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Bombay Potatoes is comfort food at its finest. Small potatoes are partially cooked, then coated in a richly spiced oil infused with seeds and aromatics. Some potatoes are mashed to create a creamy base, while others remain whole for texture. The result is a warm, golden, deeply spiced side dish that's utterly satisfying. This is a vegetarian staple of Indian home cooking.
Cooked chickpeas (tinned for speed, OR overnight-soaked and home-cooked for the best texture) toss with diced red onion, finely chopped tomato, small-diced boiled potato and chopped fresh coriander. The dressing: lemon juice, chaat masala (a salty-sour spice mix sold at Pakistani shops), roasted ground cumin, Kashmiri chilli powder and a pinch of salt. Hot chilli sauce and tamarind chutney drizzle on; the chaat tosses; crushed papri tops; eat immediately.
The Azerbaijani version of the shepherd's salad that turns up in some form on every table from the Balkans to Persia, the bright herby counter to anything rich coming out of the kitchen. You dice tomatoes, cucumber and red onion to five-millimetre cubes (smaller than a typical chopped salad, almost a relish) and chop the herbs fine: dill, mint and tarragon, the tarragon being the move that distinguishes the Azeri version from its neighbours. Everything tosses together with olive oil, lemon juice and salt about fifteen minutes before serving, so the salt draws the tomato juice out and the salad relaxes into itself. Best the same day; the salad weeps if held overnight. Eat with grilled meat, with plov, with lavash, with whatever the main is.
Pita breads are torn into pieces and toasted (or fried) until crisp and crunchy. Chopped vegetables, mint, parsley and a sumac-lemon-olive-oil dressing are tossed together; the toasted pita goes in last so it stays crunchy. Eaten immediately before the bread goes soft.
A torn pita is brushed with olive oil and grilled or fried until golden and crisp. Cucumber, tomato, radish, romaine, spring onion, parsley and mint are roughly chopped into a wide bowl. A dressing of lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, sumac, garlic, olive oil and salt is whisked. The salad is tossed with the dressing just before serving; the pita is scattered on top so it stays crisp.
Firm green tomatoes slice 8 mm thick. Salt 10 minutes to draw water. Dredge: seasoned flour → beaten egg + buttermilk → seasoned cornmeal + breadcrumbs (this triple-dredge gives the crispiest coat). Shallow-fry in oil at 180°C until deep gold. Drain; salt; serve with rémoulade.
Herb salsa is uniquely French despite the Spanish name: it's essentially a warm salsa based on creamy, newly cooked potato and fine herbs. Unlike the fresh salsas of Mexico and Mediterranean regions, this version relies on cooked potato for texture and structure, with sherry vinegar providing acid, and a combination of mustard and lemon juice offering complexity. The blend of fines herbes (parsley, chives, tarragon, chervil) creates aromatic brightness without the intensity of larger basil-based sauces. This is best served warm or at room temperature, never chilled; cold dulls the delicate herb character.
Vegetables are diced into uniform 5 mm cubes, knife work matters. Lemon juice, olive oil and salt are the only dressing; sometimes a teaspoon of sumac or a clove of crushed garlic. Eaten freshly made; doesn't keep, the cucumbers weep.
Vegetables dice into 5 mm cubes, uniform size matters for both look and dressing. Lime juice, salt, chaat masala and a finely-chopped chilli toss through. Coriander on top. Eat within an hour or the salad goes watery.
Red onion is sliced as thin as possible (mandoline is ideal). The slices are soaked in iced water with a small splash of vinegar for 15 minutes, which kills the raw sulphurous bite and crisps them up. Drained and patted dry, the slices are tossed with lemon juice, chaat masala, salt, a pinch of sugar and a small handful of finely chopped fresh coriander or mint. Pickled green chillies on the side complete it.
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.
Chile's table salsa, the fresh chunky relish that turns up in a small bowl next to bread before any meal and stays on the table until everything is gone. You chop tomato, onion and coriander fine (smaller than a chopped salad, almost a relish), then combine with crushed garlic, ají chilli (or red chilli if ají isn't around), olive oil, vinegar or lemon, salt and pepper. Fold gently and let sit for ten minutes so the flavours mingle. Eaten with fresh bread before a meal, spooned over grilled meat, alongside empanadas, with chorrillana, with cazuela. Basically with anything savoury that comes out of a Chilean kitchen.
A vibrant, deeply flavoured roasted red pepper salsa with shallots, fresh thyme, basil, lemon, and olive oil. Roasting the peppers until blackened intensifies their sweetness and adds a subtle smokiness. Versatile enough to serve with pasta, spread in a bouchée canapé, or as an accompaniment to grilled meats and fish.
Salata afghani is the salad that goes alongside every Afghan main, no exceptions: tomato, cucumber and red onion diced fine and even, dressed with lemon, olive oil and dried mint, scattered with fresh coriander. The technique is in the cut. Everything dices the same size (about 5 mm) so a spoonful gives you a clean mouthful of all three vegetables. Whisk the dressing of lemon juice, olive oil, dried mint, salt and a small green chilli; toss it through the diced vegetables at the last minute (the salt draws a little water out and the flavours mingle without dissolving the cucumber). Fresh coriander goes on top right before serving.
Tomato, cucumber and onion all diced very small (the cut is small, 5 mm pieces, not chunky). Fresh parsley, mint and an optional chilli chop. Everything mixes in a wide bowl with lemon juice, olive oil, sumac, salt and pepper. Rest for 5 minutes for the flavours to integrate. Eat immediately, the tomato weeps quickly and the salad goes watery after an hour.
Tomato, cucumber, onion and green pepper dice fine. Tossed with lemon, olive oil, salt, ground cumin and parsley. A pinch of dried mint or fresh coriander finishes. Made fresh; eaten within an hour.