What To Cook With This Month
by Holly Thomson
This month - we're travelling the Silk Road with writer Anna Ansari - and cooking from her book Silk Roads. Anna's meticulously researched recipes are a journey through different cuisines and flavours.
Watch our masterclass with Anna from earlier this month:
Think generous spices, clever staples, and fragrant dishes that celebrate the nuance of spices. For a real show-stopper this month, try the Shah Plov, Azeri “king” crown rice, golden, crisp and magnificent.
Wrapped in buttery lavash with jeweled rice inside, it’s the dish you bring out when you want gasps at the table and happy silence after the first bite.
Read our exclusive Q&A with Anna about the flavours that inspire her. Or buy your copy of Silk Roads, a Flavour Odyssey from Baku to Beijing.
Recipes to try this month
Quince Khoresh Iranian Quince & Chicken Braise
Di Si Xian Four Earthly Treasures
Shah Plov Azeri King Crown Rice
10 amazing ingredients to try this month
Glug olive oil ‘for drizzling’ comes from the Picual-rich groves of Jaén, Spain. This 2.5 litre tin is designed for refilling Glug’s iconic squeeze bottles, so you always have smooth, flavourful EVOO on hand. Made from late-harvest Picual olives and cold-pressed for purity, the oil is fruity and full-bodied with a clean, peppery finish.
Best used for drizzling, this extra virgin olive oil shines in salad dressings, over tapas, or as a finishing oil for carpaccio and steak. Paired with Glug’s clever squeezy bottles, it gives you perfect control - no mess, no waste, just beautifully directed flavour every time.
Big, bold and unapologetically punchy, The Sous Chef Flavour Bomb Ingredients Set is your shortcut to instant depth, heat, smoke and irresistible aroma. Inside are five powerhouse ingredients chosen to transform your cooking in seconds - from quick weekday lunches to long, lazy weekend feasts.
Dial up fragrant spice with Belazu Rose Harissa, or reach for cult favourite LGM Crispy Chilli Oil to finish poached eggs, silken tofu or bowls of ramen. White Mausu Black Bean Rāyu brings chilli warmth and deeply savoury notes, while La Costeña Chipotle Peppers in Adobo add a smoky-sweet intensity to marinades and sauces. And to lift everything it touches, Terre Exotique Crazy Salt blends paprika, rosemary, cayenne and salt into the ultimate finishing sprinkle.
French gherkin mayonnaise delivers a fresh, tangy kick with every spoonful. Made in Orléans by master vinegar makers Martin-Pouret, this creamy sauce is studded with juicy pickled gherkin and lifted with their signature barrel-aged white wine vinegar. It’s smooth, rich and bright - a simple way to add French flair to everyday meals.
Spread it thickly in sandwiches with mature Cheddar or thick-cut ham, or use it to level up classics like egg mayo, tuna mayo or potato salad. Stir in capers and lemon juice for an effortless tartare sauce, ideal with fish and chips or a fish finger sandwich. You can even mix it with mustard and ketchup to create a punchy burger sauce. Made with rapeseed oil and free-range egg yolks, Martin-Pouret’s gherkin mayo contains no preservatives, colourings or additives - just pure, bold flavour.
Lamiri harissa brings the bold, smoky flavours of Tunisia straight to your kitchen. Imported from La Marsa, this family recipe has been passed down through generations of the Lamiri family, using Baklouti chillies dried in traditional wood-burning ovens for a deep, aromatic heat. Stir the paste into soups and stews, spread it over flatbreads or whisk it into tomato sauce to serve with lamb meatballs and a cooling spoonful of yoghurt. It’s also a classic way to bring richness and warmth to couscous dishes across North Africa.
Flavoured with tabil - a Tunisian blend of caraway and coriander - Lamiri harissa has warm, earthy undertones beneath its gentle smokiness. The family sources ingredients directly from local farmers, ensuring the freshest spices and fullest flavour. For a quick marinade, mix the harissa with yoghurt, lemon and crushed garlic; it’s fantastic with lamb, chicken thighs or monkfish. A little goes a long way, delivering instant depth wherever you use it.
