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”).
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”).
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)”).
1 h 15 min 35 minA much-loved Chinese home dish: cubes of pork belly browned in caramel, then braised with soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and star anise until meltingly tender in a glossy dark sauce. Adapted from “Hongshao Rou (Red Braised Pork Belly)” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Added a cube size and a time for reducing the sauce. Photo: N509FZ, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Red braised pork (20141106191221)”).
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”).
13 minThe village salad of Greece: ripe tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, green pepper and olives in olive oil, crowned with a whole slab of feta and a pinch of oregano. No lettuce needed. Adapted from “Greek Salad” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Gave amounts for every ingredient (the source lists none) for 4 servings, and dried oregano over the feta instead of an optional fresh sprig. Photo: Jpatokal, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Greece Food Horiatiki”).
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”).
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)”).
23 min 16 minSoft, turmeric-yellow potatoes with mustard seeds, curry leaves and green chillies: the filling for masala dosa, and great with roti or rice. Adapted from “Potato Curry (Aloo Masala)” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Added the par-boiling step and used 3 chillies instead of 4–5. Photo: Maddyatpondy, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Poori masala - tamilnadu -IMG 20190924 090232”).
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”).
1 h 27 min 27 minA light take on the Moroccan classic: chicken dusted with turmeric and a little heat, then braised with ginger, cinnamon, green olives and lemon. Serve with couscous or bread for the sauce. Adapted from “Chicken Tagine with Lemon and Olives” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Chicken thighs instead of breasts (breasts dry out over a long simmer), simmered 40 minutes instead of an hour; more chicken and stock to serve 4, and an optional preserved lemon. Photo: Foodista, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Moroccan food-Chicken tagine with preserved lemons and olives-02”).
1 h 13 min 23 minHungarian chicken slowly cooked down in a generous amount of sweet paprika, then finished with sour cream. Serve with dumplings, rice or mash. Adapted from “Paprika Chicken” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Single amounts; served as 4 portions instead of 6–8 (one chicken). Photo: Kobako, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons (“Paprikahuhn”).