01 Recipes
Recipes from the kitchens we visit, written the way the aunties and grandmothers taught us.
A thick potato-and-egg omelette sandwiched inside soft roti or crusty bread with chili sauce. Bangkok's Muslim-quarter breakfast snack.
Small round yeasted dough balls fried until deep golden, then dipped in a warm lemon-and-cinnamon syrup and scattered with cinnamon. Turkey's most-shared street sweet.
Slow-cooked lamb shin over rice in a fierce garlic and Aleppo pepper broth, served at dawn from the specialist Gaziantep beyran shops that open only for breakfast.
Butterflied chicken marinated in garlic, coriander root, fish sauce and palm sugar, then grilled hard over charcoal. Isaan's roadside classic, served with sticky rice.
Clear beef broth over rice noodles with slow-braised beef shin, meatballs, bean sprouts and fresh coriander. Bangkok's iconic noodle lunch.
A tall glass layered with mung bean, red bean, tapioca, lotus seed, pandan jelly and coconut cream over crushed ice. The classical Vietnamese "mixed everything" dessert.
Open-top dumplings filled with pork, prawn and water chestnut, steamed in bamboo baskets and served with a fierce chili-garlic-calamansi soy sauce.
A pile of shaved ice drenched in sweetened coconut cream, topped with a customer-chosen selection of jelly, tapioca pearls, sweetened beans and jackfruit. Bangkok's summertime cooler.
Chicken or beef in an aromatic peanut sauce, wrapped in a folded banana leaf and slow-steamed for hours. Buganda's royal court dish, served at every wedding.
Whole tilapia scored deep, marinated in garlic and lime, then deep-fried until the skin is dark crackly. Kampala fish-market lunch, served with cassava and kachumbari.
Delicate pleated dumplings hiding a rich pork broth inside a paper-thin wrapper, steamed in bamboo baskets. Din Tai Fung's Taipei-born global sensation.
Grilled mackerel fillet in a soft Turkish roll with lettuce, onion, sumac and lemon. Istanbul's Galata Bridge street sandwich, eaten looking out at the Bosphorus.
Soft rice paper rolls filled with lettuce, coriander, cooked prawn, glass noodles and sweet Chinese sausage, dipped in a tangy plum-tamarind sauce. Bangkok's lightest starter.
Slow-braised beef shin in a spiced red-oil broth over hand-pulled wheat noodles, topped with pickled mustard greens, spring onion and coriander. Taiwan's national dish.
Fresh corn kernels pounded with garlic, chili, palm sugar and lime instead of green papaya — a modern Bangkok variation of the classical som tum.
Hand-minced lamb pounded with red pepper paste, cumin and salt, pressed onto flat metal skewers and grilled over charcoal. The signature kebab of southern Turkey.
Wild pepper leaves wrapped around dried shrimp, coconut, chili, lime cube and ginger, drizzled with palm-sugar sauce. Bangkok's most-photographed one-bite starter.
Dried white beans slow-cooked with tomato and onion, served topped with kavurma of chunks of sautéed lamb. Turkey's most beloved home-cooked bean dish.
Bone-in chicken pieces marinated in garlic, fish sauce and coriander root, dredged in seasoned rice flour and fried crackly. Thailand's answer to fried chicken, sold at every market.
Chopped pork, offal and blood tossed with a bespoke northern spice blend (phrik laab), fresh mint and cilantro. Chiang Mai's blood-and-spice ceremonial salad.
Thin wheat-flour wrappers pleated around a pork-prawn filling, steamed clear and served with a tangy garlic-vinegar dip. Bangkok's morning-market dumpling.
Sheets of thin homemade pastry parboiled, layered with feta, egg and herbs, and baked into a lasagne of golden layers. Turkey's Sunday-brunch centrepiece.
Small two-layer coconut custards — a sweet rice-flour base topped with a salty coconut cream — steamed in tiny porcelain cups. Bangkok's classical dessert bite.
Flaky puff pastry pockets filled with yellow-curried chicken and potato, deep-fried until golden. Bangkok's British-colonial-inspired snack sold at every tea shop.
Bite-sized pieces of marinated chicken thigh coated in sweet potato starch and fried crackly, tossed with basil and a heavy dust of white pepper and five-spice. Taipei's night-market king.
Cubes of goat meat pan-fried hard with onion, tomato, garlic and curry powder until the sauce is thick and glossy. Kampala's everyday goat dish.
Large yellow crispy turmeric-rice crepes filled with prawn, pork, bean sprouts and herbs, folded and cut into wedges. Bangkok's Vietnamese-Thai fusion snack.
Very fine coffee grounds simmered slowly in a small copper cezve with water and sugar, poured unfiltered into tiny cups and served with lokum. Turkey's most-shared drink ritual.
Chewy hand-rolled balls of mashed taro and tapioca flour, boiled and served over shaved ice with red beans, mung beans and sweetened milk. Jiufen's iconic mountain dessert.
Cantonese-Thai roast duck sliced over rice with a soy-and-star-anise gravy, blanched greens and a soy egg. Bangkok Chinatown's Sunday takeaway.
A large marinated pork chop coated in sweet potato starch and fried crackly, served over jasmine rice with braised cabbage, pickled mustard and a soy egg. Bento shop standard.
Marinated chicken pieces grilled over charcoal, chopped Cantonese-style through the bone, and served with sticky rice and jaew dipping sauce.
Thai instant noodle brand Mama transformed into a proper meal: tom yum broth, minced pork, prawn, kaffir lime and a runny yolk fried egg. Thailand's midnight comfort food.
Tantuni lamb served over torn flatbread with a layer of thick garlic yogurt and a drizzle of paprika butter. Adana's rich take on the Mersin classic.
Fermented tofu deep-fried until the outside is crackly gold and the inside is silky, served with pickled cabbage, sweet chili sauce and a coriander topping. Taipei's night-market lightning rod.
Paired fried dough sticks — like Chinese youtiao — served in Thai style with sweetened condensed milk or hot sangkhaya custard for dipping. Bangkok's dawn breakfast.
Shredded kadayıf pastry layered with unsalted white cheese, fried in butter until golden, and soaked in a lemon syrup. Antakya's warm dessert served with clotted cream.
Silky poached chicken, chicken-fat rice cooked in the poaching broth, dark soy, ginger-scallion and chili sauces. Singapore's most-photographed hawker plate.
Long-simmered white rice porridge, silky as cream, topped with poached chicken, thousand-year egg, soy-fried peanuts, spring onion and a drizzle of sesame oil.
Triangular yeasted doughnuts scented with cardamom and coconut milk, fried until deep golden. Rwanda's morning tea companion, best fresh from the pan.
Fragrant turmeric-yellow rice cooked with chicken, cardamom and cinnamon, topped with fried shallots and served with a sweet-and-sour chili dipping sauce. Bangkok's Muslim-quarter Sunday lunch.
Diced lamb stir-fried hard on a saç with tomato, onion, sumac and parsley, wrapped in a thin lavash with pickled peppers and lemon. Mersin's late-night street wrap.
Cubes of soft white milk pudding, cool almond-scented syrup, poached longan and crushed almonds. Ho Chi Minh City's modern minimalist chè.
Chicken slow-simmered in a clay pot with Chinese herbs, mushrooms, ginger and Shaoxing wine into a deeply-restorative soup. Bangkok's Chinatown medicinal broth.
A soft fluffy omelette bulked out with chopped fresh mugwort leaves, seasoned lightly with fish sauce. Northern Vietnam's traditional restorative dish for post-illness recovery.
Whole bananas wrapped in coconut sticky rice and banana leaves, then grilled over charcoal until dark caramelised. Ho Chi Minh City's late-night street dessert, drenched in sweet coconut cream.
Thin slices of raw anchovy cured briefly in lime, tossed with rice powder, roasted peanuts and mixed herbs, then wrapped in rice paper with vegetables. Da Nang's coastal specialty.
Sliced ripe bananas dipped in a coconut-flour-sesame batter and deep-fried until deep golden. Bangkok's evening tea-time snack, served hot from paper cones.
Thin flat rice-flour cakes topped with a small mound of pork and shrimp, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. Hue's flat cousin to bánh bột lọc.
Pounded cassava leaves slow-simmered with onion, palm oil, ground peanuts and dried fish. Rwanda's national dish, served over ugali or rice.
Small parcels of coconut-sweetened sticky rice wrapped in banana leaf and grilled over charcoal until the outside caramelises. Isaan's morning-street snack.
Crab meat mixed with pork, water chestnut and coriander, stuffed back into the shell and deep-fried. Bangkok Chinatown's Thai-Chinese celebration snack.
The essential Thai curry paste — dried chilies, shallots, garlic, galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime, coriander root and shrimp paste, pounded in a mortar. The base of every Thai curry.
Rice noodles in a long-simmered beef bone broth scented with star anise, cinnamon and charred ginger, topped with rare beef slices and a plate of fresh herbs for finishing at the table.
Flat rice noodles wok-fried hard with beef slices, kai lan and dark sweet soy — the Teochew-Chinese Singapore hawker classic.
