Long ago I visited the Yemen and this recently found recipe for zhug brought back some memories. Use it as you would a salsa or pesto, to add a bit of joy to other dishes or cold plates

INGREDIENTS

• 2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
• 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• ½ teaspoon cardamom seeds, extracted from about 10 cardamom pods
• 6 garlic cloves, smashed
• 4 serrano chiles, cut into very thin coins
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 3 tightly packed cups roughly chopped cilantro leaves and stems
• 1 ½ tightly packed cups roughly chopped parsley leaves
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

PREPARATION

1. In a small, dry pan, toast the peppercorns, coriander seeds, cumin seeds and cardamom seeds over medium heat, shaking the pan occasionally, until slightly toasted and fragrant, about 2 minutes.
2. Transfer the seeds to a large mortar and pestle, and pulverize into a coarse powder.
3. Add the garlic and chiles, and season evenly with kosher salt. Grind the mixture together until a tight paste forms, 4 to 5 minutes.
4. Add about 1/3 of the cilantro and parsley, and continue to pound together into a rough paste, another 4 to 5 minutes. Repeat two more times, adding the remaining cilantro and parsley in two batches, until the mixture is a slightly pulpy paste, 4 to 5 minutes.
5. Drizzle in the olive oil while constantly pounding and grinding together the herb mixture until you achieve a loose, homogeneous paste. Continue to mix until it has the consistency of applesauce, about 2 minutes. Let it stand 10 minutes before serving.

Homemade isn’t always better. Whilst sometimes a vegetarian has to make their own, to avoid fish sauce or other specific ingredients, there are often alternatives available on-line. Especially when we’re talking about the Asian store-cupboard. Many ingredients, such as kimchi and gochujang, but also soy sauce and miso, take practised hands, and years of fermentation and knowledge to make.

Plus, they’re fairly easy to buy and, once bought, they obediently sit between the cupboard and the fridge like sleeping giants, ready to deploy big and instant flavour. This recipe is a version of Korean kimchi jiggae, a warming stew that is greater than the sum of its parts – happily, parts mostly pre-made and from the store cupboard.

Given that the main ingredient in this dish is kimchi, buy the best you can – we use Eaten Alive Spicy kimchee but their other varieties are worth trying. This recipe was originally written for tender stem broccoli.

Prep 20 min
Cook 40 min
Serves 4

3 tbsp rapeseed oil 
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped 
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 
1.5cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated 
300g good-quality kimchi 
1 tbsp gochujang paste
1 tbsp brown rice syrup 
200g oyster mushrooms, cut into 1cm strips
1 litre vegetable stock 
400g extra-firm tofu, sliced 
250g Tenderstem broccoli, halved
Salt 
2 spring onions, trimmed and finely shredded

Noodles for 4

Heat the oil in a casserole dish and, when hot, add the onion and fry, until soft. Stir in the garlic, ginger and kimchi, fry until the kimchi starts to caramelise – about eight to 10 minutes – then stir in the gochujang and rice syrup. Add the mushrooms to the pot and fry for three minutes.

Pour in the stock, bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to a whisper and simmer for 10-12 minutes, until it tastes like all the flavours have come together.

Layer the tofu slices in a fan shape on one side of the pot, arrange the Tenderstem on the other side, and prod both so they’re slightly submerged in the hot liquid. Leave to cook for another six minutes, or until the broccoli is cooked, then check the seasoning – add salt, if need be. Add a portion of cooked noodles to each bowl. Label the broth over the noodles in the bowls, scatter over the shredded spring onions.

Or serve with bowls of steamed jasmine rice.

Just back from Japan and we’re missing the food already. Japanese curry is a funny sort of thing, but made immeasurably easier to cook with a pre-prepared curry brick that can be dissolved to make a quick curry sauce.

FOR THE SPICE MIX:

• 1 (2-inch) cinnamon stick, pounded into small pieces
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon brown mustard seeds
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• ½ teaspoon whole cloves
• 2 cardamom pods
• 1 dried shiitake mushroom, broken into pieces
• 1 (1-inch strip) dried kombu, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 ½ teaspoons whole black peppercorns
• 1 orange, zested
• 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste

FOR THE ROUX:

• 1 ½ cups/340 grams unsalted butter (3 sticks)
• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
•  Nutritional Information

PREPARATION

1. In a large skillet, toast cinnamon, bay leaf, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, cloves and cardamom pods over medium heat, stirring until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Be careful not to burn the spices. Transfer the toasted ingredients to a spice grinder.
2. Add the mushroom, kombu and peppercorns to the spice grinder, and grind at the highest speed for 30 seconds. Shake the grinder a couple of times as you blend to make sure the cinnamon stick is pulverized. (You can also grind the spices in batches, if necessary.) Transfer the pulverized spices to a small bowl. Add the orange zest, turmeric, ginger, sea salt, paprika and cayenne pepper.
3. To make the roux, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. When the butter is nearly melted, lower the heat to medium-low. Gradually whisk in the flour, and cook, stirring constantly, until the roux turns light brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Be careful not to burn the roux. Turn off the heat, add the spice mix and stir until well combined.
4. Divide the mixture among three mini aluminum loaf pans, adding about 3/4 cup per loaf pan, or transfer the entire mixture to a parchment-lined quarter-size sheet tray. Let cool for a few minutes at room temperature, then transfer to the fridge so the bricks can solidify. Once firm, unmold, cut each brick into 9 small curry brick cubes (or, if using a sheet tray, cut the mixture into 27 pieces total) and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator for about a month or in the freezer for 3 months.

