🍳 Spanish & Latin Recipes

Gyoza are Japan's beloved dumplings, adapted from the Chinese jiaozi: thin wheat dough wrappers filled with ground pork, napa cabbage, ginger, garlic, and sesame oil. They are cooked using the pan-fry and steam method — first fried flat-side down until golden, then a splash of water is added and the lid goes on to steam the dough tender. The dipping sauce of soy sauce, rice vinegar, and chilli oil is non-negotiable.

Shio ramen is the most delicate of all ramen styles: a long-simmered chicken broth seasoned with sea salt alone, without the opacity of miso or the richness of tonkotsu. The carcass cooks for hours with leek and ginger until the stock turns translucent and fragrant, ready to receive the noodles, chashu pork, marinated egg, and nori. Time-consuming, but deeply satisfying.

Miso ramen is the most umami-rich and robust variant of Japanese ramen: a long-cooked pork broth into which red miso paste is stirred at the very end to preserve its complexity, served with wheat noodles, chashu — pork belly braised in soy sauce — and a soft-boiled egg marinated until the yolk is jammy and savoury. Each component is prepared separately and assembled to order, making homemade ramen a cooking project well worth planning a day ahead.

Vegetable maki sushi is a fully plant-based take on the Japanese roll: vinegared sushi rice spread thinly on nori, filled with avocado, cucumber, and carrot, then rolled tight with a bamboo mat and sliced clean. The technique takes a little practice — rice layer too thick, the roll won't hold — but the payoff is fresh, colourful rolls without any animal products.

Japanese cotton cheesecake is a water-bath baked cheese cake unlike any other: stiffly beaten egg whites are folded into a cream cheese, flour, and yolk batter, giving an airy, jiggly texture halfway between a soufflé and a sponge cake. It bakes slowly in a pan surrounded by hot water and is eaten at room temperature or slightly chilled. Delicate, barely sweet, and extraordinarily light.

Sushi rolls filled with crab or imitation crab, creamy avocado, and fresh cucumber, rolled in seasoned sushi rice. The perfect California roll for getting started with homemade sushi using simple inside-out maki technique.

Shoyu ramen is the most classic style of Japanese ramen: a clear dashi broth seasoned with soy sauce and mirin, served with springy ramen noodles, sliced chashu pork belly, a soft-boiled soy-cured egg, nori, spring onion and bamboo shoots. It takes time to make from scratch, but the depth of flavour is worlds away from the instant version.

Homemade sushi has made one of the world's most photographed dishes accessible to everyone. California rolls are the perfect entry point for beginners, while nigiri requires more practice but is more authentic.

Miso soup is Japan's everyday staple, served at breakfast and alongside meals from Hokkaido to Okinawa. The base is dashi — a delicate broth of kombu seaweed and dried bonito flakes — into which miso paste is stirred off the heat to preserve its probiotic cultures. Silken tofu and rehydrated wakame complete the bowl. Ready in ten minutes and deeply warming.

Salmon teriyaki with homemade glaze made from soy sauce, mirin, and sake that caramelizes in the pan. The easiest Japanese dish to prepare at home with a brilliant, sweet, and deeply flavorful result.