India, by Meera Sodha
Wild boar samosas
“Pig-sticking”, or wild boar hunting, was a favourite sport of the maharajahs. The competition didn’t end there, though: once in the kitchen, the boar would be cooked in a myriad ways, all designed to amaze guests. Those days may have long since ended, but the gamey, porcine flavour of wild boar mince makes it a great friend of the spice cupboard; if your butcher can’t get boar (you can hunt it down online at the Wild Meat Company), use free-range pork instead. I serve these samosas with a simple apple and fennel seed chutney, but they go with mango chutney or cucumber and mint raita , too. Makes 18-22 samosas.
For the mince
1 star anise
1½ tsp cumin seeds, plus extra to finish
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 large onion, peeled and finely diced
2cm piece ginger, peeled and grated
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
3 tbsp tomato puree
¼ tsp ground cloves
¾ tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
600g wild boar (or pork) mince
For the samosas
2 packs filo pastry
100g unsalted butter, melted
For the chutney (optional)
2 large bramley apples
50g caster sugar
1½ tsp fennel seeds, crushed
1.5cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
A pinch of salt
½ lemon
First make the chutney. Peel, core and chop the apples, then put them in a pan on a medium heat with the sugar, fennel seeds, ginger and a pinch of salt. Cook for 10-15 minutes, until the apple has collapsed, then adjust the sugar, salt and lemon to taste and put aside to cool.
Heat the oven to 200C/390F/gas mark 6, and line two oven trays with baking paper or foil. Put the star anise in a pestle and mortar, and pound as finely as you can. Add the cumin, grind coarsely, then set aside.
Put the oil in a large frying pan on a medium heat, stir-fry the spice mix for a minute, then add the onion and fry for 10 minutes, until soft and golden. Add the ginger and garlic, fry for a couple of minutes, then stir in the tomato puree, cloves, pepper, chilli, cinnamon and salt, and cook for a few minutes more. Add the mince, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, cook gently for 10 minutes, then leave to cool.
Unroll the pastry and peel off two sheets; keep the rest covered under a tea towel until needed, otherwise it will dry out. Brush one sheet with butter, lay the other over the top and cut lengthways into three strips. Make a cone shape with each piece and put a tablespoon and a half of filling inside. Fold the top of the pastry over the open side of the cone, to close it and create a triangle, then brush with butter to seal; cut off any excess. Sprinkle with cumin seeds, lay out on the prepared trays and repeat with the remaining filo and filling.
Bake the samosas for 20 minutes, until golden and crisp, and serve on a platter with chutney for dipping.
Roast duck fesenjan
This was a favourite of 16th-century Mughal emperor Humayan. It’s an opulent and majestic dish that’s best served in a banqueting hall, with goblets of wine and basmati rice; if you don’t have a hall, the Christmas dining table makes a more than adequate substitute. Serves four.
300g walnuts halves
1 duck (about 2kg)
1 pomegranate
3 tbsp rapeseed oil
2 red onions, peeled and finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
4 tbsp pomegranate molasses
2 tsp honey
¾ tsp black pepper
¾ tsp chilli powder
1 tsp salt
600ml chicken stock
Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Put the walnuts on a baking tray and roast for five to 10 minutes, until golden brown. Leave to cool, reserve a handful for decorating the duck later, then finely grind the rest in a food processor or spice grinder.
Put the duck in an oven tray lined with foil. Quarter the pomegranate and stuff two quarters in the cavity; deseed the other two halves and set aside. Prick the duck’s legs all over with the tip of a sharp knife, season the bird inside and out, and roast for an hour and a half.
While the duck is cooking, make the sauce. Put the oil in a frying pan on a low to medium heat, then cook the onions for 15 minutes, until caramelised. Take out a spoonful to decorate the duck with later, then add the garlic to the pan and cook for a couple of minutes. Stir in the ground walnuts, pomegranate molasses, honey, pepper, chilli and salt, add the stock, cook for a couple of minutes until the sauce comes together, then take off the heat.
At the end of its cooking time, remove the duck from the oven and spoon out any fat in the tray (save this for roasting potatoes). Pour the sauce over the duck, cover the tray with foil, then return to the oven for a final 30 minutes. Remove and leave to rest for 10 minutes.
To serve, pour the sauce on to a high-sided serving platter and place the duck in the centre. Scatter the remaining walnuts, onions and pomegranate seeds on top, and serve with basmati rice and a side salad.
Meera Sodha’s book, Made In India, is published by Penguin at £20. To order a copy for £16, go to bookshop.theguardian.com. Her follow-up, Fresh India, will be published in July 2016.
What to drink, by Fiona Beckett
Wild boar samosas Savoury pastries such as these always work well with sparkling wine, and cava has the character to carry the spicy filling; try the elegant, fresh Juvé y Camps Reserva de la Familia Brut Nature 2011 (£17.50 vinoteca.co.uk; 12% abv).
