big occasions of the Merina Highlands: family reunions, famadihana gatherings and long lunches outside Antananarivo, where a mound of it sits beside rice and a bowl of greens. Beef, traditionally zebu, is simmered with garlic, ginger and onion until it can be pulled apart with two forks, then the strands are fried in the fat and juices left in the pot until crisp and mahogany at the edges but still tender inside. The flavour is deeply beefy and salty-sweet, a little like the best bits stuck to a roasting tin. Cooks in a hurry shred the meat before it is truly tender, and the strands then fry up tough and stringy instead of crisp. Chef's tip: choose a cut with some fat and connective tissue, like chuck or brisket; lean steak gives dry, hard varanga.

150 min

Malagasy Meat

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Mi saoVegetable fried noodles

Chinese families who settled in Toamasina and Antananarivo a century ago brought mi sao with them, and it is now one of the most ordered plates at any hotely, often eaten at lunch with a bowl of clear soup on the side. This version is all vegetables: shredded cabbage, carrot, green beans and spring onion tossed with springy wheat noodles, garlic, ginger and soy sauce until glossy and a little smoky. Because of the soy sauce and wheat noodles it is not gluten free. Overcrowding the pan is the usual mistake; it steams everything into a limp tangle, so cook in two batches if your wok or pan is small. Chef's tip: rinse the boiled noodles in cold water and toss them with a few drops of oil, so they fry into separate strands instead of a sticky clump.

25 min

Malagasy Pasta & Noodles

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Vary amin'ananaRice with greens

Before the sun clears the hills of Antananarivo, steam is already rising from pots of vary amin'anana at the hotely, the little roadside cafés where office workers and taxi-brousse drivers stop for breakfast. Rice simmers with a heap of chopped greens, a little tomato and fresh ginger until the grains swell and soften into something between a pilaf and a loose porridge, green-flecked and gently savoury. Locals spoon sakay or a sharp lasary relish on top, and anyone with more appetite adds a few beans on the side. The greens matter most: brèdes mafana (paracress) give a faint tingle, but watercress, spinach or mustard greens from the shop all work well. Chef's tip: add the tender leaves only for the last 8 minutes; boiled from the start, they turn grey-brown and bitter, which is the commonest way this simple dish goes wrong.

40 min

Malagasy Breakfast & Brunch

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Vary sosoaRice soup with greens

In Antananarivo and across the highlands, the day starts with a bowl of vary sosoa: rice cooked with plenty of water until the grains are soft and loose in their milky cooking liquid, wetter than plain rice but not as smooth as congee. Stalls serve it with kitoza (dried meat), eggs or a spoon of fiery sakay; this vegan version tops it with garlicky greens and homemade sakay chilli paste. The common mistake is stirring it like risotto, which makes it gluey; stir only now and then. Chef's tip: make the sakay the day before; the ginger and chilli mellow overnight in the oil.

40 min

Malagasy Rice & Grains

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KitozaSmoked dried beef strips

Butchers in the Highland markets of Antananarivo and Ambositra hang long, dark strips of kitoza above smoky fires, and households grill a few pieces each morning to eat with a bowl of soft rice. The meat is lean, cut with the grain, seasoned with salt, garlic, ginger and pepper, then dried until it is chewy and concentrated; a quick grill before serving gives it a smoky, salty crust. This home version uses beef in place of zebu and, for safety, cooks the strips to 71 °C in the oven before drying them slowly at a low heat. It is not for pregnant women, young children or anyone with a weakened immune system. The common mistake is cutting the strips too thick, which leaves them leathery outside and damp inside. Chef's tip: half-freeze the beef for an hour so you can slice it in even 5 mm strips.

175 min

Malagasy Meat

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Mofo akondroBanana fritters

Wherever bananas pile up on market tables, from Toamasina on the east coast to the roadside stalls near Moramanga, someone is frying mofo akondro to sell warm in twists of paper. Ripe banana is cut into thick slices, dipped in a soft, vanilla-scented batter of flour, egg and milk, and fried until the coating puffs and crisps while the fruit inside turns jammy and sweet. Children love them after school, and they make an easy dessert with a dusting of sugar. Underripe bananas are the common mistake: they stay starchy and sour, so wait until the skins are well freckled with brown. Chef's tip: let the batter rest for 10 minutes before you dip, so the flour hydrates and the coating clings evenly instead of sliding off in the oil.

