Find your next favourite — by meal, mood, diet, cuisine or how much time you’ve got.
54 min 30 minA hearty meatless beetroot soup with potato, cabbage and carrot, sweet-sour from a little vinegar and sugar. Serve it ruby red with a spoonful of sour cream and dill. Adapted from “Borscht” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Beetroot raised from about 150 g to 250 g for a deeper colour; single amounts chosen where the source gave ranges, and cup measures converted to metric. Photo: liz west, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Borscht served”).
42 min 39 minA creamy, deeply savoury risotto built on porcini and their soaking liquid, finished with butter, parsley and Parmesan. Dried porcini work just as well as fresh. Adapted from “Risotto ai Funghi” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Stock raised from 0.5 to 0.8 litre (plus the mushroom water) so the rice cooks through, wine cut from 1 cup to 150 ml, and vegetable stock used instead of chicken. Photo: Kolforn, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“-2019-12-22 Mushroom Risotto with onion and herbs finished with Parmesan and Mushroom, Trimingham”).
41 min 14 minEggs gently set in a pan of tomatoes, sweet red pepper, chile and plenty of garlic, all warmed by paprika. Bring it to the table in the pan with bread for mopping up. Adapted from “Shakshuka I” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Oil halved to 3 tbsp; added a 10-minute simmer so the tomatoes thicken before the eggs go in, and a lid to set the whites. Parsley moved from the notes into the recipe. Photo: Calliopejen1, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Shakshuka by Calliopejen1”).
47 min 45 minA creamy Italian risotto made with fish stock and white wine, with squid, king prawns and scallops stirred in for the last few minutes so they stay tender. Adapted from “Seafood Risotto” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Amounts given for the marinade, frying oil, wine and parsley. Photo: Ceeseven, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Seafood Risotto”).
45 min 41 minSmall, tender beef and pork meatballs browned in butter, with a quick cream gravy from the pan. Serve with mashed potatoes and lingonberry jam, the Swedish way. Adapted from “Swedish Meatballs I” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Liquid set to 150 ml (the source gives 200–300 ml), salt and pepper given amounts, and a simple cream gravy added from the source's serving note. Photo: dronepicr, retouched by MagentaGreen, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Köttbullar mit Kartoffelpüree (31488444044 retuschiert)”).
32 min 18 minNaples' clam pasta: fresh clams steamed open in garlicky olive oil with a little chile, tossed with spaghetti and parsley. Add tomatoes for the red version or leave them out for the white. Adapted from “Spaghetti with Clams” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Added soaking the clams to purge sand; tomatoes made optional (the source's white version), canned clams left out and oil and garlic given amounts. Serves 4 rather than 6. Photo: Ka23 13, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Vongole 20220312 113850”).
50 min 48 minBritain's Friday-night favourite at home: thick white fish fillets in a crisp flour-and-cornflour batter, with chunky chips, lemon, salt and malt vinegar. Adapted from “Fish and Chips” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Potatoes, water and fish given weights; 2 litres of oil instead of 1 for safe deep-frying, and a low oven to keep the chips warm. Photo: Acabashi, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Fish and chips at Sainsbury's Low Hall, Chingford, London”).
57 min 20 minSpain's thick potato omelette: sliced potatoes and onions cooked slowly in olive oil, then set with beaten eggs and flipped onto a plate. Good warm or at room temperature, in wedges or in a sandwich. Adapted from “Tortilla Española de Patatas” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). More potato (750 g instead of 500 g) and 8 eggs instead of 10 for a better balance; salt and pepper given amounts and the optional cucumber left out. Photo: Tamorlan, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Tortilla Española-2011”).
27 min 16 minThin slices of beef and onion simmered in a sweet soy and dashi sauce and spooned over rice, with a soft egg, pickled ginger and spring onions on top. Japan's favourite fast weeknight bowl. Adapted from “Gyudon (Japanese Beef and Rice Bowl)” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Scaled to two full bowls (300 g beef, a whole onion) with the sauce raised to match; rice amount and cooking times added. Photo: Calgary Reviews, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Beef Bowl, Gyūdon”).
36 min 16 minYellow toor dal cooked soft with tomatoes, onion and fresh fenugreek leaves, then finished with a sizzling tadka of ghee, mustard seeds, garlic and curry leaves. Comforting with hot rice. Adapted from “Pigeon Pea and Fenugreek Curry (Methi Tadka Dal)” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Measured the fenugreek, salt, spices and lemon juice; added a stovetop option for cooks without a pressure cooker. Photo: AugustineKajur, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Dal Tadka-Delhi”).
