Discover - Soul Spoon

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May produce

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Asparagus 4 Rhubarb 2 Peas 136 Broad beans 3 Radish 20 Lettuce 22 New potato 12 Spring onion 207 Watercress 2 Sorrel 2

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Aroog

Fine bulgur (#1 grade) soaks in hot water until soft and fluffy. Lamb or beef mince mixes with the bulgur, grated onion, lots of chopped parsley and coriander, ground baharat, cumin and a pinch of cinnamon. The mixture should be soft enough to spread, if it's too dry the aroog crumble. Small portions press onto a hot oiled pan and flatten to 1 cm thick discs; cook for 4-5 minutes per side over medium heat until deeply browned and the meat is just cooked through. Lift, drain briefly, eat hot with lemon and yoghurt.

Snacks 1 hour 20 minutes Serves4

Croquetas de Jamón

A thick béchamel, three times the flour-to-milk ratio of standard béchamel, is studded with chopped jamón serrano, chilled until firm enough to shape, rolled into ovals, breaded with flour-egg-panko, and deep-fried at 180°C until deep golden. Eat hot.

Spanish 4 hours 45 minutes Serves24

Indonesian Meatballs

Tender chicken meatballs simmered in a fragrant coconut and curry sauce, this Indonesian classic combines aromatic spices with creamy coconut milk for a comforting, flavourful dish. The meatballs stay moist and are infused with lemongrass and lime leaves for authentic flavour.

Indonesian 37 minutes Serves8

Lahori Chapli Kebab

Minced beef is mixed with crushed coriander seed, anardana (pomegranate seed) for sourness, finely chopped onion, green chilli, ginger and a generous handful of chopped fresh coriander. Egg, gram flour and a small amount of cornflour bind the mixture loosely. The patties are pressed paper-thin (chapli means slipper, after the shape) and shallow-fried hot in beef fat or oil until the edges crisp and the centre stays juicy.

Lahori 1 hour 15 minutes Serves4

Lamb Seekh Kebab

Seekh kebab is restaurant-quality barbecue. Unlike simple meatballs, seekh kebab is defined by its fine, dense, bound texture achieved through vigorous kneading. The spice profile is warm and aromatic without aggression. When charred over hot coals, the exterior develops a smoky, charred, visible "lace" pattern while the interior stays succulent. This is elegant Indian street food made at home, served with yoghurt and lemon.

Sides 20 minutes Serves4

Martabak Telur

A simple flour-water-oil dough rests for 1 hour (gluten relaxes; will roll paper-thin). Filling: beef mince cooks with shallot, garlic, ginger, curry-leaf, ground spices till dry and aromatic; cools; mixes with beaten eggs, spring onion and chopped coriander just before frying. Dough divides; each portion stretches paper-thin like a strudel; filling spoons in the centre; the edges fold over to make a flat square parcel; pan-fries for 3 minutes per side. Cuts in quarters; eats with chilli-pickle sauce.

Snacks 1 hour 55 minutes Serves4

Moin Moin

Dried black-eyed beans soak briefly to loosen the skins. The skins rub off; the beans soak more to soften. They blend smooth with red pepper, onion, Scotch bonnet and a little water into a thick batter. Palm oil whisks in. Ground crayfish, a stock cube, salt and ground egusi (or breadcrumbs) bind. The batter portions into oiled ramekins (or banana leaf parcels). A hard-boiled egg half, a piece of smoked fish or a spoon of cooked beef goes into each. They steam in a wide pot 50-60 minutes until firm and set.

Nigerian 2 hours 30 minutes Serves4-6

Pasteis de Bacalhau

These are the little salt-cod fritters you'd order at a marble counter in Lisbon, sitting with a glass of vinho verde while the bartender slides a plate across with no ceremony. The recipe itself is simple, dry mashed potato through flaked bacalhau with onion, garlic, parsley and egg, then a brief fry, but it does start the day before because the salt cod wants 24 to 36 hours of cold water soaks to draw the salt out. That step is the one thing you cannot shortcut. Once the cod is desalted, everything else is an afternoon's work: simmer the cod, flake it through warm potato, shape into the three-sided football "quenelles" that are the Portuguese signature, and fry until amber. Eat them warm with a wedge of lemon and a dish of piri-piri on the side.

Snacks 36 hours 55 minutes Serves6

Pork and Vegetable Spring Rolls

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.

Starters 50 minutes Serves30

Sichuan Chicken with Kung Pao Sauce

This recipe from the Sichuan region of western China showcases the region's trademark use of chillies combined with the modern addition of cashew nuts. The sauce is complex and layered, savoury from fermented beans and hoisin, spicy from dried chillies, and balanced with vinegar's acidity and sugar's sweetness. The result is distinctly Chinese in technique yet contemporary in execution.

Chinese 17 minutes Serves4

Tantanmen

Three components assemble at service. (1) Niku miso: ground pork stir-fries with garlic, ginger, doubanjiang and miso, then sweetened with sugar and finished with sesame oil. (2) Tare (concentrated seasoning paste): white sesame paste (tahini), soy sauce, rice vinegar, chilli oil, miso paste, garlic, whisked together. (3) Hot soup: chicken stock with a touch more sesame paste and chilli oil swirled in. Ramen noodles cook separately. Bowls layered: tare in the bottom, hot soup ladled over, cooked noodles, mound of niku miso, blanched bok choy, soft-boiled marinated egg, scallions, extra chilli oil.

Japanese 55 minutes Serves2

Uyghur Kebab Burger

A burger that tastes like a Kashgar street kebab rather than a Western quarter-pounder. Cumin is the dominant note (Uyghur cooking uses it the way the rest of China uses Sichuan pepper); behind it sits sweet chilli powder for warmth without burn, and the lamb fat that catches a deep gold sear on the outside. The patty stays loose and juicy because the mix is bound with a single egg and a spoon of flour rather than pressed dense like a beef burger. Smell-wise: charred fat, cumin, and the sweet onion folded into the meat. Easy enough that you can do it on a weeknight as long as the mix has had its 3-hour rest in the fridge; the resting time is what makes the difference between a flat-tasting patty and one that eats like the real tonur version. The dish is a clear modern adaptation of the classic Uyghur cumin lamb kebab, scaled down for households without access to a clay tandoor, and increasingly common in cafés across Xinjiang and the Uyghur diaspora.

Uyghur 8 hours 40 minutes Serves4

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