Top 10 'Sunday-Simmer' Heritage Dishes to cook at home for a weekend that feels like a warm hug. - Goh Ling Yong
There's a special kind of magic that happens on a lazy Sunday. It's not about grand adventures or ticking off a to-do list. It's found in the quiet moments: the slow unfurling of the morning, the gentle hum of the house, and, most importantly, the rich, captivating aroma of something wonderful simmering on the stove. This is the heart of what I call 'Sunday-Simmer' cooking—a culinary ritual that transforms simple ingredients into a dish that feels like a warm, comforting hug.
These aren't quick, weeknight meals. These are heritage dishes, steeped in tradition and passed down through generations. They demand time, but they reward you tenfold, not just in flavour, but in the therapeutic process of their creation. As the pot bubbles away, it fills your home with scents that evoke memories of family gatherings and celebrations. It's a reminder to slow down, to be present, and to create something truly nourishing for yourself and the people you love.
So, clear your schedule, put on your favourite apron, and let's embark on a journey through ten of the world's most soul-satisfying heritage dishes. These recipes are more than just food; they are stories in a pot, waiting to be told in your kitchen.
1. Malaysian Beef Rendang
Forget everything you think you know about curry. Beef Rendang is in a league of its own. This iconic Malaysian and Indonesian dish is a 'dry' curry, where a complex spice paste and coconut milk are slowly cooked down for hours until the liquid has almost completely evaporated, leaving the beef exquisitely tender and coated in a dark, fragrant, caramelized paste. The transformation is nothing short of alchemy.
The process begins with a rempah, a vibrant paste of chillies, galangal, lemongrass, turmeric, and shallots. This is patiently sautéed until fragrant before the beef and coconut milk are added. The magic happens during the long, slow simmer. The coconut milk reduces, its oils separating and frying the spices, creating layers upon layers of flavour. It’s a true labour of love, but the result—impossibly tender beef with a flavour that is at once spicy, rich, and deeply savoury—is one of the most rewarding culinary experiences you can have.
Pro Tip: Don't skip the kerisik (toasted coconut paste). It’s the soul of the dish, adding a nutty, slightly sweet, and gritty texture that is quintessential to authentic Rendang. Making it fresh by slowly toasting desiccated coconut until golden brown and pounding it until the oils release will elevate your dish from great to unforgettable.
2. Filipino Beef Caldereta
A cornerstone of Filipino celebrations, Beef Caldereta is a rich and hearty stew that perfectly balances savoury, tangy, and spicy notes. Its roots are in Spanish cuisine, but Filipinos have made it entirely their own, creating a dish that is both rustic and complex. At its heart, Caldereta is a tomato-based beef stew, slow-cooked until the meat is fork-tender.
What sets Caldereta apart is its unique combination of ingredients. Liver paste is traditionally used to thicken the sauce and add an incredible depth of umami. Melted cheese is often stirred in at the end, lending a creamy richness that beautifully complements the tang of the tomatoes and the heat from the chillies. Carrots, potatoes, and bell peppers are added partway through, soaking up the flavourful sauce while retaining a pleasant bite.
Pro Tip: For maximum flavour, sear your beef in batches until a deep brown crust forms. This process, known as the Maillard reaction, creates a flavour foundation that a simple simmer can't replicate. Also, feel free to adjust the spice level with bird's eye chillies (siling labuyo) to suit your preference.
3. Peranakan Babi Pongteh
From the heart of Peranakan (Nyonya) culture comes Babi Pongteh, a comforting stew of pork belly simmered in a savory-sweet sauce of fermented soybeans (taucheo). This is heritage cooking at its finest—a simple, unassuming dish that speaks volumes about family and tradition. The key to Babi Pongteh is its beautiful balance of flavours.
The salty, earthy flavour of the taucheo is mellowed by the sweetness of palm sugar (gula melaka), the fragrance of cinnamon and star anise, and the gentle sharpness of garlic. As the pork belly and shiitake mushrooms simmer for hours, the fat renders, making the meat unbelievably tender and creating a luscious, gravy-like sauce. It’s a dish that tastes even better the next day, making it a perfect weekend cooking project.
