Starters, Snacks & Sides from Around the World, Page 8

Not every great dish is the main event. These are the soups, small plates, street snacks and sides that open or round out a meal somewhere on the map: 466 authentic recipes, each with its cultural story, ingredients, and step by step method.
466 recipes · showing 337 to 384
Di Gua Ye (Taiwanese Garlic Sweet Potato Leaves)Taipei, Taiwan · easy · 15 minTender sweet potato leaves and shoots stir-fried in a very hot wok with plenty of garlic and a splash of water until just wilted, silky and bright green.
Diri Djon Djon (Haitian Black Mushroom Rice)Ouest (Port-au-Prince), Haiti · easy · 1 hLong-grain rice cooked in the inky, earthy liquor of dried Haitian djon djon mushrooms with garlic, thyme, clove and peas, turning grey-black and fragrant, served beside meat or fish on special days.
Djouka (Malian Fonio with Peanut)Bamako, Mali · medium · 1 h 10 minFonio steamed in stages and folded with pounded peanut, finished with a slippery okra sauce and topped with soft onions and boiled eggplant.
Dongchimi (North Korean Radish Water Kimchi)Pyongyang, North Korea · easy · 2 daysWhole Korean radishes salted, then left to sour in a clear brine with pear, garlic, ginger, green chili and scallions, giving crisp, mild pickles and an icy, tangy broth.
Ensalada Chilena (Chilean Tomato and Onion Salad)Central Valley, Chile · easy · 27 minWedges of ripe tomato and paper-thin onion, soaked to tame its bite, dressed with oil and salt and scattered with cilantro, the salad beside every Chilean asado.
Envuelto de Calabaza (Equatoguinean Pumpkin-Seed Parcels)Malabo, Equatorial Guinea · medium · 2 h 40 minGround pumpkin seeds beaten with water, smoked fish, onion and hot pepper into a thick paste, wrapped in banana leaves and cooked slowly into firm, savoury parcels.
Espinacs a la Catalana (Spinach with Raisins and Pine Nuts)Andorra la Vella, Andorra · easy · 1 hSpinach wilted and squeezed dry, then tossed in olive oil with sliced garlic, toasted pine nuts and plump soaked raisins, a sweet and savoury side from the Catalan kitchen.
Ezay (Bhutanese Chili and Cheese Relish)Thimphu, Bhutan · easy · 15 minA fiery raw relish of chopped chilies, tomato, red onion and coriander, crumbled with fresh cheese and seasoned with salt and numbing Sichuan pepper, spooned onto rice.
Fa'alifu Fa'i (Green Bananas in Coconut Cream)Upolu, Samoa · easy · 35 minPeeled green cooking bananas boiled until just tender, then simmered in salted coconut cream with onion until the sauce thickens and coats them, the everyday Samoan starch.
Fagioli all’Uccelletto (Tuscan Beans with Sage and Tomato)Tuscany, Italy · easy · 13 h 45 minSoft cannellini beans simmered in olive oil scented with garlic and sage, then stewed in tomato until glossy, the Tuscan contorno for sausages and grilled meat.
Fainá (Uruguayan Chickpea Flour Flatbread)Montevideo, Uruguay · easy · 1 h 5 minA thin batter of chickpea flour, water, olive oil and salt baked in a very hot, oiled pan until golden with crisp edges, cut in wedges and eaten with pizza.
Farofa (Brazilian Toasted Cassava Flour)Rio de Janeiro, Brazil · easy · 25 minRaw cassava flour toasted in butter and bacon fat with onion and garlic until golden, sandy and crunchy, spooned over feijoada, rice and beans and churrasco.
Färskpotatis med Dill (New Potatoes with Dill)Skåne, Sweden · easy · 28 minYoung new potatoes boiled with dill and salt, then tossed in butter and fresh chopped dill, the essential Swedish Midsummer side whose arrival marks the start of summer.
Festival (Jamaican Sweet Fried Dumplings)Kingston (Surrey), Jamaica · easy · 35 minA lightly sweet dough of flour and fine cornmeal rolled into fingers and deep-fried until golden, crisp outside and soft inside, served with escovitch fish and jerk.
Firinda (Tooro Mashed Bean Sauce)Kampala, Uganda · medium · 9 h 55 minDried beans soaked and skinned, boiled soft with eggplant, mashed to a smooth, creamy sauce with onion and finished with a spoonful of ghee, to eat with millet bread or matooke.
