Brunch

This is a perfect brunch party dish when served with shrimp and a poached or fried egg on each plate. Leftover grits can be used to make griddled grit cakes or saved and warmed for later.

The classic Bloody Mary is the ultimate hangover cure, but a tom yum Bloody Mary will bring your body and senses to full attention. Fiery, sour and spicy tom yum paste, which can be purchased from your local Asian supermarket or online, is a roasted blend of chiles, galangal, lemongrass and lime leaves that hails from Thailand. The distinctive and uncompromisingly sharp character of tom yum works beautifully in this version of the vodka- and tomato juice-based cocktail. It adds an alluring Thai fragrance with just the right amount of heat to warm the mouth instead of the traditional Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco.

There are endless varieties of store-bought tom yum pastes. Some are more citrusy, others spicier, others heavier on umami. If you’re vegan or vegetarian, check that it doesn’t contain dried shrimp. Use this recipe as a guide, but the final seasoning will come down to your preference and your brand of paste, so have a little taste as you mix it all together.

Try to avoid thick, black tamarind concentrates from India for this recipe, which will overpower the drink. Instead, look for the brown-colored tamarind pastes or concentrates from Thailand or Vietnam, which provide a more delicate sour balance. I prefer my Bloody Mary with a single shot of vodka, but you can increase this to your liking. If you’re looking to make yours a virgin, just omit the vodka altogether.

We make a lot of shakshuka in our house, both red and green, for brunch and for dinner. This green version is milder and lighter than its tomato-based cousin, and is perfect for when you are looking for ways to increase your leafy vegetable consumption, or just want to try something new. The joy of shakshuka of any color is the soft egg yolk running all over the savory, lightly spiced vegetables. Here, crumbled feta adds a salty bite, and avocado slices, a velvety texture. Serve it with some crusty bread to sop up all the saucy goodness.

A croque madame is a hot ham and cheese sandwich topped with a fried egg. Without the egg, it is referred to as croque monsieur. Both of these sandwiches are served warm, dripping with a Gruyère cheese sauce. This sandwich is the perfect choice for a light brunch.

I suspect my daughter loves these pancakes more than she loves her father; if you add maple syrup, no wisp of doubt remains. All you need to add for the perfect Sunday morning is good coffee, the papers and the prospect of a good lunch cooked by someone else.

When the idea for this popped into my head, I could almost taste it. It’s such a fine tumble of contrasting flavours and textures, and the sourness comes from the mango or the tamarind: you can never be sure of a mango until you taste it, so hold fire on finishing the dressing until you’ve tried the mango – add a little honey if it is unripe and sour; leave it alone if it is edging towards sweet. This is great with pea shoots in place of rocket [Ed. note: rocket is arugula], coriander rather than mint, a red onion instead of the shallot, and by all means cast pomegranate seeds over the top. Play with it as you like.

This version of eggy bread comes from Kolkata, where street vendors set up their street food stalls on Park Street and Fairlie Place in the business district at noon each day, collectively they will feed the hundreds of workers who pour out of their offices in search of tasty nourishing foods—this simple snack is filling and super delicious.

Sometimes I serve this with a little bowl of finely based unsalted nuts, and dip the cheesy exposed sides for extra flavor and crunch.

These scones are the perfect breakfast when you’re rich in overripe bananas but don’t have the time or patience for banana bread. They bake up fast and don’t need to cool before being eaten. Some of the butter might ooze out a little while they bake, but don’t worry. That just helps get the bottom extra crunchy.