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A good bánh mì is mostly assembly. The bread should be light and crackly, the pâté smeared on thickly, the mayo generous, the meat layered cold and the herbs and pickles loaded right to the edges. A short blast in a hot oven is what crisps the loaf; the filling goes in straight after. Eat standing up over the sink.
Rice flour, turmeric, coconut milk and water make a thin yellow batter. Filling vegetables, mushrooms, sliced onion, tofu, are sautéed in a hot pan; the batter is poured over to form a thin pancake; beansprouts pile in last; the lot is folded in half and slides out crisp. Pieces are wrapped in lettuce with herbs and dipped in nuoc cham.
Chilli con carne is a hearty, flavour-packed stew that celebrates bold Mexican spicing combined with slow-cooked beef, beans, and tomatoes. This version builds deep, complex flavours through toasted whole spices, umami ingredients (marmite and soy sauce), and slow simmering. The result is a comforting, warming dish that improves with time and is perfect for feeding a crowd.
A Cambodian quick-pickle, the bright sharp counter that turns up on every Khmer table next to grilled meats and rich curries. You julienne daikon, carrot and cucumber thin so the brine penetrates fast, then salt them briefly in a colander to draw the water out. The brine is sweet-sour: lime juice, white vinegar, palm sugar, fish sauce (or soy for a vegetarian version) and a sliced bird's-eye chilli. Pour it over the drained vegetables and leave to sit at room temperature for an hour, then refrigerate. Ready in an hour, better after three, best the next day. Eaten alongside grilled fish or chicken, piled into a bowl of rice with anything saucy, or tucked into a sandwich.
Vermicelli noodles cook briefly and get tossed with sesame oil to stop sticking. Tofu pan-fries until golden. Rice paper rounds soak in warm water until pliable; everything stacks on each round and rolls tightly. The peanut sauce blends in seconds.
A filling of minced pork and chopped prawn binds with coriander root (pounded with garlic and white pepper into the traditional Thai "rak pak chee" paste), oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and a beaten egg. The mixture chills for 20 minutes to firm. Square wonton wrappers go around the filling cupcake-style: filling in the centre, edges pulled up and pleated open around the meat, top brushed with a tiny smear of beaten egg and topped with a thin slice of carrot. Steamed in a bamboo basket over boiling water for 8 minutes. Dip is black soy sauce with sliced chilli and rice vinegar.
Burdock root (gobo, long thin brown root sold at Japanese / Korean / well-stocked Asian shops; if unavailable, substitute with parsnip + an extra dash of dashi for the earthy depth) is scrubbed clean, julienned into matchsticks, then soaked briefly in vinegared water to prevent oxidation. Carrots julienne to similar matchsticks. Sesame oil heats; dried red chilli flakes (or one small chilli sliced) infuses 30 seconds; the drained gobo goes in and stir-fries for 3 minutes; carrot joins; everything tosses 2 more minutes. A sauce of soy, mirin, sugar and a splash of sake pours in; reduces for 4-5 minutes until the liquid is gone and the vegetables are glazed. Finished with sesame seeds and a drizzle of sesame oil.
A pork-mince filling with carrot, onion, garlic, soy and pepper rolls tightly into thin spring-roll wrappers, finger-sized. Deep-fries golden in 4 minutes. The wrappers are key, Filipino lumpia wrappers are thinner than Chinese spring-roll skins and crisp differently.
Chilli con carne is a hearty, flavour-packed stew that celebrates bold Mexican spicing combined with slow-cooked beef, beans, and tomatoes. This version builds deep, complex flavours through toasted whole spices, umami ingredients (marmite and soy sauce), and slow simmering. The result is a comforting, warming dish that improves with time and is perfect for feeding a crowd.
This Anglo-Indian mulligatawny soup blends curry spices with vegetables in a smooth, warming broth. A comforting winter dish with layers of flavor from aromatic spices and optional sauces. Perfect for spice lovers seeking a hearty soup.
A Cambodian banana flower salad, the kind of bright herby starter that opens a Khmer meal. You slice banana flower thin and submerge it immediately in lemon water to stop the browning (banana flower oxidises within seconds of cutting, going from pale ivory to brown). Tofu cubes (or shredded chicken in the non-vegetarian version) join for substance. Peanuts toast in a dry pan; shallots fry crisp in oil. The dressing is lime, palm sugar, soy and chilli pounded together in a mortar, and everything tosses with fresh herbs at the last minute - mint, coriander, Thai basil, whatever is around. Eaten as a starter or alongside grilled meat, the bitter floral note of the banana flower balanced by the salty-sweet dressing and the crunch of peanuts.
A wok is heated hot; garlic flashes briefly in oil; vegetables go in by cook time, firmest first (broccoli, carrot, baby corn), then softer (mushroom, snow peas), and the leafy ones at the end (water spinach, bok choy). A small amount of vegetable stock and soy steams them through; oyster sauce (vegetarian) and sugar balance. Sesame oil to finish.
Pelau is the Trinidadian one-pot, a meld of West African jollof technique with South Asian pilau influence and a uniquely Caribbean step: caramelising brown sugar in hot oil until it foams and turns dark mahogany, then dropping the seasoned chicken straight in so the meat takes on the colour and the slightly bitter-sweet edge of burnt sugar. This is the signature move of Trinidadian "browning" and it is what makes pelau pelau and not pilaf. Coconut milk, pigeon peas (gungo peas in some other islands), thyme, garlic and a whole Scotch bonnet finish the build. The rice cooks through the whole pot so it absorbs the chicken juices, coconut and burnt sugar, and the finished dish is mid-brown, glossy, mildly sweet, slightly spicy and packed with chicken on the bone. It is not difficult but the burnt-sugar step requires nerve: the sugar needs to go well past caramel into something that smells almost burnt, otherwise the pelau will be too sweet rather than savoury-deep. Cook in a heavy pot with a tight lid and resist stirring once the rice is in. Serve with coleslaw or a sharp green salad, a slick of pepper sauce and a slice of fried plantain.
Onion and ginger char black on a flame to give the broth its signature smoky depth. They go into water with toasted spices, dried mushrooms, kombu (kelp) and a few aromatics, simmering for an hour to extract flavour. The broth strains clear; tofu poaches in it briefly. Rice noodles cook separately; everything assembles in bowls with a pile of fresh herbs and chillies.
Made popular by Chinese restaurants and takeaways, these are another menu item that have been adapted to have a subtle Thai flavour. You need to plan ahead as the filling must be cold (or room temperature) before rolling your spring rolls. To make these vegetarian, simply leave out the meat.
The essence of this recipe lies in knife technique: the beef must be cut into very thin strips for authentic texture and rapid cooking. A brief freeze makes slicing easier and more uniform. The result is a dish of tender, fragrant beef balanced with fresh ginger, crisp vegetables, and bold chilli heat.