Purely Recipes
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Recipes

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Three good first picks.

27 minvegetarian Pasta Salad Italian pasta salad with cherry tomatoes, olives, capsicum, bocconcini and basil in a shake-in-a-jar dressing. Ready in 25 minutes, feeds 8. 2 h 20 min Sticky Ribs Chinese-style pork spare ribs, braised under foil until tender, then roasted bare until the soy, honey and hoisin marinade turns to a glossy glaze. 32 min Chocolate Lava Cake Individual chocolate puddings with a set outside and a molten, runny middle. Five ingredients, 12 minutes in the oven, and they can be made ahead.

Indian

5
1 h 25 min Biryani Chicken biryani in one pot. Bone-in chicken marinated in spiced yoghurt goes in raw, under golden fried onions, mint and rice boiled just 4 minutes, then saffron and ghee on top, lid on, and the steam cooks both together. 1 h 10 min Butter chicken Restaurant-style butter chicken at home. Chicken marinated overnight in yoghurt and spices, charred hard under the grill, then simmered in a smooth tomato, cashew and butter sauce finished with cream and kasuri methi. 1 h 5 min Chicken Tikka Masala Curry-house chicken tikka masala at home. Yoghurt-marinated chicken charred in a smoking-hot pan, then simmered in a smooth sauce of deep golden onions, tomato, garam masala and cream. Recipe Dal Dal is the bowl that feeds South Asia: split lentils, peas or beans simmered soft with turmeric and salt, then finished with a spoonful of sizzling spiced… Recipe Naan Tear a naan straight from the oven and it fights back a little: a crisp, blistered outside, a soft and stretchy middle, a puff of steam and the smell of…

Thai

3
50 min Pad Thai Pad thai at home, two plates at a time. Rice noodles soaked in cold water, never boiled, then finished in the wok with tamarind, palm sugar and fish sauce, with prawns, tofu, egg, bean sprouts and peanuts. 45 min Green Curry Thai green chicken curry in 30 minutes. Crack the thick coconut cream until its oil splits, fry the paste in that oil, then simmer briefly so the sauce stays thin, fragrant and green. Recipe Tom Yum Tom yum is Thailand's hot and sour soup: a broth humming with lemongrass, makrut lime leaves and galangal, sharpened with lime and fired up with chilli.…

Chinese

4
Recipe Dumplings Wrap something tasty in dough, cook it, eat it hot. That is the whole idea, and almost every cuisine with wheat has landed on it: Chinese jiaozi, Japanese… Recipe Kung Pao Chicken Picture a wok so hot the dried chillies start to darken the second they land, a cloud of smoke that makes everyone in the kitchen cough, then chicken, a… Recipe Fried Rice Fried rice is yesterday's rice given a second, better life: a hot pan, a splash of oil, an egg, whatever the fridge offers, and a few minutes of noisy… Recipe Spring rolls A spring roll is a thin wrapper rolled around a filling, then fried crisp or served soft and fresh. The name is a literal one: in China these rolls belong…

Japanese

3
Recipe Sushi Picture sushi and you probably see a glossy slice of tuna on a little pillow of rice. Here's the twist: that version is only about two hundred years old,… 1 h Ramen Weeknight shoyu chicken ramen. Supermarket chicken stock simmered with ginger, kombu and shiitake, a quick soy tare in the bowl, spring onion oil, poached chicken thigh and a jammy marinated egg. Recipe Tempura Tempura is seafood and vegetables dipped in a thin batter and fried until the coating shatters like frost on a windowpane. It feels as Japanese as cherry…

Korean

2
Recipe Bibimbap A bowl of warm rice, a ring of bright vegetables, maybe some beef, an egg on top and a dollop of red chilli paste. It looks too pretty to wreck, and then… Recipe Kimchi Kimchi is Korea's fermented vegetable dish: cabbage, radish or almost any green, salted, seasoned and left to sour into something crunchy, fizzy and…

Vietnamese

2
4 h 30 min Pho Beef pho from bones. Brisket and bones boiled clean, then simmered 3½ hours with charred onion, charred ginger and toasted star anise, cinnamon and cloves, seasoned with fish sauce, poured boiling over paper-thin raw beef. Recipe Bánh mì Snap the crust of a good bánh mì and it shatters, showering crumbs down your shirt, while the inside stays soft as a cloud. Then come the layers: a swipe…

Malaysian & Indonesian

3
Recipe Laksa Laksa is a bowl of noodles in a spicy, fragrant soup, and it comes in so many versions that two people arguing about "real laksa" may be picturing… Recipe Nasi Goreng Picture a wok over a roaring flame, yesterday's rice hitting hot oil, a splash of sticky sweet soy, a dab of funky shrimp paste, and a fried egg sliding… Recipe Satay Follow the smoke. Somewhere ahead a vendor fans a long, narrow charcoal grill, and rows of little skewers sizzle and char, dripping marinade onto the…

Filipino

1
Recipe Adobo Ask ten Filipino families how to make adobo and you'll get eleven answers, and every one of them will be the right one. At heart it's simple: chicken or…

Mexican

3
Recipe Tacos A taco is a warm corn tortilla folded around something good, then finished with onion, coriander, a squeeze of lime and a hit of salsa . That's the whole… Recipe Enchiladas Take a corn tortilla, give it a bath in chilli sauce, wrap it round something good and you have an enchilada. The name says exactly that: it comes from… Recipe Guacamole Guacamole is mashed avocado, salt and a squeeze of lime, usually with onion, chilli and coriander folded through . That's close to the whole recipe. It…

Italian

5
Recipe Pizza Blistered crust, leopard-spotted from a blazing oven. A puddle of tomato, molten mozzarella, a few basil leaves wilting in the heat. Pull a slice and the… Recipe Lasagna Lasagna is sheets of pasta stacked with sauce and cheese, then baked until the edges go crisp and the middle sets just enough to cut. Italy calls it home,… Recipe Risotto Risotto asks for twenty minutes of your attention and pays you back handsomely. Onion softening in butter, rice crackling as it toasts, a splash of wine,… 15 min Fig and Prosciutto Bruschetta Chargrilled garlic toast, seasoned ricotta, ripe torn figs and prosciutto draped on while the toast is hot, finished with honey. A 15-minute starter for fig season. 27 minvegetarian Pasta Salad Italian pasta salad with cherry tomatoes, olives, capsicum, bocconcini and basil in a shake-in-a-jar dressing. Ready in 25 minutes, feeds 8.