Roast duck fesenjan There are plenty of fruity reds you could drink with this showstopper, but I’d plump for a rioja, which goes surprisingly well with Indian food. Try the rich, mellow Rioja Reserva 2009 from Majestic’s new Definition range (£9.74 when you buy any six bottles; 14% abv).
Ukraine, by Olia Hercules
Meatless borshch
I usually stress how important it is to make a very strong, meaty stock for broths. T – that’s what gives a soup depth of flavour – but Christmas in Ukraine is all about meat-free cooking. Fermented tomato passata adds a kick, if you care to make it, but good-quality dried and fresh porcini solve this conundrum, adding depth and transforming a modest soup into something luxurious. Serves four.
25g dried porcini, rehydrated in warm water
2 onions, peeled, 1 left whole, the other finely chopped
2 litres water
1 bay leaf
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
200g beetroot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
200g potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 small carrot, peeled and roughly grated
2 fresh porcini, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 beef tomato, roughly grated, skin discarded (or 200g tinned tomato)
½ small Savoy cabbage, shredded
1 tin red kidney beans, drained
½ bunch fresh dill, chopped
Put the drained dried mushrooms, whole onion, bay leaf and cold water in a large pan, season lightly and cook on a low heat for an hour. Add the beetroot, cook for 15 minutes, then add the potato and season well.
Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the chopped onion, carrot and fresh mushrooms, and cook, stirring, on a medium heat until the carrot is very soft and about to start caramelising. Add the red pepper and tomato paste, cook, stirring, for two minutes, then add the tomato. Stir, cook to reduce slightly, then tip into the broth pot. Add the cabbage and beans to the borshch and cook for seven minutes, to soften. Serve with loads of dill (or any other herb you love) and slices of fresh sourdough.
Pampukhy with poppy seed and walnut paste
For me, Christmas is unimaginable without these plump, doughnut-like balls. I love the poppy seed filling, though I have tried them with other nuts with great success, so do experiment with your favourite: pistachios added to the poppy seed paste with a tiny pinch of salt would be fun, for example. You’ll have to judge for yourself how much flour to add: drier dough is easier to shape, but, generally speaking, the wetter the dough, the fluffier the doughnuts. When frying, take it nice and slow, or the middle will be raw. Makes 10-12 doughnuts.
300ml full fat milk
50g poppy seeds
1 tsp dried yeast
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 tbsp sugar
A pinch of salt
50g butter, melted and cooled
1 tsp orange blossom water (or the grated zest of 1 orange)
500g plain flour (plus extra)
50g walnuts, pecans or pistachios
Seeds from 1 vanilla pod, cut in half
1 litre vegetable oil
Icing sugar, for dusting
Heat the milk until almost boiling, measure 50ml into a bowl and soak the poppy seeds in it for an hour.
Let the rest of the milk cool to blood temperature, then sprinkle in the yeast and leave for 10 minutes, or until the yeast shows signs of life (when tiny bubbles start to appear).
In a bowl, mix the egg, a pinch of salt, a tablespoon of sugar and the butter. Pour in the yeasty milk and orange blossom water, stir to incorporate, then start adding flour little by little: you’re after a soft, pillowy dough. If it’s too wet, knead the dough on a well-floured surface until it stops sticking to your hands too much (a little sticking is fine). Transfer to a bowl, cover with cling-film or a damp tea towel, and leave for an hour, to double in size.
Meanwhile, make the filling. Drain the poppy seeds, grind them with the remaining sugar in a mortar, then add the nuts and vanilla, and keep working until you have a paste.
When the dough is ready, pinch off 50-70g pieces and roll each into a ball. Flatten each ball in your hand, put half a teaspoon of filling in the centre, then firmly pinch together the sides of the circle, shaping it back into a ball. Put the filled doughnuts on a lightly floured tray, cover with a damp tea towel and leave to prove again for 30-40 minutes.
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan. Drop three or four doughnuts into the hot oil at a time – it doesn’t pay to try more, or the oil will cool down too much. The balls will rise to the top, so turn them with a slotted spoon to ensure they cook evenly. They should take about five minutes, so control the temperature as much as possible (ie, lower the heat if they seem to be catching too soon). Drain the doughnuts on kitchen paper and sift over some icing sugar, then repeat with the remaining dough.
Olia Hercules’s book, Mamushka, is published by Mitchell Beazley at £25. To order a copy for £18, go to bookshop.theguardian.com.
What to drink
Meatless borshch Serving a Russian vodka with a Ukrainian borshch might cause a bit of a diplomatic incident, so play safe and have a French one instead: Tesco’s prettily packaged Finest French Grain Vodka (£20; 40% abv) adds a nice touch of festivity, too. I like it served frozen.