Sous Chef urfa pepper - or isot biber - is a deeply aromatic Turkish chilli with a flavour unlike any other. The peppers ripen on the plant until they turn a deep purple, then undergo a traditional two-stage drying process: sun-dried by day and tightly wrapped at night to “sweat”. This slow curing concentrates their natural oils, giving the flakes a warm, rounded heat with smoky, almost raisin-like sweetness and a subtle citrus note.
Urfa pepper is essential in dishes like çiğ köfte and lahmacun, where its gentle warmth and complexity shine. But it’s just as good used simply - fry a pinch in butter and drizzle it over breakfast eggs, swirl it into yoghurt for a quick dip, or scatter it over roasted aubergines and grilled meats. Rich, savoury and versatile, it’s an easy way to bring authentic Turkish depth to everyday cooking.
Two Fields x Sea Sisters sardines make it effortless to serve a nourishing, flavour-packed meal. Enjoy the tender fillets piled onto toast with a squeeze of lemon, or add them straight from the tin to salads and grain bowls for instant protein. Sourced from well-managed Cornish fisheries, Sea Sisters sardines are a standout example of sustainable British seafood, preserved in small batches of Two Fields’ aromatic extra virgin olive oil.
These sardines are a versatile pantry staple you can turn into dinner in minutes – stir them into pasta, fried rice or tomato sauce for an easy boost of richness. For a quick snack, mash them with crème fraîche, lemon and herbs to make a zingy dip for crackers or crudités. The olive oil they’re packed in is produced in eastern Crete using regenerative farming methods, made from hand-picked, cold-pressed Koroneiki olives for a fresh, fruity flavour with a peppery finish. Beautifully packaged in fully recyclable tins, this British–Greek collaboration is as sustainable as it is delicious.
Kimchi furikake is an easy way to add crunch, heat and savoury depth to everyday meals. Sprinkle it over rice bowls, noodles or avocado toast for instant flavour. Made with sesame seeds, crispy breadcrumbs and a punchy mix of chilli, garlic and soy, it delivers the tangy, umami-rich character of kimchi without the calories of heavier condiments. It’s just as good on seafood as it is on simple steamed vegetables, bringing texture and gentle spice to every bite.
You can even mix kimchi furikake with panko to create a crisp, flavour-packed coating for prawns, tofu or chicken tenders - serve with spicy mayo for a crowd-pleasing snack. This vegan-friendly blend is high in fibre and made entirely from natural, plant-based ingredients. Emma Basic’s kimchi furikake earned a 2-star Great Taste Award in 2025, a testament to its clean flavour and clever seasoning balance. True to the brand’s ethos, it contains zero additives, so you can season generously and confidently.
Thiccc Sauce Hometown Sriracha Table Sauce, 150ml
Thiccc Sauce Hometown Sriracha Table Sauce, 150ml
Hometown table sauce gives lunches and leftovers an instant upgrade. Created by Thiccc Sauce in Leeds, it’s a sriracha-style condiment with a bold northern twist. Fermented red jalapeños bring bright heat and natural fruitiness, while apple cider vinegar and Henderson’s Relish add tang and umami depth. The result is spicy, zingy and deeply moreish - the kind of sauce you reach for every day.
Drizzle it over wings, tofu or fried rice, or stir it into mayo for a punchy sandwich spread. A little splash can revive noodle soups, perk up dumpling dips or transform a simple wrap. When a dish feels like it’s missing something, Hometown table sauce usually does the trick.
Black fungus, also known as wood ear mushroom, is a staple of Chinese cooking. The dried mushrooms must be soaked in warm water before use, where they rehydrate into springy, jet-black curls. Mild in flavour but fantastic at absorbing seasoning, they take on whatever you cook them with - soy sauce, garlic, chilli and aromatic oils all cling beautifully to their surface.
These versatile mushrooms are used in soups, braised dishes and Chinese hot pot, adding texture rather than overt flavour. They’re also delicious served cold in salads or tossed through fried rice. Try them in Pippa Middlehurst’s miso chicken claypot rice, where the black fungus soaks up the savoury, umami-rich sauce and adds gentle crunch to each bite.