Small crispy rice-flour pancakes folded like tiny tacos over a filling of meringue and either sweet coconut, salty egg-yolk or shredded coconut. Bangkok temple-fair sweet.
Cubes of marinated goat threaded onto skewers and grilled over hot coals until charred, served with grilled banana, chapati and kachumbari. Kigali's every-bar-in-town classic.
Ripe yellow plantains sliced thick and fried until deep gold and caramelised at the edges. Rwanda's after-school snack and side dish.
Diced tomato, thin-sliced red onion, chili and coriander tossed with lime, salt and a splash of oil. East Africa's essential fresh side salad.
Wide flat rice noodles wok-fried hard with beef strips, bean sprouts and Chinese greens in a dark soy glaze. Manila's Chinoy fried noodle classic.
Pork leg slow-braised in a five-spice soy-sugar broth until silky, sliced over jasmine rice with pickled mustard greens, a soy egg and coriander. Bangkok's Chinese-Thai comfort bowl.
Marinated pork loin glazed in a five-spice honey-soy sauce and slow-roasted until deep red at the edges. Manila's Chinese-Filipino roast pork.
Chicken, beef or fish slow-steamed in an aromatic peanut sauce inside a folded banana leaf. Ugandan royal court dish, adopted at every Rwandan special occasion.
Melinjo leaves stir-fried with garlic and beaten egg — a simple, fast southern Thai preparation of a specifically southern jungle green.
Fresh fish and prawn folded into a red-curry-and-coconut-cream custard, steamed in banana-leaf cups until set. Bangkok's most-photographed steamed appetiser.
A whole fish deep-fried until skin blisters into shatter-crispy sheets, drizzled with a fierce fish-sauce-lime-chili dressing. Bangkok's most-primal fish plate.
Pork belly slow-braised in a Burmese-Lanna curry paste with ginger, tamarind, palm sugar and pickled garlic. Chiang Mai's dry curry, served with sticky rice.
Fresh rice vermicelli in a tangy tomato-pork rib broth spiced with dried chili and Chinese black cardamom, topped with pig's blood cubes and beansprouts. Chiang Mai's Sunday-morning noodle.
Chicken marinated in soy, calamansi and garlic, dredged in seasoned flour and deep-fried until deep gold. Filipino Sunday-lunch fried chicken.
Sticky rice soaked in coconut cream and palm sugar, served alongside ripe golden Nam Dok Mai mango and a drizzle of extra coconut cream. Thailand's world-famous dessert.
Silky pillow-soft tofu topped with warm ginger-and-brown-sugar syrup, tapioca pearls, red beans and peanuts. Taiwan's dessert-shop staple, hot or cold.
Chunks of fresh white fish marinated in turmeric and shrimp paste, then pan-fried at the table with a mountain of dill and spring onion. Hanoi's most theatrical dish.
Squid rings stir-fried hard with garlic, chili, celery and dark sweet soy — a fast, glossy wok dish that shows up on every Thai seafood menu.
Sticky rice cooked porridge-style with coconut milk, fresh corn kernels, palm sugar and salt. Bangkok's morning warm-porridge dessert.
A mild yellow curry with chicken and potato in a turmeric-coloured coconut broth, thickened with peanuts and finished with fried shallots. Bangkok's Muslim-influenced Sunday curry.
Fresh crepe wrappers filled with braised turnip, lettuce, prawn, sweet Chinese sausage and a slick of sweet-hot sauce. Peranakan Singapore's party-food centrepiece.
Small triangular pastries stuffed with spiced minced beef, onion and green peas, deep-fried until crisp. Rwanda's answer to Indian samosas, sold at every bar.
Fresh young coconut water served straight from the coconut with a spoon to scoop out the flesh. Thailand's ultimate street refresher.
Turmeric-yellow marinated meat skewers grilled over coconut charcoal, served with rich peanut sauce, cucumber pickle and toasted bread. Bangkok's Muslim-influenced street classic.
A whole tilapia scored and rubbed with garlic, chili, ginger and lime, then grilled over hot coals until the skin blisters. Kigali's fisherman's plate.
Deep-fried disc of rice-flour batter studded with whole oysters, minced pork and dried shrimp, served with a squeeze of chili sauce. Old Chinatown Singapore's snack.
A light, airy, bright green sponge cake scented with pandan and coconut milk. Bangkok bakery counter's most-photographed cake, sold in wedges with a glass of Thai iced tea.
Pillowy white steamed buns stuffed with a sweet-savoury pork or a sweet mung-bean paste. Bangkok's Chinese-Thai breakfast and afternoon-snack staple.
A tall glass of strong black coffee topped with a fluffy hot custard of egg yolk, condensed milk and vanilla. Hanoi's most-photographed coffee, invented in 1946 when milk was scarce.
Delicate translucent shrimp-filled dumplings shaped like small white roses, topped with fried shallots and served with a light dipping sauce. Hoi An's most photogenic small plate.
Cantonese roast pork belly with shattering crackling skin, served on rice with a splash of dark soy, spring onion and chili sauce. Singapore's hawker essential.
A plate of rice topped with breaded pork chop, chap chye cabbage, ngoh hiang and a ladle of dark yellow Hainanese curry gravy. Singapore's Chinese-Hainanese hawker specialty.
A whole fresh fish steamed with a mountain of ginger, spring onions, mushrooms and Chinese cabbage in a light soy-broth. Bangkok Chinatown's Sunday-family fish.
The classical hor mok fish curry mousse baked inside a whole young coconut. Bangkok's fine-dining Thai showstopper.
A crispy rice-flour pancake studded with fresh oysters, topped with egg, bean sprouts and coriander, drizzled with sriracha. Bangkok Chinatown's late-night classic.
Cubes of steamed radish cake wok-fried with egg, chai poh (preserved radish), garlic and chili. Singapore's savoury "carrot cake" hawker classic — black or white style.
Wafer-thin filo pastry layered with clarified butter and ground pistachios, baked until deep golden, and soaked in a lemon sugar syrup. Gaziantep's most-photographed dessert.
A silky egg-and-condensed-milk custard set over a pool of dark caramel, served cold with crushed ice and a splash of Vietnamese coffee. The colonial-era French dessert made unmistakably Vietnamese.
Thick chewy rice noodles served warm with shredded pork skin, coconut cream, crushed peanuts and a splash of sweet-sour fish sauce. Mekong Delta's home-style noodle bowl.
A single-pot dessert of mung bean, tapioca pearls and coconut milk, served warm or over ice. The Vietnamese answer to a sweet snack, available in dozens of variations.
Ground peanuts simmered with onion, tomato and mixed spices into a rich, creamy sauce. Buganda's essential accompaniment to matoke, posho and rice.
Green-flecked steamed rice-flour dumplings filled with garlic chives, served with a sweet-hot chili-vinegar dip. Bangkok Chinatown's Teochew snack.
Fresh razor clams stir-fried hard with water spinach, garlic and chili in a splash of fish sauce. Ho Chi Minh City's late-night beer snack.
Thin tapioca-and-rice sheets pressed hot on a griddle with pork, egg and herbs, then folded over. Hue's fast late-afternoon snack sold at every pavement stall.
Egg noodles in a rich coconut-curry broth with braised chicken, topped with crispy fried noodles, pickled mustard greens, shallots and lime. Northern Thailand's iconic bowl.
Open-top steamed dumplings filled with pork, prawn, water chestnut and Thai sweet soy, served with a fierce chili-vinegar dipping sauce. Bangkok Chinatown's dim sum classic.
Yellow noodles and rice vermicelli in a rich coconut-curry broth with prawn, cockles, tau pok, fish cake and bean sprouts, topped with laksa leaf and sambal.
Yellow noodles stir-fried Hokkien-style with prawns, squid, pork, kai lan and dark soy. Bangkok Chinatown's Chinese-Thai classic, tossed in a screaming wok.
Small bowls of rich dark noodle soup with beef or pork, offal, morning glory, pickled bean sprouts and pig's blood, sold at street counters where diners stack 6 to 12 bowls per meal.
Glass noodles wok-fried with prawns, egg, Chinese celery and roasted-chili nam prik pao paste. Bangkok's Chinese-Thai comfort noodle stir-fry.
Thin roti prata dough stretched paper-thin and folded around a filling of minced mutton, onion and egg, pan-fried until crackly. Little India's late-night favourite.
Lamb intestines wrapped around a rotisserie skewer with sweetbreads and hearts, grilled over charcoal, chopped fine with tomato and pepper, and served on bread with oregano.
Whole chicken slow-poached in dark soy master stock scented with star anise, cinnamon and rock sugar, chopped over rice with a spoon of ginger oil.
Sliced fish cake and oden-style toppings simmered in a light soy-dashi broth, drizzled with a sweet-soy sauce. Danshui's Japanese-influenced Taiwanese street snack.
Marinated chicken pieces threaded onto skewers and grilled hard over charcoal, served with cassava, sliced avocado and a fresh lime wedge. Kampala's roadside standard.
Diced pork belly slow-braised in soy, five-spice, rock sugar and shallot, spooned over jasmine rice with a soy-egg and pickled cabbage. Taiwan's every-diner comfort bowl.