25 min

Malagasy Desserts

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Mofo ananaGreens fritters

Stalls along Analakely market in central Antananarivo stack mofo anana in paper cones from mid-morning, and they rarely last past lunch. Each fritter is mostly leaves held together with a thin, savoury batter, so the outside fries lacy and crisp while the inside stays soft and grassy, with a lift from spring onion, garlic and chilli. Eat them hot as a snack with a cup of ginger tea, or set a plate of them beside a bowl of broth and some sakay for dipping. The usual mistake is a batter that is too thick: it should only just bind the greens, otherwise you end up with a heavy, doughy pancake. Chef's tip: squeeze the chopped leaves in a clean tea towel before mixing; wet greens spit in the oil and make the fritters soggy.

30 min

Malagasy Snacks & Starters

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Mofo menakelyRice flour doughnuts

Ring-shaped and no wider than a teacup, mofo menakely are fried in wide pans of oil at dawn on the street corners of Antananarivo and Antsirabe, then sold by the bagful to people heading for the bus. Rice flour gives them a crisp, slightly sandy shell and a chewy, faintly sour crumb from the slow rise, and they are only lightly sweet, which is why the Highlands dunk them in sugary coffee. Wheat flour helps the dough hold its shape; a few cooks go all rice and shape with wet hands. Expect the batter-like dough to feel too soft at first: adding more flour to make it handleable is a mistake that leaves them dense. Chef's tip: shape each ring straight into the hot oil from a wet palm, poking the hole with a wet finger, rather than trying to roll the dough on a board.

120 min

Malagasy Snacks & Starters

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MasikitaGrilled beef skewers

As the light fades in Mahajanga, Toliara and Antananarivo, the smoke from masikita grills drifts along the pavements, with vendors fanning glowing charcoal under rows of tiny skewers. In Madagascar they are made with zebu, the humped cattle that are central to life on the island; good beef rump or sirloin is the closest match at home. Small cubes are marinated with garlic, ginger, pepper and a little oil, threaded tightly and grilled fast, so the outside chars and the inside stays juicy. Eat them straight off the stick with sakay, a squeeze of lime and a cold drink, or with rice for dinner. Cutting the cubes too big is the common mistake: masikita should be bite-sized so they cook through in minutes. Chef's tip: soak wooden skewers for 30 minutes first so they don't burn before the beef is done.

30 min

Malagasy Meat

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Akoho sy sakamalaoGinger and garlic chicken

Sakamalao means ginger, and Malagasy cooks are generous with it: this everyday braise from family kitchens across the island uses a whole fist of the root, along with a full head of garlic and soft onions. Bone-in chicken is browned, then simmered gently in its own juices until the meat slides off the bone and the sauce turns golden, sticky and warming, with ginger heat that lingers rather than burns. Serve it with a big plate of rice, a dish of romazava greens or lasary, and sakay for anyone who wants more fire. Many people rush the onions; give them time to turn soft and golden, because they become the body of the sauce. Chef's tip: pound the ginger and garlic together into a coarse paste rather than slicing them, so they melt into the sauce and coat every piece of chicken.

60 min

Malagasy Chicken

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GodrogodroCoconut rice flour sweet

Along the northern coast around Antsiranana, and down to Mahajanga, godrogodro is a festival and family-celebration sweet, cut into diamonds and passed round at weddings, circumcision ceremonies and the New Year. Coconut milk, rice flour and dark sugar are stirred for the best part of an hour until the mixture thickens, darkens and pulls away from the pan, then it sets into a dense, sliceable fudge-like block, fragrant with vanilla and cardamom. It is rich, so small squares with a cup of tea are plenty. Stopping too early is the mistake to avoid: undercooked godrogodro stays sticky and pale and will not hold a clean edge. Chef's tip: use a heavy, non-stick pan and a flat wooden spatula that scrapes the whole base, and keep stirring as it thickens, as the bottom scorches easily.

70 min

Malagasy Desserts

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Kazakh radish saladRadish and carrot salad

Shalgam is a sharp, crunchy salad found in markets across southern Kazakhstan, from Almaty to Shymkent, sold in big bowls next to Korean-Kazakh carrot salad: green radish and carrot shredded into long strands, seasoned with garlic, hot pepper and vinegar, then sizzled with very hot oil poured over the spices. It sits beside plov, beshbarmak and grilled meat to cut their richness. A common mistake is using cold oil; it is the sizzle of hot oil on the chilli and garlic that gives the flavour. Chef's tip: make it an hour ahead and let it marinate; the radish softens slightly and the flavours mellow.

