White pepper

Mie goreng

Mi goreng

Indonesian fried egg noodles with sweet soy, garlic, chilli, greens and a tangle of egg, cooked fast in a very hot wok.

EasyMedium heat

Soto ayam

Indonesian turmeric chicken soup with lemongrass and lime leaf, served over rice vermicelli with egg, sprouts and fried shallots.

Medium

Bakso

Indonesian bouncy beef meatballs in a clear garlic broth with noodles, greens, fried shallots and sweet soy.

Medium

Char kway teow

炒粿条

Flat rice noodles fried hard in lard with dark soy, egg, prawns, bean sprouts and chives, the Singapore-Malaysia hawker classic.

Medium

Kaya toast

咖椰吐司

Singapore's kopitiam breakfast: charcoal-style toast with coconut-egg kaya jam and cold butter, with soft-boiled eggs and dark soy.

Easy

Bak kut teh

肉骨茶

Singapore's Teochew-style pork rib soup: a clear, fiercely peppery garlic broth served with rice, dark soy chilli and fried dough.

EasyMedium heat

Lu rou fan

滷肉飯

Taiwan's braised pork belly rice: finely chopped belly simmered in soy, fried shallots and five-spice until sticky, spooned over hot rice.

Easy

Scallion pancake

蔥油餅

Taiwanese scallion pancakes: a hot-water dough rolled, oiled, scattered with spring onion, coiled and pan-fried into flaky layers.

Medium

Gratin dauphinois

Thin slices of potato baked slowly in garlic-scented cream and milk until soft, set and browned on top. No cheese, no stock.

Easy

Blanquette de veau

Veal simmered white with aromatics, finished in a sauce of its own stock thickened with roux, cream and egg yolk, with mushrooms and small onions.

Medium

Sole meunière

Whole Dover sole dusted in flour, fried in butter until golden, then finished with browned butter, lemon and parsley. Ten minutes in the pan.

Medium

Chicken korma

मुर्ग़ कोरमा

Mughlai korma: chicken braised slowly with whole spices in yoghurt, deep-brown onion and a paste of cashews and almonds. Rich and fragrant, not sweet.

Medium

Khao man gai

ข้าวมันไก่

Poached chicken over rice cooked in chicken fat and broth with garlic and ginger, with a sharp sauce of yellow bean paste, ginger, chilli and vinegar.

Medium

Boat noodles

ก๋วยเตี๋ยวเรือ

Small bowls of rice noodles in a dark, spiced beef broth with star anise, cinnamon and galangal, traditionally thickened with blood. Blood is optional here.

MediumMedium heat

Khao kha moo

ข้าวขาหมู

Pork leg braised for hours in dark soy, five-spice, star anise and palm sugar until the skin is soft, sliced over rice with eggs, greens and chilli vinegar.

Medium

Chiko roll

A home version of Australia's factory-made takeaway roll: beef, barley, cabbage and carrot in a thick, chewy wrapper, deep-fried.

Medium

Dim sims

Dim sim

Melbourne's big pork and cabbage dumplings, open at the top, steamed until firm or steamed and then deep-fried. Eaten with soy sauce.

Medium

Sweet and sour pork

咕噜肉

Cantonese gu lou yuk: pork shoulder in a crisp starch coat, fried twice and tossed in a bright ketchup-and-vinegar sauce with pineapple and peppers.

Medium