Pork mince pressed onto lemongrass stalks and grilled over charcoal, then rolled in rice paper with vegetables and dipped in a peanut liver sauce. Hue's tableside grill classic.
Thin wheat vermicelli in a thick brown broth heavy with sliced pig intestine, small oysters and coriander — Ximending's crowd-around-the-counter Taipei signature.
Tiny freshwater clams shelled and stir-fried with lemongrass, garlic and chili, served with rice crackers and lettuce leaves. Hue's classical river-clam specialty.
Chopped crispy pork belly stir-fried hard with garlic, bird's-eye chili, fish sauce and holy basil. Served over rice with a fried egg — Thailand's fastest lunch.
Paper-thin flatbread topped with a spiced mince of lamb, tomato, onion, red pepper paste and parsley, baked at high heat until the edges crisp. Turkey's most-shared street pizza.
Half-moon fried pastries stuffed with pork, wood ear mushroom, glass noodles and quail egg. Hanoi's most-loved cold-weather street snack, dipped in sweet fish sauce.
A soft folded steamed bun stuffed with slow-braised pork belly, crushed peanut powder, pickled mustard greens and fresh coriander. Taiwan's most-copied street snack.
Fat tapioca noodles in a thick golden crab broth with prawn, quail egg, pork knuckle and a pat of annatto oil. Ho Chi Minh City's rich comfort noodle bowl.
Chicken wings marinated in fish sauce, garlic and pepper, then deep-fried until dark caramelised and crispy. Ho Chi Minh City's most-loved beer snack, dipped in salt-pepper-lime.
Rice vermicelli in a tangy tomato broth topped with clouds of crab meat, tofu, tomato and shrimp paste. Hanoi's Sunday-morning noodle soup, best with a plate of fresh herbs.
Boiled potatoes, maize, green peas and pumpkin leaves mashed together into a bright green side. A Kikuyu-Ugandan mash beloved across the border regions.
Small triangular pastries stuffed with spiced minced beef, onion and green peas, deep-fried until crisp. Kampala's Muslim-quarter breakfast staple.
A fierce, hot, sour, turmeric-yellow curry with fish, vegetables and tamarind. Southern Thailand's most-defining curry, aggressively spicy.
Lamb tripe stuffed with rice, tail fat and spices, slow-cooked in a spiced broth. Adana's late-night speciality and one of Turkey's most-loved offal preparations.
Rice vermicelli in a clear duck broth simmered with pickled bamboo shoots and blood cubes, topped with sliced duck meat, coriander and spring onion. A Hanoi cold-weather bowl.
Crispy turmeric-yellow rice-flour crepes stuffed with pork, prawn, bean sprouts and mung bean, torn into pieces and wrapped in lettuce with fresh herbs and dipping sauce.
Tiny concave steamed rice cakes topped with dried shrimp, fried garlic, spring onion oil and a splash of fish sauce. Hue's most-shared small-plates dish, eaten by the dozen.
Whole marinated chickens slow-rotated on a vertical rotisserie behind the shop window, chopped and served with chapati, kachumbari and hot chili sauce. Kampala's post-work classic.
Thin, crisp pork-and-vegetable rolls fried to a shatter, dipped in banana ketchup or a sweet chili vinegar. The Philippines' party finger food.
Chopped pork face and ears sautéed with onion, chili and calamansi, served sizzling on a cast-iron plate with a raw egg cracked on top. Kapampangan bar food royalty.
A crusty Vietnamese baguette split and stuffed with sliced fish cakes, pickled carrot and daikon, cucumber, coriander and a smear of mayo. Nha Trang and Da Nang's coastal bánh mì.
Pillowy purple-tinged steamed buns stuffed with a sweet ube-and-coconut filling. Manila's modern take on the classical Chinese-Filipino siopao.
Soft egg-yolk-and-condensed-milk caramels shaped into balls or pyramids, sometimes coated in caramelised sugar. The Philippines' most-shared homemade sweet.
Fresh lumpia wrappers filled with sautéed pork, prawn, vegetables and peanuts, wrapped in lettuce and dressed with a sweet garlic-peanut sauce.
Simple, pillowy Chinese-Filipino steamed white buns eaten with sweetened condensed milk. Manila's kopitiam breakfast staple.
Diced water chestnuts coated in bright red tapioca starch and boiled until glassy, served over shaved ice with sweetened coconut milk. Bangkok's most-photographed cold dessert.
Crispy tulip-shaped pastry cups filled with braised jicama, prawn and sweet-hot sauce. Peranakan Singapore's most-photographed party bite.
Rugby-ball dumplings of mashed taro wrapped around a spiced pork filling, deep-fried into lacy golden shells. A dim sum classic and Singapore's fanciest fried snack.
Shredded green papaya pounded in a clay mortar with palm sugar, fish sauce, lime, dried shrimp, peanuts and bird's-eye chili. Thailand's essential daily salad.
A rich green curry of coconut milk, aromatic green paste, chicken, Thai eggplant and sweet basil. Central Thailand's most-loved curry.
A clear golden broth of fish bones with tomato and pineapple, ladled over rice vermicelli and slices of fried fish cake. Da Nang and Nha Trang's coastal noodle bowl.
A creamy coconut-milk soup fragrant with galangal, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves, laced with prawns, mushrooms and lime juice. Thailand's most-loved coconut soup.
Pork ribs marinated in coriander root, fish sauce, palm sugar and dark soy, then slow-grilled over charcoal until glazed. Bangkok's beer-and-friends barbecue.
Coarse pork sausage stuffed with lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime, red curry paste and turmeric, grilled over charcoal until burnt-red. Chiang Mai's iconic Lanna sausage.
Triangular yeasted doughnuts scented with cardamom and coconut milk, fried until deep gold. Kampala's morning-tea companion, dunked in hot chai.
Ultra-thin fried Thai roti dough griddled with butter and topped with banana, condensed milk and chocolate. Bangkok's street-sweet island snack.
Morning glory greens stir-fried hard in a flaming wok with garlic, bird's-eye chili, fermented soybean paste and oyster sauce. Thailand's essential green vegetable.
Small translucent tapioca-flour dumplings stuffed with pork and shrimp, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. Hue's most-loved snack, served with fish sauce and fried shallots.
Small fresh oysters served raw with a fierce chili-lime-garlic dipping sauce, fried shallots and fresh Thai herbs. Thailand's coastal aperitivo.
Grilled pork patties and pork belly slices in a warm, sweet-sour fish sauce broth with pickled papaya, served with cool rice vermicelli and a plate of fresh herbs. Hanoi's lunchtime classic.
Steamed blue crab tossed with red onion, chili, coriander, mint and a tangy fish-sauce-lime dressing. A Thai coastal seafood salad at its most direct.
Peppery clear pork soup packed with pig's intestine, liver, kidney and lean pork, served with rice and chili sauce. Singapore's Teochew hangover cure.
Flaky puff pastry pockets filled with spiced pork and mushroom, brushed with egg wash and baked golden. Hanoi's colonial French-Vietnamese bakery snack.
Cubes of marinated goat meat threaded onto skewers and grilled over charcoal, served with kachumbari salsa and boiled cassava. Kampala's classic evening bar food.
Julienned unripe mango tossed with prawn, dried shrimp, roasted peanuts, fresh herbs and a punchy sweet-sour fish sauce dressing. Ho Chi Minh City's most-loved starter salad.
Fresh mussels stuffed with spiced rice, currants and pine nuts, steamed in their shells and served with a squeeze of lemon. Istanbul's classic street snack.
A colorful rice salad of jasmine rice with pomelo, coconut, dried shrimp, ginger, lemongrass and vegetables, dressed with a sweet-sour-fishy budu sauce. Southern Thailand's Sunday plate.
Small silver sardines from Lake Kivu, seasoned with salt and pepper, dredged in flour and deep-fried until crackly. Rwanda's beer snack, eaten by the handful.
Chicken feet slow-simmered in a hot-sour tom yum broth with lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime, mushrooms and lime juice. Bangkok's gelatinous late-night noodle-shop favourite.
Tiny hand-pinched lamb dumplings, boiled and served under a mountain of garlic yogurt with a drizzle of paprika butter. Central Anatolia's Sunday-lunch labour of love.
A whole suckling pig slow-roasted for hours over charcoal, stuffed with lemongrass and pandan, served with sarsa liver sauce. The Philippines' fiesta centrepiece.
A whole small pumpkin filled with palm-sugar-and-egg coconut custard, steamed until set. Bangkok's autumn-and-Sunday-lunch dessert showpiece.
Slow-cooked oxtail and tripe in a thick peanut-annatto sauce, served with fermented shrimp paste (bagoong) and rice. The Philippines' Sunday-lunch stew.
A soft chapati rolled around a thin omelette with tomato, onion and cabbage, cooked to order on a hot flat pan at every Kampala street cart. Uganda's most iconic street food.
Egg noodles in a deeply-simmered beef broth, topped with pork wontons, slices of tender braised beef and blanched pechay greens. Manila's kopitiam comfort soup.
Beef or goat blood mixed with intestines and spices, stuffed into a natural casing and grilled over charcoal. Kampala and Nairobi's late-night bar snack.