Pro Tip: Use good quality, whole fermented soybeans and mash them slightly before cooking to release their full flavour. Serve your Babi Pongteh with a side of sambal belacan and hot steamed rice to cut through the richness and complete the authentic Peranakan experience.
4. Vietnamese Bò Kho (Beef Stew)
If you could bottle the scent of a bustling Vietnamese street-food market, it might smell something like Bò Kho. This fragrant beef stew is a symphony of aromatics. It’s richer and more deeply spiced than Phở, yet lighter than many Western beef stews. The broth is a captivating blend of lemongrass, star anise, cinnamon, and cloves, all balanced by the umami of fish sauce and the slight sweetness of sugar.
The beef is marinated in spices and then seared before being simmered slowly with tomatoes and carrots. The result is a vibrant, reddish-brown stew with tender chunks of beef and a broth that is complex and utterly addictive. It's the kind of dish that warms you from the inside out, perfect for a rainy Sunday afternoon.
Pro Tip: Serve Bò Kho the traditional way: with a warm, crusty baguette for dipping into that incredible broth. Alternatively, it's fantastic ladled over egg noodles. A garnish of fresh Thai basil, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime at the end will brighten all the flavours.
5. Italian Bolognese Ragu
A true Bolognese Ragu is the undisputed king of Sunday-simmer dishes. This isn't the quick, tomato-heavy meat sauce many of us grew up with. An authentic Ragu alla Bolognese is a meat-forward sauce, cooked with painstaking slowness for a minimum of three to four hours. The process is a meditation, a lesson in patience and flavour development.
It starts with a soffritto—a finely diced mixture of onion, celery, and carrot—sautéed gently in butter and olive oil. Then comes the meat (a mix of beef and pork is traditional), browned slowly, followed by a splash of milk to tenderize, a glug of wine to deglaze, and finally, a modest amount of tomato. The pot is then turned down to the lowest possible simmer, covered, and left to do its magic. The final sauce is thick, rich, and intensely savoury.
Pro Tip: The addition of milk or cream is a traditional step that many people skip. Don't! Simmering the meat in milk before adding the other liquids helps to create an exceptionally tender and velvety texture. And always serve it with a broad, flat pasta like tagliatelle or pappardelle, which is designed to hold the hearty sauce.
6. French Boeuf Bourguignon
Made famous by Julia Child, Boeuf Bourguignon is the epitome of French comfort cooking. This classic Burgundian stew transforms humble ingredients—tough cuts of beef, onions, carrots, and red wine—into a dish of profound elegance and flavour. It's a weekend project that makes you feel like a true chef, and the results are always spectacular.
The secret lies in the layering of flavours. The beef is meticulously browned, bacon lardons are crisped, and the vegetables are softened. The pot is deglazed with a robust Burgundy wine and a good quality beef stock, then left to simmer gently in the oven for hours. Towards the end of cooking, pearl onions and sautéed mushrooms are added, completing the masterpiece.
Pro Tip: Choose a wine you would happily drink. A full-bodied, dry red wine like a Burgundy, Pinot Noir, or Merlot is perfect. The quality of the wine directly impacts the flavour of the final dish. Cooking this in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven allows for even heat distribution, which is crucial for a slow, gentle simmer.
7. Hainanese Chicken Rice (The Broth & Chicken)
While the entire dish comes together at the end, the soul of Hainanese Chicken Rice is born from a slow, gentle poach. This isn't a rolling boil, but a patient, sub-simmer that coaxes flavour from a whole chicken, infusing the water with its essence. That water becomes a liquid gold—a fragrant, flavourful broth that is then used to cook the iconic chicken rice.
