5 Warming Traditional Dishes from Around the World to Try This Week

With the UK’s unpredictable weather switching from sunny spells to sudden rain in just a matter of hours, there’s nothing quite like a homemade meal to bring comfort and warmth to the day. But if you’ve exhausted your usual go-to recipes, it might be time to draw inspiration from other cultures. These five traditional dishes from around the world are packed with flavour and soul, ideal for livening up spirits and warming up chilly evenings. 

Here are five cultural comfort foods you can try this week, each offering a new flavour twist to your weeknight meals.

Japan Okonomiyaki

Okonomiyaki is a savoury Japanese pancake that’s incredibly versatile and full of umami goodness. It’s a street-food favourite in cities like Osaka and Hiroshima and is both comforting and customisable. Start with a batter of flour, shredded cabbage, and eggs, then customise it with toppings like prawns, pork belly, cheese, or whatever you fancy. 

Once cooked, it’s usually finished with okonomiyaki sauce, mayonnaise, and bonito flakes for a deliciously satisfying meal. It’s a fun dish to make with others and ideal for a relaxed evening at home. For dessert, consider trying these fluffy Japanese soufflé pancakes, which are just as fun to make and eat.

Morocco – Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemon & Olives

This aromatic North African stew is traditionally slow-cooked in a tagine pot, but a casserole dish will work just as well. Known for its bold flavours, this dish features tender chicken simmered with a blend of spices including cumin, turmeric, ginger, and saffron, then balanced out with preserved lemons and green olives. The result is an irresistibly fragrant, tangy, and slightly spicy stew that’s perfect served with couscous or flatbread. Chicken tagine is a comforting meal that warms you from the inside out, and is ideal for a weekend dinner that fills your kitchen with mouth-watering aromas.

Mexico – Chiles en Nogada

A showstopper from Mexican cuisine, Chiles en Nogada is both festive and comforting. This vibrant and bold dish is made with roasted poblano peppers stuffed with a unique picadillo, a savoury-sweet mix of ground meat, dried fruit, and nuts. They’re then topped with a creamy walnut sauce and finished with pomegranate seeds for a striking presentation. Though traditionally eaten in September during Mexican Independence Day, this dish is worth making any time you want to impress or indulge.

South Korea – Bibimbap

Bibimbap is a Korean dish and is essentially a rice bowl topped with a medley of banchan (Korean side dishes like spinach, seasoned carrots, nori seaweed, a runny fried egg, bibimbap sauce made with spicy gochujang paste and my favourite bit, bulgogi BBQ beef slices.

Besides being delicious, it’s highly nourishing, easy to out together with what you have in the fridge and endless combinations of vegetables that you can use to create your own version. Add fresh greens, sauteed mushrooms, crispy onions (not traditional) or tofu to change it up. If you’re growing your produce, consider planting your own onion sets to harvest deliciously fresh garnishes right from your garden. 

Poland – Pierogi

Pierogi are Polish dumplings filled with a variety of comforting fillings like potato and cheese, mushrooms, minced meat, or even fruit for a sweet version. They are boiled first and then pan-fried, so they’re crispy on the outside and tender inside. Making pierogi can be a fun family activity, especially when everyone gets involved in folding and shaping them. 

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