Shredded green papaya tossed with beef jerky strips, roasted peanuts, mint and a sharp fish sauce dressing. Hanoi's most-loved late-afternoon street snack.
Thick chewy noodles topped with sliced Chinese-style barbecue pork, crispy croutons, fresh herbs and a small pour of dark spiced broth. Hoi An's signature dish, cooked only with local well water.
Deep-fried purse-shaped parcels of pastry filled with spiced pork and prawn, tied with a chive ribbon. Bangkok's celebration bite, said to bring wealth.
Deep-fried rice vermicelli tossed in a bright orange sweet-sour tamarind-vinegar sauce with prawn, tofu and Chinese chives. Bangkok's regal celebration noodle.
A pungent tossed salad of pineapple, cucumber, jicama, guava and tau pok in a shrimp-paste-and-tamarind dressing, topped with crushed peanuts. A hawker acquired taste.
Small hot golden pancakes shaped like tiny wheels, filled with red bean paste, custard, taro or chopped peanut, cooked in a special mould. Taipei's after-school treat.
Egg noodles and rice vermicelli in a deep, orange prawn-shell broth topped with poached prawns, hard-boiled egg, water spinach and fried shallots. Penang's most-loved noodle soup.
A folded pancake stuffed with crushed peanuts, sugar, sweetcorn and a slick of butter. Malaysia's night-market half-moon, cooked to order in a heavy pan.
Thin strips of beef marinated in fish sauce, sugar and pepper, air-dried in the sun and finished with a quick deep-fry. Laos's sweet-savoury jerky, always with sticky rice.
Slices of crackling-skin roast pork belly served on a bed of steamed rice with dark soy and a scoop of pickled greens. Penang's coffee-shop lunchtime plate.
Soft white steamed buns filled with slow-braised char siu pork, chicken curry or red bean. Malaysia's dim-sum-and-kopitiam staple.
Fluffy corn masa filled with pork shredded in red guajillo-ancho salsa, wrapped in corn husks and steamed. The classical Mexican tamal, red edition.
Oaxaca's street mash-up: a crunchy tostada base piled with hot esquite corn, mayo, cheese, lime and chile. The prehispanic dish gets a modern platform.
Triangular pastries filled with spiced potato and peas, deep-fried until crackling. Malaysia's mamak-stall snack, always with mint chutney.
Silky rice noodle rolls in a dark sweet-shrimp sauce with a scatter of toasted sesame seeds. Penang's morning-market breakfast, cousin to Hong Kong's cheung fun.
Fried tortillas stuffed with black beans and topped with shredded turkey, pickled red onion and avocado — the Yucatán's crunchy answer to the tostada.
Fresh fruit blended with water and a splash of lime — the mercado thirst-quencher. Jamaica, horchata, tamarindo, sandía or piña, poured from big glass tanks.
Pleated dumplings filled with spiced buffalo, chicken or vegetable mince, steamed in bamboo baskets and served with a fiery sesame-tomato dipping sauce.
Soft yeasted semolina pancakes covered in a thousand tiny bubbles, cooked on a hot skillet on one side only. Morocco's spongy honey-soaked breakfast.
Bright orange fried batter spirals soaked in cardamom-scented sugar syrup. Kathmandu's Newari sweet, sold hot from bubbling oil at every sweet shop.
Buffalo strips wok-fried hard with onion, capsicum and green chilies in a soy-vinegar sauce. Kathmandu's Newari-Chinese Sunday-lunch centrepiece.
Long-grain rice cooked with prawns, squid, mussels and clams in an ají amarillo, tomato and coriander sofrito. Peru's answer to paella.
Home-cured ham (jamón del país) sliced thin, piled onto a fresh French roll with a mountain of salsa criolla. Lima's classic sandwich lunch.
Sticky rice packed onto a bamboo skewer, brushed with beaten egg and grilled hot until the outside crisps golden. Laos's morning market snack, sold from carts before sunrise.
A silky caramel-topped custard, richer and denser than the European original. Mexico's most-eaten dessert, born in nuns' kitchens 300 years ago.
Pineapple-marinated pork carved off a spinning vertical trompo, caught on a small tortilla with a flick of chopped pineapple, onion and coriander. Mexico City's most famous taco.
Steamed "basket tacos" — soft tortillas stuffed with potato-chorizo, refried beans or chicharrón, packed hot into a cloth-lined basket. CDMX's morning bike-cart snack.
Corn masa cakes filled with mole negro and shredded chicken, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. The Oaxacan tamal — softer, flatter, and heavier than the CDMX kind.
Small oysters cooked briefly in a starchy egg batter with garlic and coriander, finished with a squeeze of lime. Penang's coastal Hokkien street snack.
Yellow noodles tossed with squid braised in a dark, sweet, chilli-laced sauce. Penang's Padang Kota street noodle, distinctly its own thing.
Coconut milk, palm sugar and layered tapioca, jelly, banana or jackfruit in a tall glass over ice. The Lao afternoon cooling drink.
A whole fish, scored, seasoned and deep-fried until the skin turns to glass and the flesh stays juicy. Mexico's coastal Sunday-lunch centrepiece.
Thick masa cakes puffed on a comal, split open like a pita, and stuffed with chicharrón, tinga, rajas or beans. Central Mexico's answer to the pocket sandwich.
Chopped tropical fruit and vegetables tossed with a thick sweet-savoury prawn paste sauce, crushed peanuts and sesame seeds. Malaysia's national fruit salad, sold from carts.
Small pairs of steamed coconut-and-sticky-rice cakes sandwiched together and wrapped in banana leaf. Luang Prabang's tea-time sweet, softly sweet and softly perfumed.
Chewy hand-cut tapioca-and-rice noodles simmered in a clear ginger-chicken broth, topped with poached chicken, fried garlic and fresh herbs. Laos's daily breakfast.
Spicy merguez lamb sausages grilled hard, tucked into a crusty baguette with sliced tomato, chili sauce and pickles. Tangier's Spanish-Moroccan street lunch.
Fluffy corn husk tamales filled with chicken in bright green tomatillo salsa. Central Mexico's Sunday-breakfast tamal and every child's favourite.
Oaxaca's "drink of the gods": a foam-topped, unsweetened corn-and-cacao beverage with mamey seed and the perfumed rosita de cacao flower.
Steam-set rice noodle rolls filled with pork and wood-ear mushroom, served with sliced grilled sausage and fresh herbs. Luang Prabang morning market's Vietnamese-Lao crossover.
Iced coconut milk sweetened with palm sugar, poured over shaved ice, green rice-flour noodles and red beans. Malaysia's afternoon cooling dessert.
Malaysia's iconic street burger — a griddled patty wrapped in an egg-omelette blanket, mayonnaise, chilli sauce and Worcestershire, all crammed into a soft toasted bun.
Triangular masa parcels stuffed with black bean paste, cooked on a comal until dark-patched. Oaxaca's origami-shaped answer to the empanada.
Small coconut rice-flour dumplings cooked in a special dimpled pan until crisp on the outside and molten with coconut cream inside. Luang Prabang's night-market sweet.
Oblong masa cakes stuffed with fava beans, black beans or chicharrón, cooked on a comal and topped with nopales, salsa, queso and crema. Prehispanic street snack.
Beef simmered with bacon in a tomatillo broth, served with beans, coriander, onion and radish. Guadalajara's other iconic dish — meat cooked in its own juice.
Rice noodles in a clear pork broth topped with a rich tomato-and-pork ragout, fresh herbs and Lao chilli paste. Luang Prabang's noodle-soup signature, not to be confused with Thai khao soi.
Yellow noodles fired in a screaming-hot wok with sambal, ketchup, egg, potato cubes and tofu puffs. Malaysia's signature mamak-stall plate, ready in six minutes.
Whole fish smothered in a scarlet chilli-belacan rempah, wrapped in banana leaf and grilled over coconut charcoal until the sambal caramelises into a black-and-red crust.
Green papaya pounded in a wooden mortar with fermented fish sauce, chilli, lime, tomato and long beans. The Lao national salad, funkier and hotter than its Thai cousin.
Coconut-based curry noodle soup with prawns, tofu puffs, cockles and a scarlet slick of chilli oil. Malaysia's default lunchtime laksa, richer and softer than its Penang cousin.
A giant half-moon masa turnover stuffed with yellow mole, chicken and squash flower, then browned on a comal. The Oaxacan Sunday empanada.
Cannellini or white beans simmered in tomato, garlic, cumin and paprika until soupy-tender. The Moroccan winter one-pot, eaten with khobz.
West Sumatran satay in a thick, turmeric-yellow rice-flour gravy — not peanut. Skewered beef and offal, grilled over coconut charcoal, spooned over ketupat.
Turkey stewed in a jet-black sauce of burnt chiles and Yucatecan spices. The peninsula's darkest, most theatrical mole — served with tortillas and pickled onion.
Valladolid's Sunday-morning taco: pork loin diced fine, simmered in tomato sofrito, then piled on soft corn tortillas with a wedge of hard-boiled egg.