Flatkaka (Icelandic Rye Flatbread)Reykjavík, Iceland · medium · 55 minThin, soft rounds of rye and wholemeal dough made with boiling water, charred on a scorching dry pan, dipped in water and stacked, then buttered and eaten with smoked lamb.
Fonio Vapeur (Guinean Steamed Fonio)Conakry, Guinea · medium · 1 h 25 minFonio, the tiny ancient grain of the Fouta Djallon, washed free of sand, steamed twice in a cloth-lined couscous pot and separated with the fingers into a light, fluffy bed for leaf, okra or peanut sauces.
Foofoo (Sierra Leonean Fermented Cassava)Freetown, Sierra Leone · advanced · 4 daysCassava soaked for days until soft and sour, mashed, sieved and squeezed dry, then stirred over the heat into a smooth, stretchy, tangy dough, rolled into balls to eat with okra soup or krain krain.
Foutou Banane (Ivorian Pounded Plantain and Cassava)Abidjan (Lagunes), Côte d’Ivoire · medium · 1 hBoiled plantain and cassava pounded together while hot into a smooth, elastic, faintly sweet dough, shaped into balls and served with sauce graine or peanut sauce.
Funge (Angolan Cassava Flour Porridge)Luanda, Angola · medium · 20 minCassava flour beaten into boiling water with a wooden spoon until it turns smooth, glossy and elastic, the swallow that carries muamba, calulu and every Angolan sauce.
Gan Bian Si Ji Dou (Sichuan Dry-Fried Green Beans)Sichuan, China · medium · 35 minGreen beans fried until blistered, wrinkled and scorched in spots, then tossed with a little minced pork, preserved mustard greens, dried chillies, Sichuan pepper, garlic and ginger.
Gogonele Murate (Romanian Pickled Green Tomatoes)Transylvania, Romania · easy · 3 weeksSmall green tomatoes packed in jars with garlic, horseradish, dill stalks, celery leaves, carrot and chilli, covered with salt brine and left to ferment, the winter murături for every Romanian table.
Golbheda ko Achar (Nepali Roasted Tomato Relish)Kathmandu Valley, Nepal · easy · 22 minTomatoes and dried red chillies charred over a flame, then pounded in a mortar with raw garlic, salt and a pinch of timur into a smoky, fiery relish for dal bhat and momo.
Gomen (Ethiopian Collard Greens)Amhara, Ethiopia · easy · 40 minChopped collard greens cooked down with onion, garlic, ginger and green chili in spiced butter, the soft, savoury greens spooned onto injera beside every wot.
Gonré (Burkinabè Steamed Bean Cakes)Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso · medium · 2 h 10 minSkinned black-eyed peas ground to a paste with potash, salt, oil and dried chili, beaten light, wrapped in leaves and steamed into soft cakes eaten with a pour of groundnut oil and chili.
Gotu Kola Sambol (Sri Lankan Pennywort and Coconut Salad)Southern Province, Sri Lanka · easy · 20 minFinely shredded pennywort leaves mixed by hand with fresh grated coconut, red onion, green chilli and tomato, sharpened with lime juice and salt, a raw green side for rice and curry.
Gozo (Central African Cassava Flour Dough)Bangui, Central African Republic · medium · 17 minCassava flour worked into boiling water until it turns into a smooth, sticky, slightly translucent dough, rolled into balls and dipped into ngunza, koko or any Central African sauce.
Gratin DauphinoisDauphiné (Alps), France · easy · 1 h 35 minThin potato slices baked slowly in garlic-infused cream until the top blisters gold, Alpine comfort at its purest.
Guasacaca (Venezuelan Avocado and Herb Sauce)Caracas, Venezuela · easy · 15 minRipe avocado blended with onion, green pepper, garlic, cilantro, parsley, vinegar and oil into a pourable green sauce for grilled meat, roast chicken, arepas and empanadas.
Guineítos en Escabeche (Puerto Rican Pickled Green Bananas)San Juan, Puerto Rico · easy · 4 h 45 minBoiled green bananas steeped in a warm olive-oil and vinegar escabeche with soft onions, garlic, bay, peppercorns and green olives, served cool beside roast pork or fried fish.
Hāngī StuffingWaikato, New Zealand · easy · 55 minBread crumbled with onion, grated carrot, mixed herbs, lemon and melted butter, wrapped in a foil parcel and baked until steamy and golden at the edges, the stuffing that goes with a hāngī.
