If you have already stocked up on the spices for last week's South East Asian recipes you are quids in this week. As well as ground cumin, garam masala and coriander, cinnamon, ground ginger, paprika, lemon juice and olive oil are essential items.

Alternatively there is a mixed spice called Baharat, which can be found in specialist sections of supermarkets and Middle Eastern stores. You will find that meats marinated in these flavours and cooked in tomato and onion based stews are the perfect warming winter dish.

Grilled meats - including the holy grail of every student’s Friday night, the kebab - are a common feature in this region and are usually served with Basmati rice. There are also numerous side dishes or mezze which can be great snacks to get you through essays and revision.

Many different versions of Middle Eastern dishes exist because of the number of countries that make up the area and the fact that all the recipes are so easily adapted to suit individual tastes. The selection here has been adapted from recipes I have nabbed from friends and family.

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Nadia’s Tabbouleh

This recipe is so easy, it’s just a matter of chucking all the ingredients into a bowl giving it a good stir and allowing the flavours to sink in. If you can resist eating the whole lot in one go – which is not as easy as it sounds – it can be used as a packed lunch or a salad with a main meal over the next few days.

Ingredients

1 cup of bulgar wheat

3-4 generous handfuls of finely chopped parsley

1 handful of chopped mint

2-3 ripe chopped tomatoes

2 finely chopped spring onions

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