Flat rice noodles stir-fried hard in a wok with prawns, cockles, Chinese sausage, chives, bean sprouts and dark sweet soy. Penang's most famous hawker dish.
A whole edam cheese hollowed and stuffed with spiced pork picadillo, then drenched in a white-flour cream sauce and a bright red tomato salsa. Yucatán's most theatrical dish.
Strong black tea and condensed milk pulled between two jugs into a frothy top. Malaysia's national drink, served at every mamak from dawn until 2am.
Small hollow crispy shells filled with spiced water, tamarind chutney, potato and chickpeas. India's most-loved street snack, now permanent at every Malaysian mamak stall.
Chicken enchiladas drenched in bright green tomatillo salsa, topped with crema, queso fresco and rings of raw white onion. The Mexican comfort-food default.
Thick yellow noodles stir-fried hard in a dark sweet soy glaze with prawns, squid, cabbage and slices of pork. KL's late-night black-noodle classic.
Silken tofu curds drenched in a light ginger-and-panela syrup. Malaysia's afternoon-cart cooling dessert, served warm or cold with a small spoon.
Slow-braised pork leg pulled apart and piled onto warm tortillas with onion, coriander and salsa verde. The Mexico City torta stall's secret staple.
Thick handmade masa cakes with a pinched rim, topped with beans, meat, cream, cheese and salsa. The pinched-rim tortilla that holds all the sauce.
Whatever grandma's been stewing since dawn, spooned onto warm tortillas at a Mexico City lunch fonda. Chicken tinga, chile relleno, huevo en salsa verde — the daily menu.
Coffee brewed in a clay pot with piloncillo, cinnamon and orange peel. Ranchero breakfast coffee, sweet and spiced and smelling of the countryside.
Guajillo-red-dyed bread stuffed with potato-chorizo and pan-fried until crisp — a red-stained sandwich that Mexico City eats standing up.
Buttery flaky pastry filled with silky egg custard, baked until the top is just set. Malaysia's kopitiam-and-bakery classic, always eaten warm.
Cubes of steamed rice cake stir-fried hard in a wok with dark soy, chilli paste, egg, bean sprouts and preserved radish. Penang's late-night hawker classic.
Thin pork steaks bathed in Seville-orange juice, grilled fast over charcoal, then chopped and folded into warm tortillas with pickled onion and black beans.
A crusty birote roll stuffed with slow-braised pork carnitas and drowned in a fierce chile de árbol tomato sauce. Guadalajara's most famous sandwich.
Chicken slow-cooked in a rempah-based coconut curry with potato and lemongrass. Malaysia's Sunday-lunch curry, served with rice or roti canai.
Pork slow-cooked in its own fat for hours until crisp on the outside and shreddy in, then chopped fine and folded into warm tortillas with onion, coriander and salsa.
Beer-battered white fish, fried to a shattering crust, folded into warm tortillas with shredded cabbage, chipotle crema and lime. Baja California's contribution to the taco world.
Braised chile-marinated beef and molten cheese sandwiched in a tortilla, griddled in birria fat, and served with a bowl of consomé for dipping. Tijuana's viral taco.
Slow-roasted achiote pork, banana-leaf smoke and bright pink pickled onion, all packed into a soft French roll. Mérida's mid-morning sandwich habit.
Roasted black soybeans dressed with mustard oil, garlic, ginger, chilies and Timur pepper. Newari beer snack, best with a cold Gorkha lager.
Fresh corn kernels roughly mashed and slow-cooked with butter, chile and cream until the natural sugars caramelise into a golden savoury porridge. A Guerrero-style comfort dish.
Thick rice noodles in a tart, spicy mackerel-and-tamarind broth topped with pineapple, mint, ginger flower and a spoon of black shrimp paste. Penang's most distinctive noodle soup.
Beef brisket confit-fried in its own fat on a domed disc, chopped fine and folded into double tortillas with onion, coriander and salsa verde. CDMX's late-night taco.
Pork ribs slow-simmered with four Chinese medicinal herbs (fu ling, huai shan, lian zi, qian shi) into a clear, mildly tonic soup. Malaysia's Chinese-Malaysian family Sunday tonic.
Fried masa turnovers stuffed with molten quesillo and a spoon of epazote-salsa verde. The Oaxacan mercado hand-food.
Steamed savoury rice cakes topped with fried preserved radish, oil and sesame. Malaysia and Singapore's soft breakfast, eaten with a small spoon.
Corn-thickened Mexican hot chocolate spiced with cinnamon and star anise. Winter-morning breakfast drink, halfway between hot chocolate and porridge.
Big-hominy pork stew — red, white or green depending on the region — served with a mountain of raw garnishes. Mexico's most celebrated soup.
Fisherman's clear seafood broth, built from fish frames, tomato, garlic and dried chiles. Nayarit's answer to a hangover, or a soul-restoring first course.
Thin-sliced grilled beef chopped fine on a hot plancha, folded into two warm corn tortillas with onion, coriander and a lime wedge. The CDMX taquería default.
Air-dried salted beef from the Morelos town of Yecapixtla, grilled fast on a hot comal, folded into tortillas with onion, avocado and salsa verde.
San Luis Potosí's fried, folded enchilada: red masa dough stuffed with cheese, cooked on a comal, then pan-fried until crisp. Not a rolled enchilada.
Small triangular or cigar-shaped pastries stuffed with spiced meat, cheese or almond paste, fried crisp. Morocco's cocktail-party appetiser, sold at every souk stand.
Sweet, thick set yogurt made from whole milk and rennet, scented with orange blossom. Morocco's oldest dessert, spooned from small clay jars.
Buttery Mexican pastry pockets filled with guava paste and cream cheese, or with dulce de leche and pecans. Mercado sweets sold from glass cabinets.
Slow-cooked chicken tagine with preserved lemons, cracked green olives and a saffron-onion sauce. Morocco's Friday-lunch classic, eaten with khobz.
Thin oval masa cakes brushed with asiento (unrefined pork lard), topped with black beans, quesillo and salsa. Oaxaca's answer to the pizza slice.
Baby octopus slow-braised in a chermoula tomato sauce with olives and preserved lemon. Essaouira and Safi's port-side tagine, eaten with lots of khobz.
Crumbly semolina pan breads cooked on a hot skillet until the outside is golden and the inside is buttery-soft. Morocco's breakfast bread, served with honey and cheese.
A dense, savoury chickpea-flour cake baked in a wood oven, sold sliced from paper on street corners. Tangier's Andalusi-Sephardic morning snack.
Small fish marinated in chermoula, dredged in flour, and shallow-fried until crisp. The Casablanca fish-souk lunch, eaten straight from paper.
Ring-shaped semi-hard biscuits scented with fennel, aniseed and sesame, twice-baked until golden. Morocco's tea-dunking staple, sold by weight at every pastry souk.
Chewy honey-and-egg-white nougat studded with toasted almonds and pistachios, cut into small squares. Morocco's most-shared Eid confection.
Ridged pastry ropes piped into hot oil, tossed in cinnamon sugar and served with a mug of thick Mexican hot chocolate for dunking.
Bright mixed pickles — carrots, turnips, cauliflower, cucumbers — brined in a vinegar-and-salt bath with garlic and chilies. Every Moroccan lunch table's zing.
Whole fish or fillets baked in a shallow clay tagra with chermoula, tomato, potato and olives. Tangier's oven-baked answer to the tagine.
Guadalajara's answer to crème brûlée: a cinnamon-vanilla custard baked until the top blisters and turns almost black. No blowtorch needed.
Layered filo pastry crisps sandwiched with almond-milk custard, dusted with icing sugar and cinnamon. Fes's most elegant dessert.
Silky split fava bean soup, drizzled with olive oil and dusted with cumin and paprika. Chefchaouen's winter breakfast, eaten with khobz.
Brown lentils simmered with cumin, ginger and a spoon of tomato paste, finished with olive oil and coriander. Morocco's Monday-lunch pulse.
Sweet and savoury filo pie of shredded pigeon or chicken with almonds, eggs and cinnamon, dusted with icing sugar. Morocco's most theatrical dish, served at weddings.
The Ramadan iftar soup — tomato and lentil broth thickened with tadouira, brightened with saffron, and finished with a squeeze of lemon and a date on the side.
Paper-thin dough folded into a flaky square, cooked on a hot skillet until golden and buttery. Morocco's laminated breakfast pastry, eaten with honey.
Ring-shaped yeast doughnuts, fried until deep gold and crackly, dusted with sugar or dipped in honey. Morocco's Sunday-morning street sweet, sold on a straw string.
Thick sweetened yogurt whisked with rose water and cardamom, poured over ice into tall glasses. Kathmandu's Newari-Indian summer refresher.
Cubes of khlii — Morocco's air-cured spiced beef — warmed in its own fat with eggs, coriander and onion. A Fes breakfast tradition.
Lamb shoulder rubbed with cumin, saffron and garlic, then steamed for hours over spiced broth until fork-tender. Fes's Sunday-lunch centrepiece.
Fresh sardines butterflied and sandwiched around a chermoula stuffing, then grilled hard. Al Hoceima's twist on the classical grilled sardine.