Tip

• To make a Japanese curry, heat 4 tablespoons of light sesame oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add 1 chopped white onion, 1 chopped carrot, 1 peeled and quartered potato, 2 minced garlic cloves and about 1 1/2 pounds squash. Sauté, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. Add 4 cups stock, and simmer for about 15 minutes, then add 3 small curry brick cubes, and simmer gently until the curry has thickened, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with miso, soy sauce, sake and minced fresh ginger, and serve over hot rice.

You could make this with something as simple as a plateful of ripe tomatoes, but for the post-match supper at the tennis club, I’ve used the dressing with roasted vegetables, bulked out with some cooked lentils.

All salads should be easy to make and shouldn’t require a huge amount of work. This recipe adds fresh brightly colored chilies for heat and color along with fresh cilantro leaves.

Ingredients

• 2 large heirloom tomatoes (see notes above) & 2 cups cherry tomatoes, OR:
• Around 1kg roasted vegetables e.g. half butternut squash, baby onions, sweet potatoes
• Cooked puy lentils
• 4 thai chili peppers, red and yellow color
• 2 tablespoons whole cilantro leaves, fresh
• 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder, freshly ground + extra if needed
• 2 teaspoons tamarind concentrate 
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lime juice
• 3 teaspoons dark brown sugar or jaggery crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon toasted coriander powder, freshly ground (see notes above)
• 100mL cup water
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Maldon sea salt flakes

1. Thinly slice the heirloom tomatoes and arrange them on a serving platter. Add the cherry tomatoes over them. OR assemble roast vegetables .
2. Slice the chili peppers lengthwise in half and arrange them over the tomatoes. Sprinkle the cilantro leaves over the tomatoes. 
3. Take a 500mL mason jar or glass jar with a lid. Add all the ingredients from the tamarind to the olive oil. Close the jar tight with its lid and then shake vigorously until it forms an emulsion. Taste the dressing and adjust seasoning if necessary with salt and pepper.
4. Drizzle enough dressing over the salad and sprinkle with the Maldon sea salt flakes and/or pepper if needed. Serve immediately.

This is based on a very old Cranks recipe, turned into more of a pastry less quiche than a lentil bake. It can be eaten warm or cold.

INGREDIENTS (Serves: 12)

• 175 grams red lentils (washed and drained)
• 350 millilitres water, add more as required
• 225 grams cheese (grated – something with a kick to it such as mature cheddar or Gouda)
• 1 onion, diced
• 8 eggs beaten
• salt (to taste)
• pepper (to taste)

METHOD

Heat the oven to 190C 

Boil the lentils in the water with the lid on until the lentils are soft  (around 15 minutes) adding more water if the pan runs dry. Meanwhile fry the onions until soft.

Take the pan of the heat and stir the onion into the lentils. Add the cheese and mix well. Allow to cool slightly and add the eggs

Put the mixture in a rectangular cake/bread mould or a springmould. Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Variations:

• Add vegetable stock cube OR 1 tsp marmite OR 1 tbsp white miso to the water and lentils
• Add asparagus, tomatoes etc to the basic mixture

Or if you want something significantly different, fry chilli and garlic with the onions before adding to the lentils. Leave out the cheese altogether. Press onion rings into the top of the lentil mix in the tin and bake. Serve this with a curry in place of a dhal side dish.

And then there is an alternative lentil dish that sounded wonderful:

MISIR WOT (LENTIL STEW)

Looking for a recipe for a red lentil bake, something from my very first days as a vegetarian and came across a Moroccan version with spiced butter.

