Ingredients

For the chicken:

• 4 skinless boneless chicken thighs fillets
• Large piece of ginger, finely grated
• 100g cornflour
• Vegetable oil, for frying

For the sauce:

• 6 tbsp dark brown sugar
• 2 tbsp Korean chilli paste (gochujang) – see tip
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
• Small piece ginger, grated
• 2 tsp sesame oil

For the kimchi-style slaw:

• ½ white cabbage, finely sliced
• 1 mooli, shredded into thin strips
• 4 spring onions, finely sliced
• Small piece ginger, grated
• 1 tsp golden caster sugar
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• Pinch of hot chilli powder

To serve:

• 1 Little Gem lettuce, divided into leaves
• 4 brioche or sesame seed burger buns, split and lightly toasted

Method

1. Make the slaw by combining all the ingredients together. Taste and add more chilli powder, if you like. Chill in the fridge.
2. To make the sauce, put all the ingredients in a saucepan and simmer gently until syrupy. Take off the heat and set aside.
3. Cut away any fatty excess from the chicken thighs, then season with salt, pepper and the grated ginger. Toss the chicken with the cornflour until completely coated.
4. Heat about 2cm of vegetable oil in a large frying pan. Fry the chicken thighs for 4-5 mins each side until crisp. Remove from the oil onto kitchen paper and leave to cool slightly for 2 mins. Then re-fry in the hot oil until ultra-crisp and you can hear it crackle. Remove to kitchen paper to drain.
5. Reheat the sauce. Build your burgers by placing some lettuce and kimchi slaw on the base of a bun, top with the crispy chicken and drizzle over the sticky sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1½ kg braising steak, cut into 15cm cubes
• 4 guajillo chillies, stem and seeds removed, or dried chillies
• 1 large ancho chilli, stem and seeds removed
• 4 arbol chillies (optional)
• 2 medium tomatoes, cut in half
• 1 medium onion, quartered
• 2 garlic cloves
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• 2 cloves
• 3 black peppercorns
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• 2 bone marrow discs
• 15g sea salt flakes
• 2 bay leaves

To serve:

• Handful of coriander , chopped
• 1 white onion, finely chopped
• Spicy salsa
• 2 limes, cut into small wedges
• 24 Warmed corn tortillas (optional)
• Grated mozzarella (optional)

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based, ovenproof saucepan over a medium-high heat and brown the braising steak all over, about 8-10 mins. Set aside.
2. Heat a frying pan over a medium heat and toast the guajillo and ancho chillies for 2 mins, making sure not to burn them. If you want the birria to be spicy, add the arbol chillies. Transfer to a lidded saucepan with the tomatoes and onion. Peel the garlic and add this, too. Add 500ml water, cover, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 5 mins. Turn the heat off and set aside to cool.
3. Transfer the tomatoes, onion and chillies to a blender, reserving the cooking liquor. Add the spices, vinegar and 2 tbsp of the cooking liquor to the blender, then blend until smooth. Heat the oven to 140°C/120°C fan/gas 1.
4. Put the meat back over a medium heat, then add the bone marrow, salt and bay leaves. Pass the blended chilli sauce through a sieve into the pan to ensure it’s silky smooth. Pour in 1 litre water and the remaining cooking liquor. Cover and transfer to the oven for 3 hrs until the meat is tender and falling apart. After 1 hr 30 mins, season to taste.
5. Remove the meat from the broth using a slotted spoon, transfer to a board and shred using two forks. The broth should have thickened.
6. To serve, put shredded beef in a bowl, pour over the broth, then garnish with the coriander, onion and spicy salsa. Serve with limes on the side for squeezing over. Or, heat a corn tortilla, add some shredded birria beef and garnish with the coriander, onion and a squeeze of lime, and serve the broth on the side in a small cup. To make a quesabirria, heat a corn tortilla, add some grated mozzarella cheese and some of the beef. Once the cheese has melted, pour 1 tbsp of the broth under and over the tortilla, and serve more broth on the side.

