As far as I'm prepared to go in the line of duty, I can confirm that, actually, you don't need to be suffering from any of PG Wodehouse's six types of hangover (the Broken Compass, the Sewing Machine, the Comet, the Atomic, the Cement Mixer and the Gremlin Boogie, if you're interested) to enjoy any ofthe recipes below.
They may not be a tried-and-tested fry-up, or the surprisingly popular cola and orange juice co*cktail suggested by many online, but they do tick the most vital of boxes – put simply, they're all big, and they all pack the flavour punch you need to shake you out of your miserable stupor. Plus the winner comes with toast – what more could you ask for, except to turn back time?
The winning recipe: shakshuka
Adored in Middle-Eastern countries, shakshuka is the perfect pick-me-up after a bit of a boozy night. Plus it's quick and served in the pan.
Ruth Joseph and Sarah Nathan, Cardiff;
Serves 4
1kg fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled; crushed or grated
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp ground sweet paprika
1 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste ortomato puree (if not available)
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
8 eggs
To serve
15g freshly chopped coriander or parsley
Toast
1 Simmer all the ingredients apart from the eggs and herbs in a deepish, presentable frying pan and stir until the mixture is soft and unctuous – about 10–15 minutes.
2 Break the eggs into the sauce, cover and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the eggs are slightly firm. Garnish, place on the table and offer toast for dipping. Luscious stuff and you don't have to be hung over to enjoy it!
Drunkard's noodles (pad kee mao)
The ladies at my local pub tell me that Thai men frequent the noodle stalls after a hard night of drinking – which just confirms to me that chilli, lime and noodles will give you a bit of a fillip for the rest of the day. This recipe would also be good with prawns, marinated tofu or thin strips of steak.
Rachel Kelly, London
Serves 2
200g wide rice noodles
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 garlic clove, very finely chopped
2 mild chillis (preferably 1 red and 1 green), seeded and thinly sliced
3 spring onions, chopped, green and white parts separated
200g skinless chicken breast or thigh, diced
1 pak choi, shredded
Thai basil leaves, torn
Coriander leaves, chopped
1 lime, cut into wedges, to serve
For the sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp Thai fish sauce (nam pla)
2 tbsp palm sugar or brown sugar
1 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
1 tsp chilli sambal (Malay, Indonesian or Thai chilli-garlic paste) or dried chilli flakes
Juice of ½ lime, or to taste
1 Whisk the sauce ingredients together and season to taste.
2 Cook the noodles to instructions, drain and set aside in a little cool water.
3 Heat a wok or large frying pan on a high heat. Add the oil, then the garlic, chillis and spring onion whites. Reduce the heat. Fry gently for a minute to let the flavours infuse the oil.
4 Add chicken and pak choi. Stir-fry until the chicken to brown.
5 Stir in the basil, coriander and spring onion tops, then the drained noodles. Toss to coat in the oil. Add the sauce, and toss for a couple of minutes until well mixed and heated through. Serve hot, with lime wedges for squeezing over the noodles.
Tortilla espanola
Unlike today's young people (my daughters included), I have shamefully only managed one "all-nighter" in my entire life: in Seville during the Semana Santa Easter celebrations. No tortilla espanola ever tasted better than the one I had that morning. I especially like it when it's still warm and a littlebit runny in the middle. If you really get the munchies, put it into a baguette and enjoy a tortilla sandwich.
Diane Kitchen, Ilkley
Serves 4
1 litre olive oil
850g potatoes, peeled, cut into 1cm cubes, rinsed and dried
6 large eggs
1 Heat the oil in a deep pan. When it is hot, add the potatoes. Keep moving the potatoes with a slotted spoon and, after 8-10 minutes, when they are cooked, soft and golden, into a colander and leave them to drain off any excess oil. Season generously.
2 Whisk the eggs in a large bowl until they are quite frothy. Add the potatoes, to the eggs and gently stir and press so that the potatoes absorb some of the egg mixture. This will help the tortilla maintain its shape later.
