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A luxurious, golden emulsion featuring aromatic saffron and abundant crushed garlic. This traditional Mediterranean sauce combines egg yolks, olive oil, and saffron infusion for richness and subtly bitter complexity perfect with salt cod and vegetables.
Silky scrambled eggs infused with warm spices and fresh aromatics. The turmeric adds a earthy golden color while ginger and chilli provide warmth and complexity. Served with fresh coriander, this makes an excellent quick snack, elegant starter, or gourmet canapé topping.
A no-cook three-ingredient sauce. Mayo gives body, sweet chilli sauce brings the sweet-tart-mild-spice base, sriracha tops the heat to whatever level you want. Stirred together, ready immediately. Keeps for weeks in the fridge.
The filling is built in a small bowl: drained tinned tuna, finely-chopped onion, parsley, capers, harissa, salt. A square of malsouka (or two stacked sheets of filo) is laid flat. Half the filling is spread on one half of the sheet; an egg is cracked into a small well on top; the other half folds over. The seam is pinched; the brik slides into hot oil for 90 seconds, out crisp and golden, yolk still soft.
A classic Roman salad featuring crisp cos lettuce coated in a rich, anchovy-based dressing with crispy croutons, tender chicken, and pancetta. The soft-boiled egg adds creaminess to the velvety emulsified dressing.
This is a version of the fragrant Sichuan dish popularly known as 'Strange taste chicken' or bang-bang chicken because it incorporates many flavours simultaneously, hot, spicy, sour, sweet, and salty all in perfect balance. The sesame seeds add a crunchy texture that contrasts beautifully with tender chicken meat. Equally delicious served hot or at room temperature, making it ideal for entertaining.
Tomatillos, jalapeño, onion and garlic blitz into a green salsa, briefly cooked. Crisp tortilla chips toss into the simmering salsa for 2 minutes, long enough to coat, short enough that they keep some crunch. Topped with eggs and the standard creamy garnishes.
These striking ravioli unite fresh crab meat with silken mascarpone, sharpened by fresh lemon and parsley, all enveloped in a bold chilli-infused pasta. The combination of delicate seafood with the subtle heat of dried chillies creates sophisticated complexity, while lemon butter provides the perfect light sauce. This is restaurant-quality food made at home.
A no-cook blender sauce. Pickled jalapeños bring brine and a manageable heat that the sour-cream-and-mayo base absorbs without going incendiary. Fresh coriander gives the green colour and aromatic bite. A small garlic clove, lime juice and salt finish it. Stir in the sour cream at the end (not blended) for a slightly chunky texture that still drizzles. Better the next day, after the flavours have married.
Curry blends beautifully with chicken when prepared in the style of southern Chinese cuisine, as a light, subtle sauce that enhances rather than overpowers the delicate chicken meat. This recipe balances spice with refinement, proving that curry in Chinese cooking is more elegant whisper than aggressive shout.
The Sunday brunch icon, and the dish people learn hollandaise for. You build the sauce first, whisking egg yolks with water and lemon over a bain-marie until they ribbon, then drizzling in warm clarified butter while you whisk steady and even until the bowl holds something glossy and thick. The hollandaise will wait for you in a warm spot while you poach the eggs - vinegar in barely-simmering water, a gentle whirlpool, three minutes for a runny yolk - and toast the muffins, and warm the ham. Then everything stacks at speed: muffin, ham, egg, hollandaise spooned generously over, a scatter of chives. You eat immediately, because every component is at its best within a minute of plating and falls off a cliff after five. Looks fancy on a tablecloth; rewards twenty focused minutes of work.
Prawns (shrimp) curl naturally into half-circles. To get your firecracker prawns looking right you need to do some cosmetic work but it’s an easy job: the underside of the prawns needs to be scored in three places so that you can straighten them up. I have seen this popular starter prepared with many different marinades but as the name implies, it’s the chilli that is important. In this recipe I suggest using both chilli paste and roasted chilli flakes. How much of each you add, however, is completely down to you and how spicy you like your food. I recommend serving these with sweet chilli sauce.
Thai fishcakes (often called ‘tod mun pla’ on menus) are known for their spongy consistency, which I’m not fond of; that sponginess comes from the egg, so I tend to leave it out. Fishcakes are usually deep-fried in street stalls and restaurants, but I find it much easier to shallow-fry them. These are great served with sweet chilli sauce, Thai seafood dipping sauce and/or cucumber and chilli relish.
"Pad see ew" translates literally as "stir-fried with soy sauce", and that soy is the heart of the dish: dark, sweet and clinging to wide rice noodles charred at the edges in a hot wok. Broccolini stands in for traditional Chinese broccoli (kai lan), the prawns are given a brief garlic-soy marinade, and an egg is folded through right at the end. A sharp homemade chilli vinegar at the table is the traditional Thai counterweight to all that sweet soy.
Gluten-free popcorn chicken bites made with gram flour batter, inspired by overpriced drive-thru versions. Tender chicken pieces coated in spiced batter and tossed with tangy chutneys and fresh toppings for a flavorful, addictive snack.
Fresh egg noodles tossed in a glossy, sweet-savoury sauce of kecap manis, soy, ketchup, sesame oil and shrimp paste, with pork, prawns, cabbage and bean sprouts. The dish is finished with thin egg ribbons and a scatter of spring onion. Quick to cook once the components are prepped, but rewards a properly hot wok and a sauce mixed in advance.
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.
A Hong Kong specialty that pairs delicate chicken with a tart yet subtly sweet lemon sauce. The technique of shallow-frying chicken strips until just cooked keeps the meat tender, while a glossy sauce coats each piece perfectly. The balance between citrus acidity and the subtle spice of dried chilli makes this dish elegant yet comforting.
My first job out of college was working as the manager of a shoe store in Marina, near Monterey, California. I hated every second of that job but loved living in Monterey and all the amazing locally caught seafood. Squid was and still is a speciality there, and it was during my time of selling cheap shoes that I learned this method of frying calamari to perfection. I’ve tried a few other recipes but, in my opinion, this one ticks all the boxes. The crispy fried squid is delicious served with the sweet chilli sauce dip.
Samosas are the ultimate Indian snack: crispy, angular parcels of golden filo pastry enclosing spiced, fragrant filling. The technique is simple yet satisfying, triangular folding, egg wash sealing, and oven-baking creates a light, shattering crust. Unlike deep-fried versions, these are baked for a lighter result while maintaining crispness. Serve warm with chutney, raita, or lemon juice. These are elegant enough for entertaining, casual enough for snacking.