Jon says: “In Japan, the combination of mild curry flavours and cheese is a common one and very popular. You’ll find the combo in cheese-stuffed curry bread and baked curry rice covered in melted cheese. I took the idea and applied it to a hearty pan of baked mac and cheese. You can use any kind of pasta you prefer, but I highly favour cavatappi for its elongated, twisting macaroni-like shape, which adds a touch of elegance. Or consider using conchiglie (shells), because they do a great job of tucking the sauce into themselves for an extra-creamy bite. Wisconsin brick cheese is the cheese of choice for Detroit’s famous Buddy’s Pizza, the original Detroit-style pizza establishment. They use it because it melts like mozzarella but has more flavour, which is also why I use it here.”

Serves 6–8

Ingredients

• Coarse salt
• 175g pasta (preferably cavatappi or conchiglie)
• 150g unsalted butter
• 1½ teaspoons smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1½ teaspoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
• 3–4 tablespoons Japanese curry powder (S&B Curry is perfect for this)
• 85g plain flour
• 85ml full-fat milk mixed with
• 85ml single cream
• 115g Wisconsin brick cheese (available online) or mozzarella, grated
• 115g extra-mature cheddar cheese, grated
• 115g gruyère cheese, grated
• 80g panko breadcrumbs

Method

Cook the pasta in lightly salted water according to the packet instructions until it’s just underdone, usually 6–7 minutes (the pasta will continue to cook in the oven). Drain the pasta and transfer to a bowl. Rinse with cold water to stop the cooking and clean off the excess starch, cover with damp kitchen paper and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Grease a 30cm cast iron frying pan or a 23 x 33cm baking dish with 15g of the butter.

In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons salt, the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper and white pepper and set aside.

In a large pot, melt the remaining 135g butter over a medium heat until it starts to bubble. Stir in the curry powder and cook until it’s aromatic, about 1 minute. Add the flour and whisk it into the butter until it’s a uniform paste. While whisking, slowly pour in the milk and cream mixture. Bring to a simmer, whisking continuously and ensuring there aren’t any lumps, and cook until the sauce is bubbling and thick, about 10 minutes. Stir in the salt mixture, then add 60g of the brick cheese, 60g of the Cheddar and 60g of the Gruyère and stir until they’ve fully melted into the sauce.

Jon says: “The history of the Chinese diaspora in relation to the Caribbean is an interesting one. In the mid-1850s, thousands of people from China were brought to the British Caribbean to work as indentured labourers (slaves), primarily on the islands of Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad, and more arrived in waves over the next two decades. This steady influx led to the development of Caribbean Chinese cuisine, which blends West Indian flavours with the (mainly) Cantonese palate and cooking techniques. Jerk chow mein is one of the staples of this cuisine. If using meat as opposed to tofu, allow it to marinate in the jerk spice rub for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours before cooking.”

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 bunches spring onions, roughly chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 scotch bonnet or habanero peppers, stalks removed and de-seeded (use gloves or take care not to touch your eyes after handling!)
• 1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
• 1 tablespoon soft light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground allspice
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
• 2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg
• 225g protein (thinly sliced pork loin, beef sirloin, chicken thigh or firm tofu)
• 350g fresh chow mein noodles (see Note, below)
• Neutral oil
• 225g sturdy vegetables (such as cauliflower, broccoli, baby
• pak choi or mangetout), cut into small pieces

Method

In a food processor, combine the spring onions, garlic, scotch bonnets, ginger, paprika, brown sugar, allspice, thyme, salt, black pepper and nutmeg and blend to a paste. Set aside. If using meat rather than tofu, coat it lightly with about a tablespoon of the jerk sauce and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.

Blanch or cook the noodles according to the packet instructions (see Note); drain and set aside. Coat a wok with neutral oil and heat over a medium-high heat. Add the meat or tofu and the vegetables and stir-fry until the vegetables start to char and the meat is almost cooked through, 3–4 minutes, depending on your wok’s heat. Add the noodles and the jerk sauce and toss until everything is evenly mixed and coated and the meat is fully cooked through, about 1 minute longer. Serve.