Pampukhy Olia recommends eating these with tea seasoned with spiced quince syrup, but you could improvise with Bramley & Gage’s quince liqueur (£14.10; 18% abv). FB For the tea, I’d recommend the wonderful Postcard Teas just off Bond Street in London.
Italy, by Angela Hartnett
Squid ink crab linguine
Italian Christmas Eve is all about the fish, with a whole baked fish as main course or perhaps roast salt cod in a tomato sauce. The pasta, too, will often feature fish, maybe spaghetti with anchovy and tomato or a classic crab linguine. This dish takes the latter up a notch or two by adding squid ink to the mix – it’s a stunner both to look at and to eat. Serves four as a starter or two as a large main.
320g linguine
For the sauce
100g chorizo, chopped into small dice
100g breadcrumbs (panko or homemade)
6 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
½ tsp finely chopped fresh red chilli
300g picked fresh white crabmeat
25g sachet squid ink
50ml dry white wine
1 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tbsp chopped basil
Juice and grated zest of ½ lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat a saute pan, add the chorizo and fry on medium heat until it starts to break down and release its fat (if it doesn’t give off much fat, add a slug of oil). Spoon the chorizo into a bowl, add the breadcrumbs to the pan and fry gently, stirring, until they absorb the sausage oil. Tip into the bowl with the chorizo.
Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil and cook the linguine for nine to 11 minutes, until al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in the same saute pan, then add the garlic and chilli, and fry gently without colouring for a minute. Stir in the crabmeat and squid ink, heat through for a minute, then add the wine and let it reduce down.
When the pasta is cooked, drain, add to the crab pan and toss to coat the liguine. Scatter over the herbs, lemon juice, zest, chorizo and breadcrumbs, toss again and season to taste. Serve immediately.
Strufoli
Once you’ve tried these sweet fried doughballs from Naples, there’s no turning back. They’re a Christmas must-have in my book. Makes 50-60 fritters, to serve eight to 10.
500g plain flour
6 whole eggs
6 egg yolks
Zest of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 orange
A pinch of salt
2 tbsp amaretto
Rapeseed or other neutral cooking oil, for deep-frying – you’ll need up to 1 litre
For the coating
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
480ml good-quality honey
100g mixed nuts (hazelnuts, almonds, pistachio), toasted and roughly chopped (you want a bit of texture)
Icing sugar, for dusting
Sieve the flour into a large bowl, add the eggs, egg yolks, citrus zest, salt and amaretto, and mix to combine. Tip out on to a floured work surface and work until it comes together into a firm dough – about 10 minutes. (You can also make the dough in a mixer with a dough hook.) Transfer to a clean bowl and set aside to rest for at least 30 minutes.
Break off walnut-sized pieces of dough, roll each into a sausage, then cut each sausage in three. Roll each piece into a ball the size of a large marble, and put on a floured tray.
When all the strufoli are made, heat the oil in a large, high-sided pan (or deep-fat fryer) to 190C. Cooking them in batches of eight to 10, drop strufoli into the hot oil so they’re half submerged, and cook until they puff up and go golden brown; turn them with a slotted spoon to help them along. Transfer the strufoli to a plate or tray lined with kitchen towel, to drain, and repeat with the remaining dough. You can make them to this stage well ahead of time.
In a pan large enough to hold all the strufoli, gently heat the honey, lemon juice and zest until it’s a thin coating consistency, then tip in the strufoli and stir gently to coat all over. Take off the heat and leave to cool in the pan for five minutes, then tip on to a large platter, arrange into a cone shape (or ring, if you prefer) and, while still warm, sprinkle with the nuts and then icing sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Angela Hartnett is chef/patron of Murano, Cafe Murano and Merchants Tavern, all in London.
What to drink
Squid ink crab linguine Albariño from Spain’s north-westerly Rias Baixas region is a reliable go-to with seafood: Lagar de Cervera Albariño 2014 (£12.50 Tanner’s, £12.99 Booths; 12.5% abv) also has the intensity to stand up to the added chorizo.
Strufoli This dessert is so wickedly rich, it’ll defeat most dessert wines. Instead, serve small, well-chilled shots of limoncello or amaretto instead: Marks & Spencer has a lovely one from Lazzaroni that is based on its amaretti biscuits (£15 for 50cl; 24% abv). FB
Middle East, by Itamar Srulovich and Sarit Packer
Cured sea bream with pomegranate and cumin
A lovely dish to put on the table at Christmas. The colours – pristine white fish, scarlet pomegranate and green chilli – mirror those of Santa and the tree. It’s also very, very easy. A 500g fish will make enough to serve four to six people as a starter or part of a mezze.