"King of yogurts" — thick, sweet, saffron-tinged buffalo-milk yogurt set in small clay pots. Bhaktapur's most famous dessert, sold since Malla times.
Roasted wheat-flour balls stuffed with spiced sattu, served with a rustic mash of fire-roasted tomato, aubergine and potato. Bihari-Newari street food.
Nepali-style stir-fried noodles with spiced minced buff, onion, capsicum and cabbage in a soy-Timur sauce. Kathmandu's after-school street food.
Cold, jelly-textured mung-starch noodles topped with soy, chili oil, cucumber, coriander and crushed peanuts. Kathmandu's Tibetan street snack.
Whole sardines painted with chermoula and grilled over hot coals until the skin blisters and the flesh stays juicy. Morocco's beach-and-market classic.
Soft fresh cow's-milk cheese, made overnight with a splash of lemon juice, drained in muslin. Morocco's answer to a mild ricotta, spread on harcha with honey.
Almond and raisin twice-baked biscuits, sliced from a loaf and dried until crisp. Morocco's biscotti-like tea companion.
Peruvian-Chinese fried rice adapted for the Amazon: pork, chorizo, palm heart and river fish stir-fried into aromatic rice with a spoon of ají charapita. Iquitos on a plate.
Skewers of marinated beef heart grilled hard over charcoal, brushed with ají panca marinade, served with potato and choclo corn. Lima's street-grill king.
Raw white fish "cooked" in fresh lime juice with red onion, ají amarillo and coriander, served with sweet potato and choclo corn. Peru's national dish.
Peruvian purple corn simmered with pineapple, cinnamon, cloves and lime, chilled and served over ice. Peru's national soft drink.
Long ridged churros piped and fried, then injected with manjar blanco or chocolate. Peru's Andean answer to Spanish churros, sold from paper cones at every fair.
Steamed momos submerged in a fiery, tangy sesame-tomato broth spiked with Timur pepper. Kathmandu's spicy-soup twist on the classic.
Hot herbal drink of barley, flax, alfalfa, horsetail and lime — thickened, mildly bitter, sold from thermoses on every Lima street corner at dawn.
Silky evaporated-milk caramel custard scented with vanilla and cinnamon, baked in a bain-marie. Peru's Sunday-lunch finish.
Yellow corn masa filled with chicken, ají panca and a wedge of hard-boiled egg, steamed in banana leaves. Lima's Sunday-morning tamal, served with salsa criolla.
Shredded chicken in a creamy, faintly nutty yellow sauce built on ají amarillo, bread and evaporated milk. Lima's Sunday-lunch comfort dish.
Peru's national cocktail: pisco whipped with fresh lime, sugar syrup and egg white until foamy, topped with Angostura bitters. The drink Lima invented.
Small, slightly sweet, cheese-topped bread rolls from the Cajamarca highlands, split and eaten warm with mantequilla and jam. Northern Peru's breakfast staple.
Hard-boiled quail eggs dressed with huacatay (Andean black mint) salsa and a splash of ají amarillo. Peru's modern-restaurant Andean amuse-bouche.
Mashed potato shaped around a spiced beef, olive and egg filling, then fried until crisp. Lima's afternoon-snack answer to Colombian arepa de huevo.
Whole scarlet rocoto peppers stuffed with spiced beef, olives, egg and cheese, baked with cream on top. Arequipa's Sunday-lunch centrepiece.
Andean freeze-dried potato — the potato preserved by centuries of highland tradition, reconstituted into soups, stews and Peruvian sopa seca.
Beef stir-fried hard in a wok with red onion, tomato, ají amarillo and soy, plated with rice and hot fried potatoes. Peru's most-loved Chifa dish.
Whipped yellow potato spiked with lime, ají amarillo and oil, layered around a tuna or chicken salad, cut into wedges like a cake. Lima's cold potato terrine.
Pork simmered overnight in chicha, ají panca and cumin, served with fresh bread at Arequipa's Sunday-morning cure-your-hangover breakfast.
Frozen cinnamon-coconut milk with a heavy dust of cinnamon on top, hand-churned in a copper drum. Arequipa's iconic street ice cream — no cheese despite the name.
Puffed cornmeal-and-egg fritters fried until golden, then soaked in a warm cinnamon-clove syrup. Andean Christmas breakfast, born of Andalusi convents.
Cassava batons parboiled then deep-fried until crackly golden, served with a spicy huancaína dipping sauce. Peru's Amazonian answer to French fries.
Flaky baked pastries stuffed with spiced beef, olives, egg and raisins, brushed with icing sugar. Peru's Sunday-morning bakery classic.
Enchiladas drenched in Oaxacan mole negro instead of red or green salsa — dark, complex, slightly bitter, sweet, spicy, and utterly unlike any other enchilada.
Young Yucatecan corn cooked pib-style with epazote and habanero, spooned into a cup with mayo, lime and cheese. The peninsula's answer to street esquites.
Mexican chorizo crumbled and fried until crisp, folded into warm tortillas with potato, onion and green salsa. The CDMX breakfast taco.
A soft rice-flour crepe topped with spiced buff mince, a cracked egg, sliced onion and coriander, cooked on a comal until the egg sets. Newari street pizza.
A whole lamb rubbed with cumin butter and slow-roasted in a pit or oven until the outside is deep bronze and the meat falls off the bone. Morocco's grandest feast.
Corn tortillas rolled around hard-boiled egg and drenched in a jade-green pumpkin-seed sauce, finished with a slick of tomato oil. The Yucatán's oldest dish.
Stale dry tortillas soaked in a fierce vinegar-chile brine with radishes, cabbage, cucumber and pig's-foot. Puebla's cheekiest and most controversial street snack.
A pyramid of banana-leaf-wrapped coconut rice with sambal, fried anchovies, peanuts, hard-boiled egg and cucumber. Malaysia's national breakfast, sold from every roadside stall before dawn.
Butterflied chicken marinated in lemongrass, garlic, coriander root and fish sauce, then grilled hard over charcoal. Served with sticky rice and jeow bong.
Small spiced meatballs simmered in a garlicky tomato-cumin sauce with eggs cracked over the top. Morocco's most-shared tagine, eaten with khobz.
Steamed beef head — cheek, tongue, lip and eye — pulled apart at the counter, folded into warm tortillas with onion, coriander and green salsa. CDMX's Sunday-market taco.
Roasted chillies, garlic and shallots pounded to a thick paste with fried pork skin, fish sauce and a little palm sugar. Laos's national condiment, served with sticky rice and raw vegetables.
Large layered pastry cake stuffed with dulce de leche, pineapple jam and manjar blanco, sliced like a brick. The signature sweet of Lambayeque.
Ring-shaped doughnuts made from squash and sweet potato purée, fried crisp and drizzled with fig-and-cinnamon syrup (chancaca). Lima's afternoon fair-food classic.
Puffed deep-fried whole wheat breads served with a spiced potato-tomato curry. Kathmandu's Saturday-morning breakfast, sold at every corner sweet shop.
Very thin red onion slices marinated in fresh lime juice with ají limo, coriander and salt. Peru's essential garnish, on every plate that isn't ceviche.
A pastry tube fried crisp then filled with sweet meringue or dulce de leche. Mexico's most photogenic feria (fair) dessert, sold from wire baskets at every parade.
Rice cooked slowly with stock into a silky porridge, topped with your choice of century egg and pork, fish or chicken. The comfort food of Cantonese kitchens.
Egg yolks whipped with sugar into a foam, mounted with hot milk, cinnamon and a shot of aguardiente. Quito's Christmas Eve nightcap.
Fluted rings of fried dough drenched in a panela-and-cinnamon syrup. Ecuador's Christmas Eve dessert, served alongside hot cinnamon chocolate.
Yellow corn dough wrapped around a filling of shredded chicken, potato and hogao, deep-fried until deep gold and crackly. Colombia's small crunchy street empanada.
Handful of springy egg noodles under a small mound of prawn wontons, ladled with clear broth. Hong Kong noodle-house lunchtime perfected.
Fresh corn ground with butter, milk and cheese, wrapped in corn husks and steamed into a soft sweet-savoury cake. Andean afternoon-tea food.
Green plantain and peanut dough shaped around a spiced fish filling, deep-fried until crackling. Manabí's most iconic street food.
Rice cooked in a small clay pot with slabs of Chinese sausage, cured pork and greens, until a crackly golden rice crust forms at the bottom. Hong Kong's cold-weather bowl.
Silky sheets of steamed rice noodle rolled loose and drenched in sweet soy, sesame paste and hoisin. Dim sum trolleys' most-loved dish, and Hong Kong's cheapest breakfast.
Poached shrimp tossed in ketchup, mayo, lime and finely diced onion, chilled and served in a cup with soda crackers. Cartagena's beachside cocktail, distinctly Colombian.
Little baked coconut-and-cheese cups with a caramelised top. A Portuguese convent sweet that landed in Brazil and never left.
Shredded roast chicken, melted mozzarella, potato palha and a slick of creamy sauce piled inside a hot roll. The São Paulo boteco chicken sandwich generations of Rua Piauí counters made famous.
