Prawn cheung fun is a dim sum staple of silky rice noodles wrapped around plump, juicy prawns (shrimp). This recipe gives you the cheat’s way to make these delicious rolls, perfect for re-creating that authentic dim sum experience at home.

“Breakfast classic. ’Nuff said. Enjoy!” - Melanie Persson

“These are the cinnamon rolls I hunted for desperately in the years after my coeliac diagnosis. Funnily enough, cinnamon rolls weren’t even one of my favourite things when I could eat gluten, but when it was taken off the table, cravings for those soft, sweet rolls really kicked in and I couldn’t find a good substitute anywhere. Until I made these…” - Melanie Persson

“Using store-bought buns and Chinese BBQ duck make these fast to rustle. If you don’t live near a BBQ shop, cook duck breasts instead, which is easier than you might think. You can prep all the recipe components ahead of time — just keep the steamed buns covered with a damp tea towel to stop them drying out. For easy entertaining, set everything up buffet-style and let your guests build their own — it's fun that way!”

It might surprise some to learn that tomatoes feature in regional Chinese cooking; especially with eggs as a quick, easy, comforting topping for steamed rice or for wide wheat noodles. Yum. This is one of those classic, home-style Chinese dishes…

“Here’s a dish that basically gives you licence to play with your food! Yusheng is a vibrant, tangy-sweet Chinese New Year salad that’sa confetti explosion of good vibes, prosperity, and everything crunchy. It originated in Southeast Asia and Singapore and Malaysia, who love a tug-of-war over Who Does It Better. It’s kind of their pavlova, if you get us…”

Yes, a curry paste from scratch, but hear us out. This curry is delicious, but not if you shortcut things. It’s our take on a Nonya curry; the Nonyas (also called the Peranakans) are communities descended from Chinese immigrants who settled in Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, intermarried with locals, and blended their heritage with Malay influences. Their food is a true fusion cuisine…

While nothing says ‘I care’ or ‘look at me go’ like homemade dumplings, sometimes frozen ones are a total lifesaver when we’re running out of time. And when we make a dinner out of frozen dumplings, normally we just boil them, steam a pile of Asian greens…

Want homemade cake but not the palaver that goes with baking? You know the drill… dusting off the mixer… creaming butter and sugar… cleaning up the aftermath. Yeah nah, sometimes you’re just not up for it. Enter this Thai-inspired, sticky rice-based deliciousness. Comprising just four ingredients, it’s so darned easy to make, requiring no oven and using the simplest of techniques. It’s failsafe! And yum…

OK, kids, let’s make choux pastry. It’s a weird beast for sure; you heat water and butter in a smallish saucepan JUST until it simmers and the butter has melted. Next, you dump in sifted flour, then stir like crazy over the heat until the mixture forms a cooked, smooth, floury ball that leaves the side of the pan…

“When most people think of laksa, a bowl of brothy slurpy noodles comes first to mind, so a dry laksa might sound like a curious thing. I first had dry laksa at a friend’s place. Her father would politely interrupt every maths revision session with a plate of food, because ‘you can’t study on an empty stomach’. I vividly remember Uncle’s dry laksa; he had tried it at a trendy new café and recreated it for us…

“There are many versions of egg curry; this is one I learnt from a Singaporean Indian friend, who in turn learnt and adapted it from her mum. The fennel seeds give an aniseed fragrance that’s common to many Tamil curries, tomatoes and tamarind lend a sweet-sour tang, while the coconut milk (just a tiny drizzle!) adds a touch of creaminess…

“If I had to pick my favourite British food, the humble roast chicken would definitely be one of my top contenders. I love everything about roast chicken – the homely smell that permeates the kitchen as it cooks in the oven, the theatre of bringing a whole bird to the table and carving it to share, the delicious contrast of crisp brown skin and juicy meat…

It’s the weather for making stocks, no? TBH we make stocks year ‘round because they’re easy, and you can portion and freeze them so you’ve always got some on hand. Nothing beats the flavour of a home made stock and because they’re made by simmering…

Grab that big sharp knife; you’re making veggie julienne! In other lives we trained to be chefs and vegetable cuts, along with from-scratch stocks, sauces like béchamel, and proper pastry were the bedrock of our education. Ah… veggie cuts. Brunoise… mirepoix… baton… batonette…

We can’t decide which of this pair of complementary recipes we love the most... we adore tender slices of juicy beef fillet, but those stir-fried, vinegary potato shreds? They get us every single time. And if you’re not familiar with this rustic Chinese approach to potato cooking…

“What we have here is a reasonably quick homestyle version of haejangguk. Using smaller chunks of beef and more widely available dark greens, the dish satisfies the need for something hearty with relative ease. While I have kept the process simple, I do remain respectful to the tradition by seasoning the blanched greens generously with a garlic-heavy paste before adding them to the soup…

“One of the things I always try to hunt down whenever I visit Korea are these beautifully packaged milk caramel bites. Often found in convenience stores, these perfectly bite-sized squared caramels come individually wrapped in silver foiled paper; they are a classic confectionery, loved by all for their milky toffee-like taste and softly chewy texture.” - Su Scott

We invented this dish. Well, we thought we did until Chef de Google told us someone else had thought of this combo before us. So we added the kiwi classic French Onion Dip to make it ‘ours’ again and it works a treat, according to our trusty panel of taste-testers. The bonus with this snack is you only need one decent sized kūmara to fill a platter!

Salty, spicy, meaty and juicy – here’s the ultimate beer food. These are inspired by some of the delicious-est street food we’ve ever eaten; namely the lamb skewers you get in parts of northern and western China, where they’re cooked with plenty of cumin and chilli over smoky coals, then eaten with even more spice scattered over...