1 sea bream (about 500g), filleted and skinned (ask a fishmonger to do this)
1 green chilli, deseeded
½ lemon
2-3 sprigs fresh oregano, leaves picked
Sea salt
For the dressing
1 pomegranate
2 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp sea salt
Put the fish fillets on a board, and cut into as thin slices as you can; so thin, in fact, that you can see the knife through them (or ask your fishmonger to prepare the fish for you). Lay the slices in a single layer over a large serving plate.
Cut the pomegranate in half, squeeze one half over a bowl to release two to three tablespoons of juice (it’s easier than it sounds), then mix in the oil, cumin and salt. Pick the seeds from the other pomegranate half and set aside to use as a garnish.
Cut the chilli into very thin slices and put a sliver on each piece of fish. Squeeze the lemon all over the fish, then pour over the dressing, making sure some goes over every slice of fish. Sprinkle on the oregano and a touch of salt, leave for five minutes for the flavours to develop, garnish with pomegranate seeds and serve.
Butternut squash and spice cheesecake
We can’t think of a better seasonal celebration cake than this. We used to make huge ones at the restaurant, and the whole kitchen would fight over the offcuts, but for home a cake of this size should suffice. Or maybe not. Makes one 23cm cake.
For the cake base
100g whole hazelnuts
25g unsalted butter
25g light brown soft sugar
½ tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
200g biscuit (or sweet pastry) crumbs
For the filling
1 butternut squash, to yield 360g when cooked (or 360g tinned pumpkin puree)
375g full-fat cream cheese
265g caster sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cardamom
3 eggs
2 tbsp plain flour
150ml soured cream
For the topping
300ml soured cream
50g caster sugar
Seeds from ½ vanilla pod
Heat the oven to 240C/465F/gas mark 9, and line a loose-based 23cm cake tin with baking paper. Cut the squash in half (leave the skin on) and scoop out the seeds. Wrap loosely in foil and roast cut side up for 40-50 minutes, until the flesh is soft. Scoop the flesh into a bowl and mash (for a super-smooth finish, pass through a potato ricer). You can do this up to a day in advance; keep the mash, covered, in the fridge.
Turn down the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 5. Roast the hazelnuts on a tray for eight minutes, then rub with a clean tea towel to get rid of some of the papery skins. Crush the nuts to a rough crumb (by hand or in a food processor). Melt the butter in a small pan. Put the nuts and other base ingredients in a bowl, pour in the butter and stir to combine. Tip into the prepared tin and spread to cover the base. Flatten it a little, but don’t compress it too much, then bake for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Put the cream cheese, sugar and spices in a mixer with a paddle attachment (or, if making by hand, in a bowl using a large spoon), and work at medium speed to combine. Add the eggs one at a time, making sure each one is incorporated before adding the next, then add the squash puree, flour and soured cream, and mix well. Pour over the base, bake for 25-30 minutes, then remove and rest for 10 minutes.
For the topping, mix the cream with the sugar and vanilla seeds until you have a smooth paste. Pour over the top of the baked cheesecake, making sure not to pour it all in one spot, otherwise its weight may make it sink in. Use the back of a spoon or a spatula to spread the mix evenly over the cake, then bake for 10 minutes more. Remove, cool and refrigerate for at least six hours (or overnight) before cutting and eating.
Itamar Srulovich and Sarit Packer are chefs/co-owners of Honey & Co, London W1. Their latest book, Honey & Co: The Baking Book, is published by Salt Yard Books at £25. To order a copy for £20, go to bookshop.theguardian.com.
What to drink
Cured sea bream Although rosé may not strike you as a Christmas wine, it would work with this raw fish dish, provided it was sufficiently dry. And make sure it’s a recent vintage such as the Nature de Roubié Rosé 2014 (£6.99 Wine Rack; 12.5% abv), from the Languedoc, which is organic.
Butternut squash cheesecake If you have a sweet tooth, go for broke with the outrageously rich De Bortoli Show Liqueur Muscat (£14 for 50cl at larger branches of Tesco; 18% abv), which tastes like liquid treacle toffee. Otherwise, Lidl’s brilliantly cheap Moscatel Valencia Monte Ceu (£5.99; 15% abv) will cut through the richness (and make an excellent Christmas pudding wine to boot). FB
Malaysia, by Mandy Yin
Sesame chicken potsticker dumplings with ginger chilli sauce
On special occasions, Malaysians serve a range of dishes, rather than one main event – more south-east Asian meze than roast with all the trimmings. Some of those dishes will invariably feature the kind of stuff we eat every day at hawker markets: these dumplings are inspired by Hainanese chicken rice, a Malaysian staple. With their fragrant filling and crisp bottom, they’re a real crowd-pleaser. The chilli sauce is highly addictive, so make extra: it’s delicious stirred into all sorts, from fried eggs to boiled rice and stir fries. Makes 20, to serve four or five.
