Khoresh karafs is made with onions, parsley, fresh mint, celery stalks and lamb or beef. Spices used in this Persian stew are turmeric, salt, pepper and dried limes which give the stew a subtle sourness.

Start by chopping the parsley and mint very finely. If the celery you bought has some leaves, chop them finely as well. Cut the celery stalks into one inch pieces (you can do larger if you prefer) then heat some olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.

Once the oil is hot, saute chopped celery, parsley and mint until it starts releasing aromas, about 5-8 minutes. You don’t want the herbs to burn so make sure the heat is not too high. Once the herbs start getting dark, turn the heat off.

In a large pot or dutch oven, saute chopped onion in olive oil over medium heat until golden brown. Add in chopped lamb and cook until the lamb is brown on all sides, it doesn’t need to cook at this stage. Add in turmeric and black pepper. Stir in sauteed celery and herbs. Pour enough water into the pot that it comes about 1/2 inch above the ingredients in the pot. Turn the heat up and once it starts simmering, lower heat, let it simmer and cover with a lid. Cook for about 40 minutes until the celery is cooked and the lamb is tender.

Ingredients
9 to 10 ounces young ginger
1/3 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, organic preferred for great flavor
2 teaspoons fine sea salt, or 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
2/3 cup unseasoned Japanese rice vinegar

Instructions
Use an inverted spoon to scrape off the thin, papery bits from the ginger. To cut super thin slices, use a mandoline or very sharp knife.

Transfer the ginger to a saucepan or heatproof bowl. Toss with the 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar and salt. Set aside for 30 minutes to reduce its harshness.
About 10 minutes before the ginger finishes mellowing out, bring a kettle of water to a boil. When the ginger is done, pour the just-boiled water over the ginger. Use enough water to cover the ginger. Gently stir and let sit for 20 seconds to further reduce the harshness. Dump into a mesh strainer. Don’t rinse. Shake a few times to expel water, then transfer into a 2-cup capacity glass jar.

In a saucepan (it's fine to reuse the one you just used!), bring the mixture of sugar, vinegar, and kelp to a boil. Stir once or twice to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and pour into the jar of ginger.

Cool, uncovered, then cap and refrigerate. 

3.5-5 oz young ginger (3.5-5 oz = 100-150 g)
½ tsp Kosher salt (½ tsp = 1/4 tsp. table salt)

Sweet Vinegar (Amazu)
100 ml rice vinegar (100 ml = right between 1/3 cup and 1/2 cup)
4 Tbsp sugar (4 Tbsp = 40-50 g)
½ tsp Kosher salt (½ tsp = 1/4 tsp. table salt)

Instructions:

Sprinkle ½ tsp. Kosher salt and set aside for 5 minutes. Then add the ginger into a boiling water and cook for 1-3 minutes. If you want to keep it spicy, take it out around 1 minute. Otherwise, 2-3 minutes is good.

Pour the water into a sieve and let the ginger slices drain completely by spreading them out in a single layer. With your clean hands, squeeze the water out and put them in a sterilized jar or Mason jar.

n a small pot, add 3.4 oz (100 ml) rice vinegar, 4 Tbsp. sugar, and ½ tsp. Kosher salt, and bring it to a boil till strong vinegar smell has evaporated. When it’s slightly cool, pour the liquid into the jar with sliced ginger. Close the lid, let cool and refrigerate.

750g carrots peeled and grated
410g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 small onion roughly chopped
2 tbsp tahini paste, plus 1 tsp to serve
1 tsp ground cumin
1 egg
3 tbsp olive oil
100g wholemeal breadcrumbs
zest 1 lemon
plus 1 tsp juice
150ml pot natural yogurt
6 buns, rocket leaves, sliced red onion, sliced avocado and chilli sauce, to serve
3 tbsp sesame seeds

Put a third of the grated carrot in a food processor with the chickpeas, onion, 2 tbsp tahini, cumin and egg. Whizz to a thick paste, then scrape into a large bowl. Heat 1 tbsp oil in your largest frying pan, tip in the remaining carrot and cook for 8-10 mins, stirring until the carrot is softened – it will become more golden as it is cooked. Add this cooked carrot to the whizzed paste with the breadcrumbs, lemon zest and sesame seeds. Add seasoning, then mix together well with your hands.

Divide the mixture into 6, then using wet hands shape into burgers. Cover and chill until serving. Mix the yogurt with the remaining tahini and lemon juice, then chill.

Cook the burgers for 5 mins on each side, until golden and crisp.

3 ripe bananas
6 organic eggs
1 cup / 100 g shredded coconut
1/2 cup / 70 g fresh blueberries or thawed frozen
1 tsp ground cinnamon
coconut oil, for frying

Make the batter: Peel the bananas and mash with a fork. Whip eggs in a bowl and mix it together with the mashed bananas. Add shredded coconut, blueberries and cinnamon and stir to combine.
Fry the pancakes: Heat coconut oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Pour 3 small portions of pancake batter in the pan at the time and fry the pancakes on both sides. Serve with shredded coconut and blueberries and dust with cinnamon.

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 10 dried chipotle peppers
• 3/4 cup tomato puree
• 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. oregano leaves

• Place the peppers in a pan and cover an inch or two with water. Bring to a boil and then lower the temperature to simmer with the lid partially on for 30 minutes. When they are done, remove the lid and let the peppers cool. Remove any stems from the peppers.
• Heat a frying pan over medium high heat and add the olive oil. Saute the onion for about 20 minutes until they become golden brown. Stir frequently.
• Add the minced garlic and cook an additional 3 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• After the onion mixture has cooled, add to a blender along with the chiles, and all the other ingredients.

Jicama (yambean)

Ingredients

• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1/2 cup sliced bamboo shoots, drained
• 3 slices fresh ginger root
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into thin strips
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 egg, beaten
• Spinach

Directions

1. Combine the chicken broth, water, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and hot pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer..
2. Place the chicken slices into a bowl and toss with the sesame oil to coat. In a separate bowl, stir together the cornstarch and vinegar, and set aside.
3. Increase the heat under the broth to medium-high, and return to a rolling boil. Add the chicken slices. Return to a boil, and then drizzle in the egg while stirring slowly to create long strands of egg. Stir in the vinegar, spinach and cornstarch. Simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and the broth has thickened slightly, about 3 minutes. Serve garnished with green onions and cilantro.

• 10 cups of water
• 2 Napa cabbages, washed and cut into 2-inch squares
• 1 cup coarse salt (or kosher or sea salt)
• 1 Tbsp finely chopped garlic
• 1 Tbsp chopped ginger
• ½ cup red pepper flakes (kochukaru)
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 5 scallions, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• fish sauce, optional*

In large nonreactive bowl or pot, mix salt into water.

Add cabbage to salt water and if necessary, weigh down with large plate so leaves are all submerged.

Soak cabbage for 5-6 hours.

Remove cabbage and rinse in cold water, squeezing out excess liquid.

In a large bowl, mix garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, sugar, and scallions.

Add cabbage and coat with seasoning mixture.

Pack the seasoned cabbage into a large airtight jar with lid.

Let kimchi ferment in a cool place for 2-3 days before serving or putting in refrigerator.

(Serves 12)

*There are countless ways to make kimchi, but traditional recipes usually include fish sauce, brined tiny shrimp or fresh oysters. Try 2-3 Tbsp of fish sauce or 2 Tbsp of chopped brined shrimp if you'd like to experiment.