Houskové Knedlíky (Czech Bread Dumplings)Bohemia, Czechia · medium · 1 h 35 minA light yeast dough studded with cubes of stale bread rolls, shaped into logs, boiled and sliced like bread, the Czech side that soaks up svíčková and goulash sauce.
Ibirayi (Rwandan Spiced Fried Potatoes)Kigali, Rwanda · easy · 40 minSmall unpeeled potatoes halved, boiled in water seasoned with garlic and pepper, then deep-fried until brown and crisp, the classic partner to brochettes.
Janssons Frestelse (Jansson’s Temptation)Skåne, Sweden · easy · 1 h 20 minA creamy gratin of matchstick potatoes layered with sweet onions and Swedish spiced sprats, baked in cream and milk until golden.
Jeow Mak Len (Lao Roasted Tomato and Chilli Dip)Luang Prabang, Laos · easy · 30 minTomatoes, shallots, garlic and chillies charred until blistered, then pounded in a mortar with fish sauce and coriander into a smoky, chunky dip for sticky rice.
Kachumber (Pakistani Tomato, Cucumber and Onion Salad)Lahore (Punjab), Pakistan · easy · 10 minFinely diced tomato, cucumber and red onion with green chilli and coriander, dressed with lemon juice, salt, black pepper and roasted cumin, the fresh relish served beside biryani, karahi and kebabs.
KalembulaLusaka, Zambia · easy · 40 minTender sweet potato leaves simmered with pounded groundnuts into a creamy Zambian relish for nshima.
Kastinys (Samogitian Sour Cream Butter)Vilnius, Lithuania · medium · 3 h 45 minButter and thick sour cream beaten together a spoonful at a time over gentle warmth into a pale, fluffy, tangy spread seasoned with caraway, salt and pepper, chilled and spooned over hot boiled potatoes.
Kelupis (Bruneian Glutinous Rice Rolls in Leaves)Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei · medium · 2 h 10 minGlutinous rice cooked in coconut milk until glossy, wrapped in slim rolls of leaf and steamed, served with rendang, curry or peanut sauce at Hari Raya.
Kheere ka Raita (Cucumber Raita)Punjab, India · easy · 12 minCool whisked yogurt with chopped cucumber, fresh coriander and mint, seasoned with salt and a dusting of roasted cumin, served alongside biryani, pulao and spiced curries.
Kumu (Pumpkin Tips in Coconut Cream)Highlands, Papua New Guinea · easy · 27 minThe tender shoots and young leaves of the pumpkin vine, stripped and wilted with onion, then simmered briefly in coconut cream with a little salt and chili.
Kvashanaja Kapusta (Belarusian Sauerkraut with Carrot)Minsk, Belarus · easy · 3 daysFinely shredded white cabbage and carrot rubbed with salt and left to ferment in their own juice for a few days, then served cold with sunflower oil and onion beside potatoes, draniki and meat.
Kwacoco Bible (Cameroonian Cocoyam Parcels)Southwest (Buea), Cameroon · medium · 2 hFinely grated cocoyam mixed with red palm oil, smoked fish, crayfish, greens and hot pepper, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed into firm, savory parcels.
Lanttulaatikko (Finnish Swede Casserole)North Karelia, Finland · easy · 2 h 5 minMashed swede enriched with cream-soaked breadcrumbs, egg, dark syrup, ginger and nutmeg, baked slowly until the top is patterned brown, the Finnish Christmas casserole served beside the ham.
Lasary Voatabia (Malagasy Tomato and Onion Relish)Analamanga (Antananarivo), Madagascar · easy · 30 minDiced firm tomatoes with onion, spring onion, grated ginger and chili, sharpened with lime juice, the fresh relish spooned beside rice and rich stews all over Madagascar.
Lavash (Armenian Thin Flatbread)Yerevan, Armenia · medium · 1 h 30 minPaper-thin, soft sheets of flour, water and salt, rolled until you can see through them and baked in seconds on a very hot pan, for wrapping cheese, herbs and grilled meat.
Lituma (Congolese Mashed Plantain)Kinshasa, DR Congo · easy · 35 minGreen and just-ripe plantains boiled until soft, then pounded into a smooth, heavy, dough-like mash and shaped to eat with pondu, fish or any Congolese stew.
Llajua (Bolivian Locoto and Tomato Salsa)La Paz, Bolivia · easy · 10 minRaw tomato and fiery locoto chili ground to a rough red salsa with salt and a green Andean herb, the table sauce that goes with almost every Bolivian meal.
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