Greek

3
Recipe Moussaka Silky aubergine, cinnamon-warm lamb, and a thick golden lid of béchamel that puffs up in the oven. That's moussaka to most of the world, and it feels as… Recipe Souvlaki Charred edges, juicy middle, a squeeze of lemon and a shake of oregano. Wrap it in warm pita with tomato, onion, tzatziki and a few chips, roll it in… Recipe Greek Salad Picture a bowl of fat summer tomatoes, crunchy cucumber, sharp onion, a few olives, and a slab of feta sitting on top like a crown, all glossy with olive…

Middle Eastern

5
Recipe Hummus Hummus is chickpeas blitzed smooth with tahini, lemon, garlic and olive oil, then scooped up with warm bread. In Arabic, ḥummuṣ simply means "chickpeas";… Recipe Falafel Crunchy outside, bright green and fluffy inside, falafel is a ball of soaked, ground beans or chickpeas, packed with herbs and fried until it crackles. It… Recipe Tabbouleh Tabbouleh looks like a salad and behaves like a dare: a bowl so green it's practically a lawn, flecked with tomato, sharp with lemon, with just a whisper… Recipe Kebab Kebab is meat cooked over or beside fire: on a skewer, minced round a sword-like blade, or stacked high and turning slowly in front of a wall of heat. The… Recipe Baklava Listen to a fresh tray of baklava when the cold syrup hits the hot pastry: it crackles and hisses like rain on a tin roof. Then comes the bite, dozens of…

North African

1
Recipe Tagine A tagine is two things at once: a clay pot with a pointy hat, and the slow stew that comes out of it. The name covers both, and across Morocco and Algeria…

More recipes

16
2 h 5 minvegetarian Apple Pie A double-crust apple pie with flaky butter pastry and a filling cooked first on the stove, so the lid sits on the apples, the base stays crisp and every slice holds. 55 minvegetariangluten free option Baked Apples Halved apples baked under a buttery oat, walnut and cinnamon crumble until soft and golden, sitting in a caramel sauce the oven makes for you. 2 h 15 minvegetarian Cherry Pie A lattice-topped cherry pie with flaky butter pastry and a filling thickened on the stove first, so every slice stands up glossy and red. Fresh, frozen or jarred sour cherries. 32 min Chocolate Lava Cake Individual chocolate puddings with a set outside and a molten, runny middle. Five ingredients, 12 minutes in the oven, and they can be made ahead. 30 min Chocolate Liqueur Creamy homemade chocolate liqueur with whisky, milk chocolate and condensed milk, made in 30 minutes. Melt the chocolate in a splash of whisky, cool it, and pour the rest of the cold whisky in last so it never splits. Plus a clear cacao-nib version. 35 minvegetariangluten free Creamy Mashed Potatoes Fluffy, buttery mashed potatoes with no lumps and no glue. Dry the potatoes, beat in the butter first, then the warm milk. Easy vegan swaps. 45 minvegetarian Cucumber Sandwich Loaf A whole loaf of cucumber and dill cream cheese sandwiches, stacked, frosted like a cake and sliced at the table. No oven, make-ahead party food, with vegan swaps. 1 h 10 minvegangluten free Flourless Seed Bread A dense, sliceable seed and nut loaf with no flour, no yeast and no kneading. Stir it in the tin, let it rest until it holds its shape, then bake it twice. Vegan and gluten-free. 40 min Healthy Cookies Thick, chewy oat cookies sweetened mostly with soaked, mashed dates and a little maple syrup, packed with almonds, coconut and raisins. One bowl, 20 minutes in the oven. 35 minvegan Homemade Bounty Bars Chewy coconut bars dipped in dark chocolate, like the classic Bounty. No baking, five ingredients in the filling, vegan as written. The trick is a frozen slab and fork-dipped fingers. 1 h 5 min Homemade Snickers Bars Layers of chocolate, peanut butter nougat, salted peanuts and condensed-milk caramel. A no-bake homemade Snickers slice for a 20 cm tin, with a nougat that holds its shape. 20 min Mulled Wine Mulled wine with orange, cinnamon, star anise and cloves. Boil the spices into a syrup with a splash of wine first, then warm the rest gently so it stays smooth and keeps its kick. 25 min No-Bake Chocolate Biscuit Cake No-bake chocolate biscuit cake with golden syrup, dried fruit and nuts. Crumbs and chunks, a poured chocolate top, chilled firm. No oven, 16 squares, ready in 2 hours. 2 h 20 min Sticky Ribs Chinese-style pork spare ribs, braised under foil until tender, then roasted bare until the soy, honey and hoisin marinade turns to a glossy glaze. 20 minvegetarian White Chocolate Cream Whipped white chocolate cream that holds its shape for hours. Make it as a ganache the night before, chill, then whisk for one minute. For pavlova, berries, cakes and tarts. 55 minvegetarianvegan Winter Vegetable Soup Chunky winter vegetable soup with sweet potato, potato, carrot, parsnip and peas, a quarter of it blended so it's creamy without cream. Vegan as written.