four recipes for travelling the world when you’re stuck at home

International travel is mostly off the table right now, which is a pretty big downer for those of us who love saving up for rad holidays to faraway lands. (Hands up if you’re even feeling nostalgic for gross plane food. No? Just us?) Though it might be a while before you can stroll down the streets of New York or through a zen garden in Kyoto, you can still travel the world through your taste buds. Below are a few recipes from around the globe that might tide you over until you can get your hands on the real deal. spiegeleierkuchen Leave it to the Germans to have such a delightful, tongue-twisty word for a dish that’s part dessert, part joke. The German fried egg cake is a trick of the eye; it looks like a runny egg on top of white toast, but tastes like classic sponge cake, vanilla pudding and apricots. You can add cacao powder or poppy seed to look like you’ve peppered your egg, and serve it up at Easter (like Germans do) or on April Fool’s Day, when you want to surprise your pals.
nasi goreng Craving the flavours of Ubud or Jakarta? Hit up your supermarket for some kecap manis (sweet soy sauce), crispy shallots and green onions, and you’re on your way to one of the world’s all-time comfort foods: Indonesian fried rice (aka nasi goreng). It’s got a bit of crunch, is packed with umami and is rather simple to personalise if you’re struck by any culinary inspiration. Plus, there’s that signature fried egg, which means you can have it for brekkie, lunch and dinner. Hello Fresh has easy recipes for Indonesian-style dishes, including this nasi goreng variation, if you want to give it a crack. arepas These cheese-filled street foods are cosy staples from Columbia and Venezuela, where they’re made from cooked corn that’s been dried and ground into a flour. Thankfully, you can buy this staple cornmeal pre-packed and a popular brand is P.A.N., which you can buy online or from specialty stores in Australia. Once you’ve got your hands on this all-important ingredient, you’ll want to make these cheesy pockets of heaven over and over again. We think this simple recipe from The Cozy Kitchen is a great place to start your arepa-making journey. Once you’ve got the hang of it, you can even try stuffing them with meat, beans, onions or anything else that strikes your fancy.ichigo daifuku Strawberry mochi has all the hallmarks of a traditional Japanese dessert – simple, sweet and gosh-darn adorable. It combines strawberries, mochi and bean paste, which you can pick up at your local Asian grocer. We spotted this lovely recipe by Shihoko from the blog The Chopstick Chronicles. To set the mood, munch on these bite-sized confections while sipping tea (like matcha or hojicha) and daydreaming about your next trip to Japan.