57 min 40 minA homemade green paste of coriander, lemongrass, ginger and chile, simmered with leeks, peppers and coconut milk, then finished with soy-marinated chicken and fresh basil. Serve with rice. Adapted from “Green Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Scaled to 4 servings (600 g chicken, 2 cans of coconut milk) with less coriander seed and pepper in the paste; gave amounts for the chiles, coriander, garlic, soy sauce, oil and basil. Photo: Guilhem Vellut, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Green Curry, Kapunka Panoramas, Paris 002”).
25 minSoft egg noodles tossed in a hot pan with chicken, shrimp and crisp vegetables and coated in soy sauce. A flexible stir-fry that takes whatever meat and vegetables you have. Adapted from “Lo Mein” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Fixed amounts for 4 in place of equal "parts" and "enough" soy sauce; picked chicken, shrimp, broccoli, carrot and asparagus from the suggested options and added spring onions to finish. Photo: jeffreyw, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Lo mein (13878821955)”).
23 minIndonesia's everyday fried rice: shallots, garlic and chile fried with chicken, then cold rice glazed with sweet soy sauce. Serve it with cucumber slices and, if you like, a fried egg on top. Adapted from “Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice)” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Gave amounts for the rice, oil and soy sauces; chose chicken and green beans from the optional list and read "fish oil" as fish sauce. The fried egg on top comes from the source's variations. Photo: Midori, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Nasi goreng di Rantepao”).
23 minThe Cantonese fried rice found in every Hong Kong café: day-old jasmine rice tossed with prawns, char siu, bacon, peas and egg. A great home for leftover rice. Adapted from “Yeung Chow Fried Rice” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Salt and pepper cut from 1 tbsp each to 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp white pepper; serves 3 rather than 7 for the same amount of rice. Photo: Ceeseven, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Yeung Chow Fried Rice in Hong Kong Fast Food Shop”).
14 minThe tapas-bar favourite from southern Spain: shrimp sizzled in olive oil with lots of garlic, paprika and a splash of sherry. Bring bread for the oil. Adapted from “Gambas al Ajillo (Garlic Shrimp)” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Converted to metric with single amounts. Photo: Missvain (Sarah Stierch), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Layla at MacArthur Place - 2021-05-20 - Sarah Stierch 03”).
30 minA Palestinian staple that costs very little: lentils and rice cooked with warm spices and topped with deeply browned onions. Filling, vegan and better the next day. Adapted from “Rice and Lentils (Mejadra)” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Corrected the lentil and rice weights to match 1 cup each and gave amounts for the oil, salt and spices. Photo: Tamorlan, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Mujaddara - My own style”).
28 min 21 minA family recipe for Thailand's best-known noodle dish: rice noodles tossed in a sweet, sour and salty tamarind sauce with egg, bean sprouts and peanuts. Adapted from “Pad Thai” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Chili flakes cut from 2 tbsp to 1–2 tsp, fewer bean sprouts, the "assorted vegetables" made specific. Photo: Index Librorum Permissorum, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Pad Thai 2018-12-26 (1)”).
19 min 9 minSichuan's famous numbing, spicy tofu: soft cubes simmered with minced meat and chili bean paste, finished with roasted Sichuan pepper. Serve over rice. Adapted from “Mapo Tofu” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Added the frying oil and a little water to simmer in; less Sichuan pepper (2 tsp instead of 1 tbsp). Photo: Guilhem Vellut, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Mapo Tofu @ Saturne @ Paris (33518107254)”).
25 min 13 minThe Roman classic with no cream: crisp guanciale, egg yolks, pecorino and plenty of black pepper, turned silky by the heat of the pasta. Adapted from “Spaghetti alla Carbonara” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Pork, cheese and oil set to single amounts; steps reordered to run in parallel. Photo: Luca Nebuloni, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Spaghetti alla carbonara (32998643591)”).
34 min 16 minA punchy pantry pasta from the Italian islands: anchovies melted into olive oil, then olives, capers, tomatoes and a little chile. Ready in the time the pasta takes. Adapted from “Spaghetti alla Puttanesca” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Scaled from 6–8 to 4 servings with fewer anchovies; timings added. Photo: Popo le Chien, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Pasta Puttanesca”).