Beef slow-braised with onion, garlic and red wine until the gravy turns dark and glossy. The Chilean home-cooking classic, always served with mashed potato.
Beef slow-braised in a dark sauce of panela, tomato, ketchup and rum until the outside turns almost black. Cartagena's signature roast, always served with coconut rice.
Thin, crackling pastry deep-fried around a ground-beef filling. The classic feirinha snack, sold with sugarcane juice on Saturday mornings.
Chocolate condensed milk cooked down to fudge, rolled into balls, coated in sprinkles. The birthday-party sweet every Brazilian grew up on.
Pork belly slow-cooked in its own fat until the meat is tender and the skin has puffed to a crackling. The centrepiece of the Paisa bandeja and Medellín's proudest export.
Green plantain boiled and mashed with butter, hogao and crumbled cheese, topped with a fried egg. Santa Marta's Caribbean breakfast, cheap, filling and ancient.
Buenos Aires' Genoese-immigrant pizza. Thick, doughy base under a mountain of sweet onions, mozzarella and oregano.
Buttery flaky pastry cup filled with silky egg custard, baked until the top is just set. Hong Kong's bakery classic, always eaten warm.
Fresh coconut cooked slowly with sugar until chewy and caramelised. The beach sweet sold by Salvador's Baianas straight from the pan.
Half a kilo of thin-sliced mortadella and melted provolone piled inside a small French roll. The Mercadão Municipal's single most famous order.
Translucent wheat-starch wrappers pleated 12 times around a whole-shrimp filling, steamed until the wrappers turn see-through. The dim sum benchmark.
Beef tripe slow-cooked with pork ribs, chorizo, potato, plantain and corn in a spiced broth. The Paisa Sunday soup, always eaten with rice and a slice of avocado.
White fish and shrimp cooked slowly in coconut milk, dendê, tomato, pepper and coriander. The Bahian stew that defines the West African soul of Brazilian cooking.
Fresh sweet corn ground into a soft paste, formed into thick discs and cooked on a griddle until deep golden. Split open, buttered and stuffed with white cheese.
Twin lengths of dough deep-fried until golden and hollow, torn and eaten with congee. China's original doughnut, and Hong Kong's breakfast partner.
Crusty roll split open, spread thick with refried black beans and stuffed with crumbled fresh cheese. Guatemala's morning-market breakfast, dunked in hot chocolate.
Crumbly fresh cheese and cornstarch balls deep-fried until they crack open like small planets. Christmas Eve's mandatory Colombian snack, always eaten with natilla.
Chicken slow-cooked in a thick red-brown sauce of toasted pumpkin seeds, sesame, dried chillies and roasted tomato. Guatemala's national dish, Mayan by origin.
Small crusty white rolls with a crackly crust and airy middle. The Brazilian breakfast bread every padaria bakes fresh three times a day.
Fried tapioca-and-coconut dumplings rolled in cinnamon sugar. The cheap Northeastern sweet named for the student's budget it fits.
Stone-ground cacao whisked into hot water or milk until frothy, dusted with cinnamon. Guatemala's return-to-roots hot chocolate, from the country that gave the world chocolate.
A grain-free tapioca crêpe folded around shredded sun-dried beef and melted curd cheese. Salvador's morning market breakfast, straight from the pan.
Tiny yellow Colombian potatoes fried whole in their thin skins until golden and shrivelled, tossed with butter and salt. The Bogotá bar snack no one can stop eating.
Small pork tamales wrapped in corn husks and steamed, served with tomato sauce and a scatter of grated cheese. Guatemala's everyday tamal, sold at every market.
Black-eyed pea fritters deep-fried in palm oil, split open and stuffed with vatapá, caruru and dried shrimp. Salvador's most sacred street food.
Rolled oats blended with cold milk, panela and cinnamon, served over ice. Colombia's midday refresher, sold in every panadería from a chilled glass jug.
Chicken braised slowly in dendê, coconut milk, ground peanut and cashew. The Bahian Candomblé stew where West African cooking meets the Brazilian pantry.
Dried fruits soaked in rum and wine for weeks, folded into a dark, spiced sponge and aged before slicing. Colombia's Christmas cake, richer and boozier than most.
Shredded cabbage salad tossed with sliced hot dog, pickled sauce and lime, served in a small plastic bag. Antigua's street-snack cure for a mid-morning appetite.
Fresh sweetcorn blended, strained and thickened with cinnamon and panela into a warming corn drink. Guatemala's morning-cart pour, poured hot into small cups.
Boiled maize and mixed beans simmered slowly with onions, tomatoes and a spoon of oil. Central Kenya's simplest, most-eaten meal.
Roast pumpkin simmered slowly with pieces of dried spiced beef and berbere. Ethiopia's autumn-into-winter stew, richer than it looks.
Deep-fried corn tortillas topped with a chunky avocado mash, pickled onion and crumbled cheese. Guatemala's afternoon-market snack, crisp and cold in the heat.
Two crumbly cornstarch shortbreads sandwiched with dulce de leche, edges rolled in coconut. Argentina's tea-time cookie: one in each hand, gone before you notice.
Berbere blended with tej or red wine and a splash of oil into a fiery, glossy red paste. Ethiopia's essential condiment, on every table.
A whole battered stuffed chile poblano tucked into a French roll with tomato sauce. Guatemala's Semana Santa sandwich, dense and unmistakable.
Roasted barley, chickpeas, peanuts and sunflower seeds tossed with a little salt. Ethiopia's coffee-ceremony snack, portable, endlessly refillable.
Whole pig roasted for hours over wood coals, marinated overnight in beer, garlic and achiote. Ecuador's Sunday feast, served with mote, potato patties and a spoon of tangy agrio.
Collard greens braised slowly with onion, garlic, ginger and a spoon of niter kibbeh. The everyday Ethiopian side that shows up on every plate.
Half-moon pastries of knife-cut beef, sweet onion, cumin, hard-boiled egg and one green olive. The most portable meal in Argentina.
Cooked hominy corn scrambled with eggs, onions and achiote until the kernels turn golden and glossy. Cuenca's breakfast staple, eaten with fresh coffee.
Cartagena's Caribbean fish soup: chunks of white fish poached in coconut milk with achiote, garlic and fresh coriander. Bright orange, deeply savoury, always eaten with rice.
Whole fish grilled hot, then bathed in a thick coconut-and-tamarind sauce spiked with garlic, ginger and chilli. Swahili coast's Sunday-lunch dish.
Bogotá's signature soup: three kinds of potato, poached chicken, sweet corn and the wild herb guascas, finished at the table with capers, cream and avocado.
Whole milk fermented overnight into a thick, tangy Ethiopian yogurt. Served with kitfo, drizzled with honey, or spooned into fitfit dishes.
Chicken simmered slowly with onion, ginger, garlic, lime and coriander into a fragrant broth. Kenya's Sunday chicken soup, served with mashed potato.
Boiled potato coated in a turmeric-yellow gram flour batter and deep-fried until crackling. Mombasa's street snack, always with tamarind chutney.
Hominy corn simmered slowly with pork, chorizo and a thick pumpkin-seed paste. Cuenca's Easter soup, dense enough to eat with a fork.
Spaghetti tossed with berbere-spiced tomato sauce, awaze and a spoon of niter kibbeh. Ethiopia's café pasta, born of the Italian occupation and made unmistakably Addis.
White fish poached gently in coconut milk with tomato, onion, tamarind and coriander. The everyday Swahili coast supper.
Andean lupin beans cured in lime, tomato and red onion, piled with plantain chips and toasted corn. Ecuador's vegetarian answer to fish ceviche.
Baked custard with bitter caramel, dulce de leche and crema chantilly. The Sunday-lunch dessert every Argentine grandmother makes.
Torn flatbread pan-fried in niter kibbeh and berbere until glossy and spiced. Ethiopia's Oromo breakfast, sold from morning cafés across Addis Ababa.
Sweet Hong Kong bakery bun with a crackly cookie-crust top that looks like pineapple skin (no actual pineapple involved). Split and stuffed with cold butter for the classic bolo yau.
Pork loin marinated in white miso, ginger and sake, then slow-roasted until glossy. The signature dish of São Paulo's Japanese-Brazilian Liberdade bar scene.
A slow-cooked Andean feast of beef, chicken, ribs and the strange, wonderful native tubers of Colombia's mountain heartland: cubios, ibias, hibias and papa criolla, in one pot.
Salt cod, potato, onion and parsley shaped between two spoons and deep-fried until golden. The Portuguese fritter that colonised every Brazilian boteco.
A teardrop of shredded chicken (and catupiry cream cheese, if you're doing it right) wrapped in dough, breaded and deep-fried. The corner-shop snack every Brazilian grew up on.
Sea bass seasoned with garlic and cumin, dredged in flour and pan-fried until crisp. The coastal Ecuadorian plate: fish, rice, plantain, cold beer.
A layer of blitzed sweet corn with basil baked over a filling of beef, chicken, olive, raisin and boiled egg. Chile's summer national dish, served in a clay paila with sugar caramelised on top.
Slow-roasted pork loin and chargrilled pineapple with mustard and mayo on a soft French roll. São Paulo's Mercadão sandwich in one order.