3 Grease the base of a frying pan (mine is 23cm) with some of the hot oil and put on a low heat. Pour the mixture in, and keep moving it and the pan so that it does not stick to the base. Work the sides of the omelette with a spatula to give it its shape.
4 When the mixture solidifies and starts to set on top, and you're confident it's not sticking beneath, take a large dinner plate and cover the frying pan. Tip the omelette out on to the plate, quickly add a weebit more oil to the pan and slide the omelette back into the pan to cook the other side.
5 Once again, keep moving the pan until the omelette becomes solid and then turn out again on to a clean plate. Best served warm, but you can serve it cold as well.
Vietnamese beef pho
Eaten at most times of day in Vietnam, this soup has often been my first meal "after the night before". It has homely warmth; meat, carbs and salt (vital when hungover), and a hint of spice.
RyanPharmilton via GuardianWitness
Makes enough for 1 large/2 standard bowls
For the soup
1 litre beef stock
2 slices of ginger, unpeeled
1 small onion, quartered
Two star anise spikes (the whole star would betoo strong)
½ cinnamon stick
1 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp fish sauce
1 birdseye chilli (optional)
To serve
150g flat rice noodles, or noodles
A handful of beansprouts
2 thin slices of beef, trimmed of excess fat
A few long sprigs each of mint, coriander, and Thai basil
Long red chilli, sliced (optional)
A slice of lime (optional)
1 Add all the ingredients for the soup base to a pan, bring to the boil, and simmer for 30 minutes.
2 Meanwhile, prepare the noodles to pack instructions and put in bowl(s). Scatter the bean sprouts on top of thenoodles, and the beef on top ofthesprouts.
3 Bring the base back to a rapid boil andstrain it directly into the bowl(s). The hot soup base will cook the beef perfectly and will heat the bean sprouts and noodles too.
4 Top with the herbs of your choice. Add chilli and a squeeze of lime juice to give it that extra something. Enjoy!
Chinese eggs
This is a Sunday breakfast favourite in our household; not that we're always hungover, but it works a treat if you are. Travelling in China, we couldn't read any menus, so ordering was veryhit and miss. These eggs were a safe option!
karenguapa, via GuardianWitness
Per person:
2 eggs
A pinch of salt
A pinch of sugar
A little oil, to cook
1 large garlic clove, thinly sliced
1 chilli, seeds removed if you don't like heat, and finely chopped
1 small tomato, finely chopped
2 spring onions, chopped
1 Whisk the eggs in a bowl with a pinch of sugar and a pinch of salt.
2 Heat a wok or small frying pan, then add a little oil. Add the eggs and stir quickly until they're half scrambled –quite wet, but with a little form. Tipback into the bowl.
3 Add a little more oil to the pan and add the garlic and chilli. Cook over ahigh heat for about a minute, thenaddthetomatoes.
4 As soon as the tomatoes are sizzling, add the spring onion. Cook for another minute or two, then add the eggs back in. Mix everything together and as soon as the eggs are hot, serve, beforethey dry out.
Banana bread
At university, my friend always madebanana bread for us when we were feeling fragile – its the perfect accompaniment to a laughter-filled review of the previous evening's antics. Nowadays, I prefer to bake my cake before going out, but iIt's still satisfying and sweet.
Katharine Roberts, leeksandlimoni.blogspot.com
Makes 1 loaf
175g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp salt
125g butter, melted
150g white sugar
2 large eggs
5 small, very ripe bananas, mashed with a fork
75g walnuts, chopped
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Preheat the oven to 170C/335F/gas mark 3½. Grease and line a baking tin, or 20 x 10cm loaf tin.
2 Put the flour, baking powder, bicarb and salt in a medium-sized bowl andmix well.
3 Beat together the melted butter and sugar in a large bowl until blended. Beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the mashed bananas. Stir in the walnuts and vanilla extract and add theflour mixture, a third at a time, stirring well after each addition.
4 Pour into the prepared tin and bake for about 30-45 minutes, until a skewer comes out cleanish. Leave in the tin to cool for about 15 minutes before turning out on to a wire rack.