The chicken itself is poached with ginger, spring onions, and sometimes pandan leaves, until it's perfectly cooked, succulent, and juicy. It's then plunged into an ice bath to tighten the skin, resulting in a wonderfully smooth texture. The simmering process is quiet and understated, but it's the foundation upon which this entire, beloved Southeast Asian dish is built. Here at the Goh Ling Yong blog, we believe this kind of foundational cooking is where the real magic happens.
Pro Tip: Don't discard the poaching liquid! After using some to cook the rice, save the rest. It makes a phenomenal, clean-tasting soup to serve alongside the chicken and rice. Simply season it with a little salt and white pepper and garnish with chopped spring onions.
8. Japanese Nikujaga
Nikujaga, which literally translates to "meat and potatoes," is the ultimate Japanese comfort food (ofukuro no aji – "mother's taste"). It's a simple, heartwarming stew of thinly sliced beef, potatoes, and onions simmered in a sweet and savoury broth made from dashi, soy sauce, sake, and mirin.
The beauty of Nikujaga is in its simplicity and the clean, distinct flavours of its ingredients. The potatoes become soft and fluffy, absorbing the delicious broth, while the onions turn sweet and translucent. The thinly sliced beef cooks quickly, remaining tender and flavourful. It’s a humble dish, yet it provides an immense sense of comfort and nostalgia for many Japanese people.
Pro Tip: To prevent the potatoes from disintegrating during the long simmer, use a waxy potato variety like Yukon Golds. Also, consider adding shirataki noodles (konjac noodles) to the pot; they soak up the broth beautifully and add a wonderful textural contrast.
9. Hungarian Goulash
A true Hungarian Goulash is not the thick, pasta-laden dish found elsewhere; it's a rustic, hearty beef and vegetable soup-stew, defined by its generous use of paprika. This is the national dish of Hungary for a reason. It's robust, warming, and deeply satisfying, built on a foundation of slow-cooked beef, onions, and that signature spice.
The process begins by cooking a large quantity of onions until soft and sweet, then stirring in a copious amount of high-quality, sweet Hungarian paprika. The beef is added and seared in this aromatic base before being covered with stock or water and left to simmer for hours until it falls apart at the touch of a fork. Carrots and potatoes are often added towards the end to complete this one-pot wonder.
Pro Tip: The quality of your paprika is paramount. Seek out authentic, sweet Hungarian paprika for the best colour and flavour. Don't be shy with it! A rich, red hue is the sign of a good Goulash. Serve it with a dollop of sour cream and some crusty bread.
10. Chinese Herbal Soup
The ultimate 'Sunday-Simmer' might just be a classic Chinese herbal soup. This is less a recipe and more a philosophy of nourishment. The goal is to gently simmer meat (usually chicken or pork ribs) with a curated blend of Chinese herbs for several hours, extracting all their flavour and wellness benefits into a clear, potent broth.
Common ingredients include dried goji berries for sweetness, red dates for nourishing the blood, Solomon's seal (yu zhu) for moisture, and codonopsis root (dang shen) for energy. The soup simmers for hours, never boiling, until the meat is tender and the broth is deeply infused with the earthy, slightly sweet notes of the herbs. It's a bowl of pure comfort and restoration, a perfect way to reset for the week ahead.
Pro Tip: You can find pre-packaged soup herb blends at most Asian grocery stores, which takes the guesswork out of it. Remember the golden rule of Chinese soup making: use low, gentle heat. A rolling boil will result in a cloudy broth. You want a slow "smile" of a simmer for a crystal-clear and potent soup.
The beauty of these 'Sunday-Simmer' dishes is that they give back more than you put in. While they ask for your time, they offer you a day of incredible aromas, a therapeutic process, and a meal that tastes of home, history, and heart. They are a delicious rebellion against the rush of modern life.
So this weekend, choose a pot, gather your ingredients, and let the gentle art of simmering work its magic.
What is your family's go-to 'Sunday-Simmer' heritage dish? Share your favourite slow-cooked recipes and the stories behind them in the comments below. We would absolutely love to hear from you
About the Author
Goh Ling Yong is a content creator and digital strategist sharing insights across various topics. Connect and follow for more content:
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