A dense, translucent sweet of cornstarch, sugar and ghee, scented with cardamom and saffron and studded with pistachios. Zanzibar's celebration sweet, now equally at home in Mombasa.
Razor clams on the half shell, topped with butter, parmesan and a splash of white wine, blistered under a hot grill. Chile's Pacific coast bar snack.
A clay bowl of Pacific shellfish and fish poached in a tomato-and-wine broth, thick with coriander. Chile's classic seafood stew, also the country's most-prescribed hangover cure.
A rich lamb-and-potato soup topped with cubes of fried lamb blood, chopped onion, tomato and avocado. Sierra Ecuador's most ancient dish.
Goat slow-braised in naranjilla juice, beer and coriander until the sauce turns dark and glossy. The Ecuadorian sierra's celebration stew.
Cured raw fish or shrimp in lime and coconut leche de tigre, topped at the last minute with crackling shards of pork chicharrón. A modern Colombian invention that plays crunch against acid.
Open-topped dumplings of pork and shrimp wrapped in yellow wonton skins, steamed to order at every dim sum trolley. The most-ordered dim sum in Hong Kong.
Crab meat cooked with coconut, dendê and coriander, baked back into the shell it came from. Salvador's most elegant petisco.
Very ripe plantains slowly braised in panela, cinnamon, cloves and red wine until they turn dark and glossy. The sweet Caribbean side that goes with everything savoury.
Thick, spongy dough buried under a thick blanket of mozzarella, topped with oregano and a whole green olive. The Buenos Aires bar-counter pizza, not the Neapolitan kind.
The green sauce that rides shotgun with every grilled meat in Argentina. Parsley, garlic, oregano, chilli, red wine vinegar and olive oil.
A grilled chorizo split down the middle, laid inside crusty bread, drenched in chimichurri. Argentina's national street sandwich.
A slab of aged provolone melted over live coals, dressed with oregano, chilli and olive oil. The starter that opens every asado.
Cassava boiled until tender, then pan-fried in garlic butter until crisp at the edges. The Brazilian potato substitute, and a boteco side-plate in every state.
Firm curd cheese skewered and grilled over hot coals until the outside blisters and the inside squeaks. Salvador's beach snack, sold by walking vendors with tiny portable grills.
Rice cooked with black-eyed beans, cubes of squeaky curd cheese and shredded sun-dried beef. The Northeastern one-pot that carries a whole meal in a spoon.
Small twists of sweet dough deep-fried until golden and drenched in a cardamom-and-panela syrup. Coastal Kenya's tea-time snack, sold in small paper bags.
Fried bulgur-and-beef torpedoes stuffed with more spiced beef and pine nuts. The Lebanese diaspora's greatest gift to the Brazilian boteco.
A hot broth of milk and water with poached eggs, chopped spring onion and coriander, poured over torn bread. Bogotá's Muisca-inherited breakfast (and hangover cure).
A packed banana-leaf parcel of grilled meats, potato, cassava, rice and hard-boiled egg. The Colombian Andes' portable feast, made to travel on horseback into the mountains.
Bijao-leaf-wrapped parcels of yellow corn masa, pork, chicken, chorizo, chickpea, potato, egg and hogao, steamed for hours over an open pot. Paisa Sunday breakfast at its most generous.
Diced beef fillet and potato cubes stir-fried hard in a black-pepper-heavy sauce, served on rice. Hong Kong cha chaan teng lunchtime standard.
Grass-fed beef cooked slow over hardwood embers, salted only at the last moment, rested properly and served with chimichurri. The parrilla way.
Guava paste whipped with egg whites into a light pink meringue-mousse, piped into paper cones and eaten while walking. Quito's pink-cloud street sweet.
Roasted chickpea-flour dough pinched into small balls and dipped in a bowl of spiced niter kibbeh. Tigray's communal snack, eaten by hand from the shared platter.
Stewed fava beans mashed hot with tomato, chilli, egg and a slick of niter kibbeh, spooned onto bread. Ethiopia's café breakfast, half-Sudanese, half-Habesha.
Black beans simmered slow with smoked and salted pork, served with rice, farofa, greens and orange. Brazil's Saturday dish and national plate.
Chicken simmered in a bright green sauce of tomatillos, coriander, spring onion and pumpkin seeds. Guatemala's K'iche' Mayan classic, served over white rice.
Beef pounded thin, dipped in a garlicky egg, breaded and shallow-fried until amber. The dish every Argentine grandmother makes on a Sunday, eaten with a squeeze of lemon.
Ripe plantains fried, then simmered in a sweet chocolate-and-chilli mole sauce. Guatemala's Semana Santa dessert, closer to a rich pudding than a savoury main.
A pot of fresh herbs simmered with panela sugar. Colombia's after-dinner infusion, poured hot from a jug into a small cup at any Bogotá café.
Coarsely ground white corn simmered slowly with milk, cinnamon and panela into a thick, warming drink. The evening street-cart pour on cold Quito nights.
The Chilean hot dog: sausage on a soft bun, buried under mashed avocado, chopped tomato and a mountain of mayo. Green, red and white, the colours of the completo Italiano.
Very finely chopped raw beef seasoned with mitmita and warmed briefly in niter kibbeh. Ethiopia's Gurage-invented national dish, served with ayib and gomen.
Large corn masa parcels wrapped in banana leaves, filled with slow-cooked pork in a rich red recado. Guatemala's Sunday and Christmas Eve dish.
Fragrant basmati rice layered with slow-braised beef in a fresh spice mix of cardamom, cinnamon, cumin and cloves. Mombasa's Sunday plate, Indian in DNA and Swahili in every detail.
Whole eggs, sweetened condensed milk and whole milk baked over dark caramel in a bain-marie. Brazil's three-ingredient answer to the flan.
Small potatoes stewed slowly with pork skin, achiote and cumin until the sauce turns golden and gelatinous. Ecuadorian highland comfort food.
Crab meat baked with milk-soaked bread, white wine, cream and a lot of cheese in individual clay bowls. Chile's Pacific coast comfort food.
Fresh corn tortillas patted by hand, stuffed with a slab of white cheese, and cooked on a hot comal until the cheese melts and the tortilla crisps. Guatemala's simplest market snack.
Caribbean-style yellow corn arepa fried once, split open, filled with a whole raw egg and seasoned beef, sealed and fried again until golden. Cartagena's morning market classic.
A Genoese chickpea flatbread that made a home in Buenos Aires. Stacked on a slice of pizza (al caballo), or eaten alone with cracked black pepper.
Warm silken tofu spooned into a bowl and drenched in fresh ginger syrup. Hong Kong's afternoon-tea comfort, sold from carts in the humid summer.
Paper-thin dough puffed to a hollow pillow around melted cheese, dusted with sugar. Sierra Ecuador's teatime snack, the size of your face.
Whole fish poached in a thick coconut milk sauce with tomato, onion and achiote, served over white rice. Cartagena's Sunday-lunch classic, richer and thicker than a soup.
Baked (not fried) empanada de pino: hand-cut beef, sweet onion, hard-boiled egg, one raisin and one black olive inside a rich wheat pastry. Chile's national dish, especially for Fiestas Patrias.
Corn masa wrapped around pork, chicken, egg, potato and rice, tied inside banana leaves and steamed for hours. Bogotá's Sunday-morning tamal, and a full day's project in the kitchen.
Fava beans and small pink Andean tubers boiled together, tossed with butter, onion and crumbled cheese. A highland side plate that reads like a lesson in native produce.
Pork cubes braised in orange juice, garlic and cumin until the liquid evaporates and the meat fries golden in its own fat. Sierra Ecuador's Sunday plate.
Pigeon peas simmered slowly in coconut milk with onion, tomato and coriander. Swahili coast breakfast, served with mahamri (cardamom doughnuts) for dunking.
Sweet, dense corn bread made with fresh corn, butter and a handful of cheese. The Ecuadorian teatime slice, served warm with strong coffee.
Fresh tuna simmered in a spiced tomato broth with cassava and lime-pickled red onion. Guayaquil's Sunday-morning hangover cure and coastal signature.
Choose-your-own noodle bowl: springy noodles in a light broth topped with fish balls, radish, beef brisket or whatever else the cart is running today. Hong Kong's original street food.
Cooked wheat berries and dried peaches soaked in a sweet cinnamon syrup, served ice cold. Chile's non-negotiable summer refresher.
Green plantain smashed hot in a hot pan with cheese, egg and crackling pork. Loja's substantial breakfast; skip the second coffee.
Fresh clams stir-fried hard with fermented black beans, garlic, ginger and chilli. Hong Kong's dai pai dong classic, always with cold beer.
Pork shoulder rolled with garlic, chilli and cumin, wrapped in pork skin, tied and slow-cooked. Chile's rustic party dish, sliced cold with pebre.
Green plantain dough wrapped around melty white cheese, deep-fried until crackling. Coastal and Amazonian Ecuador's four-o'clock snack, best with black coffee.
Yeast-raised dough deep-fried until it blooms, rolled hot in sugar, hollowed and filled with dulce de leche. The porteño merienda in three bites.