Ingredients

• 150g shredded raw veggies, (such as red cabbage and carrots)
• 3 tbsp good-quality vegan white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp golden caster sugar
• 1 long French baguette
• 100g hummus
• 175g cooked tempeh, very finely sliced
• ½ small pack coriander, leaves picked, to serve
• ½ small pack mint, leaves picked, to serve
• Hot sauce, to serve (we used sriracha)

Method

1. Put the shredded veg in a bowl and add the vinegar, sugar and 1 tsp salt. Toss everything together, then set aside to pickle quickly while you prepare the rest of the sandwich.
2. Heat oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4. Cut the baguette into four, then slice each piece horizontally in half. Put the baguette pieces in the oven for 5 mins until lightly toasted and warm. Spread each piece with a layer of hummus, then top four pieces with the tempeh slices and pile the pickled veg on top. To serve, sprinkle over the herbs and squeeze over some hot sauce, then top with the other baguette pieces to make sandwiches.

Ingredients

• 1 small red onion, finely sliced
• 1 large lemon, juiced
• 2 tbsp vegetable, sunflower or rapeseed oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds, plus a pinch for testing the oil
• 400g can chickpeas, drained
• ¾ tsp ground turmeric
• ½ tsp chilli powder
• 1 ½ tsp ground cumin
• 1 teabag
• 4 vegetarian samosas
• 200-300ml Greek yogurt, whisked
• 3-4 spring onions, finely chopped
• Handful of fine sev or Bombay mix (optional)

Method

1. Put the sliced red onion in a heatproof bowl filled with just-boiled water. Leave for 10 mins, drain, then toss with the lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Set aside. The onions will turn a wonderful magenta colour.
2. To make the spiced chickpeas, heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. To test it’s ready, drop in a few cumin seeds – if they start to sizzle, add the rest, followed by the drained chickpeas. Scatter in 1 tsp salt and the turmeric, chilli powder, ground cumin and 60ml water. Break in the contents of the teabag and give everything a stir. Cover and simmer over a low heat for about 15 mins, or until all the flavours have infused. Gently mash some of the chickpeas in the pan to make a sauce – you might need to add a little more water.
3. Spoon the spiced chickpeas onto a serving platter. Cut the samosas into chunks and layer these over the top. Drizzle over the yogurt, then top with the sliced pickled onions. Sprinkle over the chopped spring onions and sev or Bombay mix.

Ingredients

• 2 garlic cloves
• 200g Greek yogurt
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 2 tsp tomato purée
• 2 tsp chilli flakes (Aleppo are nice)
• 2 tsp sumac
• 4 chicken breasts, cut into chunks
• 300g baby plum tomatoes
• 1 thumb-sized red chilli, stem removed
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small red onion, sliced
• 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses

To serve:

• 4 Middle Eastern flatbreads
• Long pickled chillis (guindillas)
• A handful fresh coriander
• A handful fresh flat-leaf parsley

Method

1. Crush 1 garlic clove and mix with 3 tbsp yogurt, the lemon juice, 1 tsp tomato purée, half the spices, and some seasoning in a medium bowl. Add the chicken, toss, cover and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hr or overnight.
2. Make the chilli sauce. Put 100g of the tomatoes, the whole red chilli, the remaining spices, garlic clove and tomato purée, plus 1 tbsp olive oil, half the red onion and the pomegranate molasses in a food processor. Add some seasoning and pulse until puréed, then set aside.
3. Heat oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6, and heat a griddle pan. Thread the chicken onto metal skewers or wooden ones that have been soaked, then wipe off the excess marinade. Skewer the remaining tomatoes on a separate skewer. Lightly oil the griddle with the remaining olive oil and brown the chicken on both sides, then transfer to a baking tray and bake in the oven for 10 mins, or until cooked through. Meanwhile, griddle the tomatoes for 1-2 mins, turning halfway through so they have griddle marks on both sides.
4. Serve the chicken and tomatoes on flatbreads with the remaining red onion, pickled chillis, the remaining Greek yogurt, parsley and coriander with the chilli sauce spooned over.