17 min

Kazakh Salads

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KazyBeef and lamb rib sausage

Kazy is the most prized food on a Kazakh feast table: a thick sausage of whole rib meat and rib fat, seasoned with salt, garlic and black pepper, stuffed into a casing, then dried or smoked and boiled for weddings and Nauryz, and sliced into glossy rounds that show the meat and the white fat. It is traditionally made with horse meat; this recipe uses beef short rib meat with a little lamb fat instead, as the site does not use horse, and it is cooked fresh rather than air-dried. A common mistake is mincing the meat; kazy is made from long strips of rib meat, which is what gives its look when sliced. Chef's tip: simmer it very gently; boiling hard bursts the casing and the fat melts away. The centre must reach 71 °C.

210 min

Kazakh Meat

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Nauryz kozheSeven-ingredient spring soup

Nauryz kozhe is cooked in every Kazakh home and in big cauldrons on city squares in Almaty and Astana for Nauryz, the spring new year on 22 March. It must contain seven ingredients, standing for the seven blessings: water, meat, salt, grain, a second grain, milk and a sour milk such as ayran, and it is shared with neighbours so the year ahead is full. The meat is traditionally smoked horse meat or kazy kept from winter; this recipe uses beef, as the site does not use horse. A common mistake is adding the milk while the soup is boiling hard, which curdles it. Chef's tip: cool the pot for a few minutes before stirring in the milk and ayran, so the kozhe stays smooth and gently sour.

140 min

Kazakh Soups

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Zhal-zhayaPressed boiled brisket

Zhal and zhaya are two prized cuts from the Kazakh feast: zhal is the band of fat from the crest of a horse's neck and zhaya the meaty rump, salted, sometimes smoked, then boiled, pressed and sliced thin to serve cold beside kazy at weddings and Nauryz. They are traditionally horse meat; this recipe uses beef brisket with its fat cap, which gives the same layered slices of meat and fat, as the site does not use horse. A common mistake is slicing it warm, which crumbles the meat and smears the fat. Chef's tip: press it overnight under a weight in the fridge; it sets into a firm block that slices into neat, thin layers.

210 min

Kazakh Meat

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TaryRoasted millet

Tary is roasted millet, the oldest grain of the Kazakh steppe: soaked, boiled briefly, then roasted in a kazan until crunchy and golden, so it keeps for months in a leather bag. In Kazakh homes a bowl of tary sits on the dastarkhan tablecloth beside the tea, and people stir a spoonful into their milk tea, sprinkle it over sour cream or eat it with butter and sugar. A common mistake is skipping the pre-cooking, which leaves the grains rock-hard. Chef's tip: steam the millet briefly before roasting; the starch sets and the grains puff and crunch rather than shatter.

30 min

Kazakh Snacks & Starters

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IrimshikDried sweet cottage cheese

Irimshik is the sweet, caramel-coloured dried curd that Kazakh herding families make in summer on the jailau pastures: milk is soured with a little starter, heated until it splits, and the curds are cooked slowly in their own whey until they turn golden and fudgy, then dried in the sun. It is nibbled with tea in winter, from Almaty flats to steppe villages. This version needs no rennet, so it is vegetarian. A common mistake is draining the curd too soon; the long cook in the whey is what browns and sweetens it. Chef's tip: stir more often as the whey reduces, because the curd catches easily at the end.

180 min

Kazakh Basics

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TalkanRoasted millet flour with butter

Talkan is an ancient nomad food from the Kazakh steppe: grain roasted in a dry kazan and ground into a fine, nutty flour that keeps for months and needs no cooking. In Kazakh homes it is mixed with melted butter and sugar or honey into crumbly sweets for children, stirred into hot milk tea, or pressed into balls for travel. Ready-made talkan is sold in Kazakh markets; roasting your own millet or wheat flour works well. A common mistake is roasting over high heat, which scorches the outside of the grains and leaves a bitter taste. Chef's tip: roast until it smells like popcorn, then grind finely while warm.

20 min

Kazakh Snacks & Starters

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Taba nanEmber-baked pan bread

Taba nan is the bread of the Kazakh herders, baked on the move: a round of yeasted dough put into a greased iron pan (taba), covered with a second pan and buried in the hot embers of a dung or wood fire, so it bakes into a domed loaf with a thick, crackly crust. Families still make it at their summer pastures and at festivals. At home, two heavy cast-iron pans on the hob, or a lidded casserole in the oven, give a good result. A common mistake is a high flame, which burns the base before the inside bakes. Chef's tip: keep the heat low and flip the pans halfway, so both crusts brown evenly.

70 min

Kazakh Breads & Parathas

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