Starter

Fatteh is a generous Levantine dish made with crisp pita bread, warm chickpeas and a creamy yogurt, tahini, lemon and garlic sauce, finished with toasted pine nuts, parsley and spices. The contrast between crunchy bread, tender chickpeas and cool creamy sauce is essential to the dish.

Warak Enab is a Levantine classic: grape leaves rolled around a filling of rice, minced meat, tomato and spices, then slowly simmered with lemon, garlic and stock. Gentle cooking makes the leaves tender while the rice absorbs the aromatic juices.

Zaatar manakish are Levantine flatbreads topped with an aromatic mixture of zaatar and olive oil, then baked in a very hot oven until the dough is soft, lightly crisp around the edges and deeply infused with thyme, sumac and sesame flavours.

Fattoush is a fresh, crunchy Levantine salad made with tomatoes, cucumber, radishes, lettuce, herbs and pieces of toasted or fried pita bread. Its lemon, sumac, olive oil and pomegranate molasses dressing gives it a characteristic tangy and fruity flavour.

Kibbeh is a Levantine specialty made from fine bulgur and minced meat. In this version, the mixture is shaped into oval croquettes filled with seasoned meat, onion and pine nuts, then fried until the shell is crisp and the centre remains juicy. Success depends on a cohesive outer dough, a relatively dry filling and careful shaping.

A very fresh Lebanese tabbouleh in which parsley greatly outweighs bulgur, with tomato, mint, onion, lemon and olive oil. Unlike couscous-heavy versions, traditional Lebanese tabbouleh is primarily a finely chopped herb salad with a bright, tangy flavour.

Crisp on the outside and tender inside, these falafel are made from soaked dried chickpeas, fresh herbs, onion, garlic and spices. This recipe details the mixture, resting, shaping and frying techniques needed for a light texture rather than a dense or mushy one.

A smooth and creamy hummus made from chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil. This version details chickpea cooking, the use of baking soda and extended blending to achieve a very fine, light and silky texture.

Olivier salad is an iconic Russian salad made with potatoes, carrots, peas, eggs, pickles and cooked meat, all bound with a creamy mayonnaise and mustard dressing. For the best texture, the ingredients are cooked separately, cooled and cut into small even dice.

Small Russian stuffed buns made with a soft enriched yeast dough, filled here with beef, onion and potato. Pirozhki can be baked or fried; this oven-baked version gives a tender golden crust with a generous savoury filling.

Thin, flexible Russian pancakes with lightly golden edges, made with milk, eggs and flour. Blini can be served with savoury toppings such as sour cream, smoked salmon or mushrooms, or with sweet accompaniments such as honey, jam or berries.

Delicate steamed dumplings from the Jiangnan region, filled with seasoned pork and a savoury stock jelly that melts during steaming to create hot soup inside. This recipe details the aspic, dough, filling, pleating and steaming techniques needed for thin, juicy and well-sealed xiaolongbao.

Traditional Chinese dumplings filled with pork, Chinese cabbage, spring onion, ginger and soy sauce, wrapped in thin dough and cooked by boiling, steaming or pan-frying. This version explains the dough, salting the cabbage, seasoning the filling, shaping and three cooking methods in detail.

German pretzels with a deep mahogany-brown crust, lightly crisp exterior and soft, chewy crumb. The dough is shaped into the classic knot, briefly dipped in an alkaline baking-soda bath before baking, then sprinkled with coarse salt.

German grated potato pancakes mixed with onion, egg and a little flour, then pan-fried until the edges are very crisp and the centre remains tender. They are traditionally served with applesauce, sour cream or a herb sauce.

A soft and airy Italian focaccia with a golden crust, generously flavoured with olive oil, rosemary and flaky sea salt. Its highly hydrated dough and two rising stages create a light, tender crumb full of bubbles.

Japanese nigiri made with seasoned sushi rice shaped by hand and topped with thin slices of raw hamachi, a tender fish with delicate richness and mild sweetness. The recipe explains how to rinse, soak, cook, season and cool the rice, as well as how to slice the fish accurately.

Japanese nigiri made with seasoned sushi rice shaped by hand and topped with thin slices of sashimi-grade raw tuna. This recipe explains in detail how to rinse, soak, cook, season and cool the rice so the grains are glossy, tender and lightly sticky without becoming mushy.

A light and comforting Japanese soup made with dashi broth, miso paste, silken tofu, wakame seaweed, and scallions.

A Japanese assortment of shrimp and vegetables coated in a light, crispy batter, quickly deep-fried and served with tentsuyu dipping sauce.

Japanese pan-fried dumplings with a crispy bottom and tender top, filled with a flavorful mixture of pork, cabbage, ginger, and scallions.