For the dumplings
450g chicken thighs, skinned, boned and roughly chopped
4 spring onions, washed and trimmed
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp each salt and ground white pepper
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 egg
One pack fresh Shanghai dumpling wrappers (these are eggless and pure white; from any Chinese supermarket)
2 tsp vegetable oil
2 tsp unsalted butter
80ml water
For the ginger chilli sauce
2 fresh red chillies, stalks removed, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled
10g peeled ginger
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp distilled vinegar
1 tbsp oil
Make the ginger chilli sauce by putting all the ingredients in a food processor and blending until fine. Tip into a small nonstick pan, cook on a medium heat for three minutes, until fragrant, then pour into a small serving bowl and set aside.
For the filling, put the chicken, onions, soy, salt, pepper, sesame oil and egg in a food processor and blend to a smooth paste.
Working with one wrapper at a time (keep the other wrappers covered to stop them drying out), spoon a tablespoon of the filling into the centre of each wrapper. Moisten the edges of the wrapper with water, and bring two opposite points to the centre, pinching along the edges to seal. You should end up with a semi-circle of a dumpling with a flattish base. Put the filled dumpling on a large baking tray sprinkled with corn flour, and cover loosely with a clean damp tea towel, to keep it from drying out. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.
Heat the vegetable oil and butter in a large, nonstick frying pan on a medium heat. Lay in the dumplings seam side up and cook, uncovered, for three minutes, until the bases are lightly browned. Add 80ml water to the pan, cover with a lid and cook for four minutes, until the liquid has been absorbed and the dumplings have taken on a crisp, lacy crust – this is what gives them their name. Serve at once with the dipping sauce.
Chicken satay
Every Malaysian feast worth its salt features satay of some kind: you can make it with prawns, beef, tofu or veg, but chicken is my favourite. If you’re anything like me, you may want to double these quantities, which make enough for six to have two skewers each as part of a spread.
500g chicken thighs, skinned, boned and cut into bite-sized pieces
12 wooden skewers, soaked in water
For the spice mix
1 stalk lemongrass – only the bottom, white half, roughly chopped
2 medium white onions, peeled and roughly chopped
5 garlic cloves, peeled
5g coriander powder
5g chilli powder
5g turmeric powder
2g fennel seeds
2g cumin powder
63g dark brown sugar
13g salt
For the peanut sauce
187g dry roasted peanuts, finely ground
45g spice paste (see method below)
600g coconut milk (ideally without emulsifiers)
84g dark brown sugar
44g tamarind paste (from Chinese and Asian supermarkets)
1g salt
2g chilli powder
Blend all the spice mix ingredients to a smooth, fine paste. Set aside 45g for the peanut sauce, and put the rest in a large plastic tub. Add the chicken, toss to coat, then put in the fridge to marinade for at least four hours, and ideally overnight.
For the peanut sauce, put all the ingredients in a medium saucepan Turn the heat to medium and bring to a boil, stirring now and then to prevent it sticking. Turn the heat to low and simmer for five minutes, until the sauce thickens, then keep warm on a very low heat. (It will also keep in the fridge for up to a week.)
Skewer the chicken pieces, and grill on a high heat for 10 minutes, turning halfway through. Transfer to a platter, put the sauce in a bowl, and serve with wedges of cucumber and coriander leaves, to garnish.
Laksa
Malaysians tend to save laksa for special occasions because it is time-consuming to make from scratch. If you can find them, laksa leaves (Polygonum odoratum) add a distinctive fragrance to the dish; if you can’t, use fresh coriander instead, which will add both a lovely aroma and a beautiful depth to the broth. Laksa is a great dish for entertaining, because you can prepare everything in advance, and heat the broth just before serving. Serves six.
80g oil
24 cooked prawns
12 deep-fried tofu puffs, each cut in half (from Chinese food shops)
120g green beans, cut into 5cm lengths
120g beansprouts
400g pack rice vermicelli, soaked in cold water for 10 minutes
Mint leaves, finely sliced, to garnish
For the laksa broth
2 400g cans coconut milk (preferably without any emulsifiers)
7 tbsp dark brown sugar
1.5 litres chicken stock (if homemade, make it a day ahead. Put 2 chicken carcasses, 2 star anise, 10g ginger, 3 lengths of spring onion, 1 small onion chopped into quarters, 2 cloves garlic in a large pan, add water to cover, bring to a boil, skim, then simmer for 2 hours)
2 tbsp salt
1 large bunch coriander (or laksa leaves)
2 lemongrass stems – only the bottom, white half, chopped and pounded to release the juices
3 tbsp tamarind paste (from Chinese and Asian food stores)
For the spice paste
80g oil
1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
30g ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
8 garlic cloves, peeled
3 red chillies, stalks removed, roughly chopped
15 dried chillies, soaked in hot water (from Chinese food shops)
1.5 tbsp cumin powder
1.5 tbsp turmeric powder
3 tbsp coriander powder
3 tbsp chilli powder
5 tbsp dried shrimp, soaked in hot water (from Chinese food shops)
Blend all the ingredients for the spice paste until smooth and fine.
Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil while you get on with making the broth. In a large saucepan on a medium heat, add 80g oil and the spice paste, and cook, stirring continuously, for 30 minutes, until rich, dark red/brown in colour. Add all the broth ingredients and the chilli and shrimp soaking liquids, bring to a boil, then simmer gently for 30 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the coriander leaves and lemongrass, and adjust the seasoning to taste. Add the tofu puffs to the broth, so they soak up the flavour, and keep warm.
While the broth is simmering, blanch the following in boiling water one after the other: green beans for three minutes, vermicelli for a minute, beansprouts for 30 seconds. Refresh them all in cold water to stop them cooking, and drain well.
Portion everything into bowls ready for serving – some vermicelli, then beansprouts, green beans and prawns. Pour hot broth into each bowl, add four half tofu puffs per serving, garnish with mint and serve.
Mandy Yin runs Malaysian street food outfit Sambal Shiok in London. She is running a laksa and riesling residency with wine consultant Zeren Wilson on Saturdays at the Newman Arms, London W1, until Christmas, and will take over Salvation In Noodles, London N1, for dinner from 4-17 January 2016.
What to drink
Chicken potsticker dumplings An aromatic white such as riesling, pinot gris or torrontés could handle the fiery sauce. Try Vinalba Seleccion Torrontés 2014 (13.5% abv), from Lujan de Cuyo, which is £8.24 when you buy any six bottles from Majestic.
Satay Australian semillon works well with satay. Tim Adams is a favourite: his Clare Valley Semillon 2011 (£9.75 Tesco; 12.9% abv) is still drinking perfectly, while the younger 2013 (11.5% abv) is £66 for six bottles from the Australian Wine Centre.
Laksa I love off-dry riesling with laksa, especially a German one such as Hattenheimer Mannberg Riesling Spätlese Von Simmern (11% abv), which is amazingly fresh for a 2003 vintage and a bargainous £12.50 from The Wine Society. FB
Sweden, by Magnus Nilsson
Gingerbread
There can be no Nordic Christmas without gingerbread, and this recipe is my grandma’s. Almost everyone I know bakes at least a couple of batches during December, though most people now buy their dough readymade from the supermarket. This is a pity, because it’s really quite simple to make. These quantities make enough for a typical Nordic gingerbread free-for-all, including plenty left over for building a small gingerbread house. There is no point in making it in smaller quantities, especially if you have Scandinavian friends. Preparation and cooking time: 90 minutes. Resting time: two days.
350g sugar
280g golden syrup
200ml milk
250g butter, cut into 2cm cubes
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp ground cloves
1 tbsp ground cardamom seeds
2 tbsp ground cassia cinnamon
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 tbsp ground allspice (optional)
300g whole blanched almonds and 100g pistachios (optional)
1kg soft wheat flour, plus extra to dust
1 tbsp bicarbonate of soda (or potash)
Combine the sugar, golden syrup and milk in a pan, bring to a boil, then take off the heat and leave to cool a little. Put the butter, salt and spices in a bowl and pour on the still warm (but not hot) milky syrup. Stir until the butter has melted and the mixture has cooled down to room temperature (add the nuts now, if using).
Sift the flour and bicarb into the bowl and mix with your hands until fully combined. Shape into a tight lump, wrap in cling-film and put in the fridge to rest for 48 hours.
To make gingerbread rounds, unwrap the dough (it will be rather stiff) and divide it into equal-sized workable portions. Roll each piece into a log, then cut it into 3mm slices (or thicker, if you prefer); if you have added nuts to the dough, you will need a really sharp knife to cut it neatly. Alternatively, to make gingerbread shapes, unwrap the rested dough and divide into workable portions. Roll out each portion on a very lightly floured work surface (too much flour will make dough dry), then cut it into the desired shapes with a knife or a cookie cutter (I like to make little pigs).
Heat the oven to 200C/390F/gas mark 6 and line several baking sheets with baking paper. Arrange the gingerbread shapes on the sheets and bake for no longer than five minutes; keep an eye on them, because they burn very easily. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on the baking sheets. It doesn’t matter if the gingerbreads are a little bit soft in the middle, because they’ll harden as they cool down.