Note: fresh (i.e., not dried) chow mein noodles are generally sold in two forms: steamed or raw. If they say steamed on the packet and/or have no cooking directions, they just need to be blanched in boiling water for 30 seconds and drained before they’re pan-fried in your dish. If the packet says raw, follow the cooking instructions on the packet before pan-frying.

Jon says: “When I was little, I would sometimes ask for lasagne minutes before dinnertime. Of course, we had only ready-prepared lasagne at home and it was in the freezer when I asked, so after a few thwarted efforts, I learned about the necessity of thinking ahead for dinner. This cheesy and indulgent lasagne is how I’m bringing my love for that childhood favourite into my tastes as an adult. The sweetness of its tomato sauce is replaced with a tingly and spicy dan dan noodle– inspired mixture that better suits my present-day need for spice. Feel free to get a little freaky and try this with lamb mince instead of pork mince; use an extra teaspoon of cumin if you do.”

Serves 4

Ingredients

Lasagne:

Coarse salt

• 175g lasagne sheets (preferably the curly-edged kind)
• 30g unsalted butter
• 425g ricotta cheese
• 175g mozzarella cheese or Wisconsin brick, grated
• 25g grated parmesan or manchego cheese, or crumbled goat’s cheese

Dan dan sauce:

• 1 tablespoon neutral oil
• 675g pork mince
• 1 medium white or brown onion, diced
• 8 garlic cloves, grated
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon Szechuan peppercorns
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons chopped dried
• Szechuan chillies or other hot red chillies
• 4 tablespoons ya cai (preserved mustard leaves)
• 4 tablespoons water or readymade chicken broth
• ¾ teaspoon light soy sauce or

Tomato Soy Sauce:

• 800g canned whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes, with their juices, blended or mashed
• 1 tablespoon cornflour
• Neutral oil, for greasing
• Basic chilli oil 
• Five-spice powder 

Method

Make the lasagne: bring a large pot of salted water to the boil over a high heat. Add the lasagne sheets and cook for 1 minute or so less than the packet instructions indicate (they’ll continue to cook in the oven). Drain, rinse with cold water and toss with the butter to prevent sticking.

In a large bowl, mix the ricotta with 1 teaspoon salt. Stir in the mozzarella and the Parmesan and set aside.

Make the dan dan sauce: in a large sauté pan, heat the oil over a medium-high heat. Add the pork mince and cook, stirring often to break it up into smaller pieces, until browned and mostly cooked through, 5–8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Return the pan to a medium-high heat and add the onion, garlic, ginger, Szechuan pepper, cumin, dried chillies and ya cai. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the water or broth, soy sauce, tomatoes with their juices and cornflour and stir to mix well. Return the pork to the pan and use your spoon to further break down the pieces of pork for an even consistency.

Reduce the heat to low and cook until the loose liquid has evaporated as much as possible and you have a very thick and uniform meat sauce. (The sauce can be cooled and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.)

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Grease the bottom and sides of a 23 x 33cm casserole dish with an oiled piece of kitchen paper. Spoon a very thin layer of meat sauce across the base of the oiled dish. Place a layer of pasta (usually 3 or 4) side by side over the sauce and then add one-quarter of the cheese mixture. Follow with another pasta layer, one-third of the remaining meat sauce and one-third of the remaining cheese. Then drizzle with a little chilli oil (about 1 tablespoon) and add a few dashes of five-spice powder (about ½ teaspoon). Repeat two more times, until you have four layers of pasta, finishing with the last of the cheese on top. Sprinkle with more chilli oil and five-spice.

Bake for 30–45 minutes until the lasagne is bubbling and the cheese layer on top begins to brown. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool and settle for 20 minutes before slicing and serving.

Kung Food by Jon Kung (£27, Ebury Press) is out now