Recipes | I've Been Cooking

Keke Lolo

Keke Lolo is an island-style coconut cake/quick bread enriched with coconut milk and grated coconut, warmly spiced and dotted with raisins. A hint of lime zest and bay leaf–infused liquid add fragrant depth for a moist, tender crumb.

🇹🇴 Tonga$$

Surinamese Sesame Coconut Squares

Chewy-crisp Surinamese sesame coconut squares infused with fresh ginger, vanilla, and a hint of lime zest. A fragrant, toasty confection that balances nutty sesame with tropical coconut and bright citrus. Perfect for gifting, tea time, or an after-dinner sweet.

🇸🇷 Suriname$

Sai Bondibaiy

Sai Bondibaiy is a Maldivian sweet sticky rice cooked gently in coconut milk with cardamom and pandan, enriched with ghee, raisins, and cashews, and finished with a touch of rose water.

🇲🇻 Maldives$$

Huni Hakuru Folhi

A traditional Maldivian leaf-wrapped sweet made with rice flour, grated coconut, and huni hakuru (coconut treacle), scented with cardamom and pandan, then steamed or griddled in banana leaves.

🇲🇻 Maldives$$

Panforte di Siena

Panforte di Siena is a dense, spiced Italian confection from Tuscany packed with toasted almonds, hazelnuts, and candied citrus bound in a honey-sugar syrup. Rich, chewy, and aromatic with cocoa and warm spices, it’s a classic festive dessert best served in thin wedges.

🇮🇹 Italy$$$

Mkate wa Sinia Mahorais

Mkate wa Sinia Mahorais is a fragrant, cardamom-scented, yeast-leavened coconut rice cake from the Comoros/Mayotte and Swahili coast. Lightly sweet, tender, and enriched with ghee and sesame, it’s perfect with tea or as a festive dessert.

🇾🇹 Mayotte$$

Engadiner Nusstorte

A classic Swiss walnut tart from the Engadine: buttery shortcrust pastry filled with a rich honey-caramel walnut filling. Sweet, nutty, and perfect with coffee or tea.

🇨🇭 Switzerland$$$

Mont Lone Yay Baw

Mont Lone Yay Baw is a classic Myanmar Thingyan (Water Festival) dessert of tender glutinous rice balls with a jaggery center, boiled until they float, then coated in fresh coconut and sesame. Often scented with pandan and finished with a splash of creamy coconut milk, it’s chewy, fragrant, and gently sweet.

🇲🇲 Myanmar$$

Sankhya Lapov

A Cambodian-inspired savory take on Sankhya Lapov: creamy pumpkin and coconut rice gently cooked with aromatics, turmeric, and chili, brightened with lime and cilantro.

🇰🇭 Cambodia$

Anguillian Coconut-Coated Crayfish

Crisp, aromatic crayfish coated in a golden coconut crust with lime, garlic, ginger, and a touch of Scotch bonnet heat—an Anguillian-inspired bite that’s zesty, spicy, and satisfying.

🇦🇮 Anguilla$$$

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