Knäck (Swedish Christmas toffee)
Knäck is the Swedish word for “break”, so I assume the name of this seasonal toffee refers to its texture. I prefer my knäck a bit chewy, so I cook it for a slightly shorter time than is usual. Knäck is traditionally poured hot into small paper moulds and left to set. For those who make their knäck very sticky in texture, the paper won’t let go of the toffee once it’s cool, so you have to eat the whole thing, paper and all.
If you don’t have a thermometer, you can test the consistency of the knäck – and thereby see if it’s cooked to your liking – by spooning a drop of hot toffee into a cup of cold water: after a few seconds, when it has cooled, you will have a decent indication of the knäck’s final texture. As a general rule of thumb, 122C produces a soft but not sticky toffee, while anything below that will be sticky; 125C will make a firm toffee, and anything above that will produce a hard one. Most Swedes regard knäck as essential over the Christmas period. These quantities will make 45-60 pieces of toffee, depending on how long you boil it and how big your moulds are.
200ml cream
170g sugar
280g golden syrup
2 tbsp salted butter
2 tbsp finely chopped almonds and/or breadcrumbs (optional)
Mix all the ingredients except the nuts and/or breadcrumbs in a heavy pan (I use a cast-iron skillet or frying pan). Bring to a simmer on medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon from time to time, and cook until the mix reaches your preferred temperature – 30–40 minutes. As soon as the toffee is ready, mix in the almonds and/or breadcrumbs, spoon into moulds and leave to set.
Magnus Nilsson is chef/owner of Faviken, in Järpen, Sweden, and author of The Nordic Cookbook, published by Phaidon at £29.95. To order a copy for £23.96, go to bookshop.theguardian.com.
What to drink
Gingerbread Although Swedes seem to drink coffee with just about everything, I think it would be a bit more festive to serve glögg, the Scandi version of mulled wine, with Magnus’s gingerbread. Scandi Kitchen has an awesome range of bottles and concentrates in its online shop, including two-litre boxes (£26.95). Aldi’s Apfelglühwein mulled cider (5.5% abv), at just £2.99 for a litre, would be pretty nice, too. FB
China, by Andrew Wong
Cantonese crispy pork belly
Roast meats feature at any Chinese banquet. Usually, that means Peking duck and/or roast suckling pig, but both involve very long, complicated processes that are best left to the experts. This delicious crisp pork, however, is one Chinese roast you can achieve at home. You’ll need to start a day ahead. Serves six.
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1.3kg free-range pork belly in one piece, bones removed, with a good fat covering
2 tsp five-spice salt (simply mix 100g salt with 25g Chinese five-spice powder and 10g white pepper, and store in a jar)
1 tbsp condensed milk
1 tbsp white-wine (or rice-wine) vinegar
Bring a large pan of water with half the bicarb in it to a boil. Drop in the pork joint, turn off the heat and leave to blanch for 30 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water, then rub the rest of the bicarb all over the skin. Cut 3mm-deep scores into the flesh side. With a needle, stab the skin all over – the more pin-pricks you make, the crisper your pork will be – then rub five-spice salt into the flesh side.
In a bowl, combine 200ml water and the condensed milk and vinegar. Brush this solution all over the pork skin, then hang the belly in the fridge overnight, to dry out (this may involve clearing out the fridge; use a butcher’s hook, if you have one, but one of those hooks for hanging utensils will do). Alternatively, hang the pork in a cool place and leave to dry with a fan pushing cold air over it.
Take out all the oven racks except the top one, and put a tray in the base, then heat it to 170C/335F/gas mark 3. Hang the pork on its hook from the top oven rack and roast for 25 minutes. Turn up the heat to 210C/410F/gas mark 6½ and roast for 20 minutes more. Remove from the oven – there will be black patches on the skin, but don’t worry: this is good. Using a small knife, scrape off the char to reveal the crisp skin beneath. Cut the pork into bite-sized chunks and serve at once, just as it is, or with plain rice, perhaps some greens cooked in ginger and garlic, and some chilli sauce for dipping.
Steamed sea bass with ginger and spring onion
This served with steamed jasmine rice is my death row meal, and the kind of thing I always want at a celebration. It’s also ridiculously easy. Don’t try making it with fillets: fish always tastes better cooked on the bone, and there’s less time and mess involved in the prepping. Do try to get hold of the seafood soy sauce (as the name implies, it really does go best with fish): try a Chinese supermarket. Serves two.
50g fresh root ginger, peeled and cut into thin julienne strips
3 spring onions, cut into julienne strips
1 900g sea bass, scaled and cleaned
5 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp seafood soy sauce mixed with ½ tsp sugar (or regular soy sauce, at a pinch)
3 tbsp sesame oil
Coriander sprigs, to garnish
Stuff some of the ginger and spring onion inside the fish. On a plate that will fit inside your steamer basket, make a bed of the remaining ginger and onion. Lay the fish on top, and steam on a high heat for 15 minutes (or until the internal temperature of the fish reaches 60C), then transfer the fish and veg to a warmed platter.