• NITER KIBBEH (SPICED BUTTER)
• 250g of unsalted butter
• 1 shallot, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 knob of ginger, sliced
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 black cardamom pods, crushed
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 1 bay leaf
• MISSIR WOT
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 tbsp of tomato purée
• 5 plum tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tbsp of berbere
• 250g of red lentils
• 500ml of vegetable stock

Method

1Begin by making the niter kibbeh. Place the butter in a saucepan along with the rest of the ingredients and simmer over a very low heat for about 20 minutes. The butter solids should be starting to caramelise into a beurre noisette but be careful not to cook too long, or it will burn

2 Line a sieve with a piece of muslin or coffee filter and strain the butter into a bowl

3 To make the stew, add 4 tbsp of the niter kibbeh to a medium pan and add the onions and garlic. Cook over a medium-low heat until softened

4 Add the berbere and tomato purée and cook out for a further minute. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook down for 8 minutes until the tomatoes start to break down a little. Keep stirring to avoid them sticking to the bottom of the pan

5 Rinse the lentils, then add them to the stew along with 500ml stock. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally

6 Serve the misir wot with extra niter kibbeh drizzled over the top

Dried limes are especially popular in Iran, Iraq, Oman and the Persian Gulf and they come whole or ground, black or white (they also go by different names such as Omani limes, Iranian limes or noomi basra). Use the black variety here, if you can.

I usually serve this dish with steamed white rice or warm flatbreads to scoop everything up but I’ve also been known to use the tofu as an addition to a spinach salad.

Prep 10 min
Cook 20 min
Serves 4

1 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tsp caster sugar
1 small red onion, peeled and cut into thin rounds (use a mandoline, if you have one)
Salt and black pepper
600ml sunflower oil, for frying 
2 blocks extra-firm tofu (560g), patted dry and cut into 2cm cubes
2 tbsp cornflour
2 onions, peeled and roughly chopped
6 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
60ml olive oil
2 tsp cumin seeds, roughly crushed in a mortar
10g dried black limes (about 2-3), blitzed in a spice grinder to get 2 tbsp
2 tbsp tomato paste
20g parsley leaves, roughly chopped
250g baby spinach

In a small bowl, mix the vinegar, a teaspoon of sugar, the red onion and an eighth of a teaspoon of salt, then leave to pickle while you get on with making the rest of the dish.

Heat the sunflower oil in a medium saute pan on a medium-high flame. In a bowl, toss the tofu in the cornflour until well coated. Fry the tofu in two batches, until crisp and lightly browned – about six minutes a batch – then transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper, to drain.

While the tofu is frying, make the sauce. Pulse the onion and garlic in a food processor until very finely minced (but not pureed). Put the olive oil in a large saute pan on a medium-high heat, then fry the onion mixture, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned – about seven minutes. Add the cumin, lime powder and tomato paste, cook for a minute, then add 400ml water, the last teaspoon of sugar, a teaspoon and a quarter of salt and a good grind of pepper. Bring to a simmer, then cook, stirring occasionally, for six minutes, until thick and rich. Add the tofu, parsley and another grind of pepper, stir to coat, then add the spinach in increments, stirring, until it has just wilted – about three minutes.

Transfer to a shallow platter, top with the pickled onion and serve.

Rojak salad is a sour, spicy and sweet south-east Asian staple. It can be made vegan by taking care to buy a samba oelek, an Indonesian chilli sauce, without shrimp paste either on-line or from an Asian food store

Rojak salad is an Indonesian, Malay and Singaporean mainstay that to me always felt like a dish you’d serve at a retro dinner party. It’s often studded with tropical fruit, such as pineapple, packed with deep-fried dough and tofu, and covered in a sweet, syrupy tamarind sauce.

But Claire Thomson’s version in her latest book, New Kitchen Basics takes the idea and turns it into a fresh, light, flavourful and easy salad. This is an adapted version, using avocado and apple. It is sour, hot and sweet, but not too sweet. It’s a keeper – and a new kitchen favourite.

Prep 20 min
Cook 8 min
Serves 4

2 tbsp tamarind paste
2 tsp vegan sambal oelek, or to taste – I like the Lucullus brand
1 tbsp brown rice syrup or maple syrup
3 tbsp light soy sauce
Rapeseed oil
1 x 280g pack extra-firm tofu, drained and cut into cubes
¼ white cabbage, finely shredded (150g net) 
½ cucumber, deseeded and cut into thin slices
100g baby leaf spinach 
2 Braeburn apples, cut into 2mm slices 
2 avocados, stoned and cut into wedges (250g net)
1 handful fresh mint leaves, torn from about 4 sprigs
100g peanuts or hazelnuts roasted, salted and ground
Lime wedges, to serve

First, make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk the tamarind paste, sambal oelek and syrup with two tablespoons of the soy and a tablespoon of oil. Taste the dressing, making sure you’re happy with the balance of heat, sour, sweet and salt, and adjust as required.

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and, when hot, fry the tofu cubes for six to eight minutes, turning them with tongs, until golden brown all over, then add the remaining tablespoon of soy, take off the heat and tip into a serving bowl.

Add the cabbage, cucumber, spinach, apple, avocado wedges, mint leaves and half the nuts to the bowl, then toss with your hands to wilt the spinach and mash the avocado a little. Add about six tablespoons of the dressing, mix again, then taste and add more dressing if need be. Garnish with the remaining peanuts and serve with a lime wedge on the side.