Heat the oil in a wok and, when it starts to smoke, pour over the fish: this will crisp up the skin. Sprinkle on the soy sauce mixture and sesame oil, garnish with coriander and serve.
Andrew Wong is chef/owner of A Wong in London SW1. His book, A Wong: The Cookbook, is published by Mitchell Beazley at £25. To order a copy for £20, go to bookshop.theguardian.com.
What to drink
Crispy pork belly Pinot noir works really well with five spice, but go for a more robust style from, say, Central Otago, rather than a delicate burgundy: Mudhouse Claim 431 Pinot Noir 2013 (£15 Morrisons, £14.98 when you buy any six bottles from Majestic; 14% abv) would be spot on.
Steamed sea bass Given the amount of sesame oil in this, I’d be inclined to go for sake. You’d be best off going to a Japanese store, but Sawanotsuru Deluxe (£11.49 Waitrose; 14.5% abv) would do fine. Otherwise, try a dry gewürztraminer. FB
Caribbean, by Vanessa Bonosier
Pâtés salés créoles (or Creole meat pies)
These are served at every party on Guadeloupe and Martinique over the Christmas season, and are traditionally made with pork, as are most festive savoury foods; the rest of the year we fill them with saltfish, beef or conch, too. For 20 small pies:
2 tbsp sunflower oil
200g minced pork or beef
2 garlic cloves, peeled and very finely chopped
½ red habanero chilli, very finely chopped
3 spring onions, very finely chopped
3 sprigs thyme, leaves picked and very finely chopped
2 sprigs parsley, leaves picked and very finely chopped
½ tsp ground allspice
½ tsp mixed spice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
300 chilled puff pastry dough
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tsp semi-skimmed milk
Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Line a large baking sheet (or two small ones) with baking parchment. Heat the oil in a skillet or frying pan on a medium–high heat, then brown the meat. Add the garlic, chilli, spring onions, thyme, parsley, allspice and mixed spice, season to taste and cook for two to three minutes more. Take off the heat and leave to cool slightly.
Divide the pastry into four. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one piece of pastry to 2mm thick. Using a 10cm round cutter (or a small glass), cut out 10 circles and transfer to a lined baking sheet. Put a tablespoon of filling in the centre of each circle; don’t overfill.
Roll out and cut another piece of pastry as before, and use the circles to cover the filling. Using the tines of a fork, crimp the edges of the pastries.
Repeat with the remaining pastry and filling, then generously brush the tops of the pies with egg yolk. Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown, and serve hot or cold.
Beignets de banane
Aka banana and rum fritters. Strictly speaking, it’s a bit premature to have these at Christmas – they’re usually served over carnival in January – but they’re so lovely, there’s no reason not to get stuck in a week or two early. I like to add a tablespoon of unsweetened desiccated coconut to my banana fritters, for a bit of extra texture. Makes 20-30 fritters.
4 ripe bananas
60g golden granulated sugar
2 eggs
125g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 vanilla pod, cut in half lengthwise
1 tbsp desiccated coconut (optional)
Grated zest of 1 lime
1 pinch grated cinnamon
1 pinch grated nutmeg
1 tbsp white rum
1 litre sunflower oil, for frying
1 tbsp icing sugar
Peel the bananas, put them in a bowl and mash with a fork. Whisk in the sugar and eggs, and then the flour and baking powder. Using a small knife, scrape out the vanilla seeds, add to the mix, then stir in the desiccated coconut, if using, lime zest, cinnamon, nutmeg and rum.
Heat the oil in a deep pan on a medium heat until it reaches 180C (or until a cube of bread browns in 30-40 seconds); take care that it does not get too hot and start to smoke. Gently drop four tablespoonfuls of batter into the hot oil and cook for two minutes on each side, turning occasionally, until dark golden all over. Scoop the cooked fritters out of the oil, drain on paper towels and keep warm while you repeat with the rest of the batter. Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve hot.
Vanessa Bolosier’s book Creole Kitchen is published by Pavilion at £25. To order a copy for £20 go to bookshop.theguardian.com.
What to drink
Pâtés salés creoles I like the idea of a beer with this, especially when it’s as well-priced as the full, rich Ruby Rooster Ruby Ale (3.8% abv), which is just 90p, from Lidl’s new Hatherwood craft ales range. (Yes, I know. Craft. Annoying.)
Beignets Savoury or sweet, fried things go brilliantly with bubbles, so I’d pick a moscato to go with these: Marks & Spencer has the pretty, fragrant GiBo Asti Spumante for £9. It’s only 7% abv, too. FB
