East: 120 Easy and Delicious Asian-inspired Vegetarian and Vegan recipes

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Modern, vibrant, fuss-free food made from easy-to-find ingredients, East is a must-have whether you're vegan, vegetarian, or simply want to eat more delicious meat-free food. Next up: chilli tofu. With a reputation for being notoriously bland, I was curious to see how Meera treated this favourite amongst veggies. Again, the familiar-looking ingredients list caught my attention and, as with the curry, the recipe came out looking exactly like the picture. I expected the tofu chunks to be a little more crisp (the method asks you to coat them in cornflour and fry first) but the sweet tomato and soy sauce coating took away from that a little. It was still delicious though and a recipe I will definitely return to in the future. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C/400°F/gas 6. Put the radishes into a heatproof bowl, cover with 100ml of just-boiled water, and add the salt, mirin and vinegar. Stir and leave to cool. Leave for 10 minutes, then peel the eggs (it sometimes helps to peel under the water to keep them perfect) and drop them into the soy mixture. I found that I could travel to Asia without traveling very far at all. I spoke to my accountant, Ben, who is from Borneo, where Sarawak laksa is prized. I begged Wichet, the owner-chef of the Thai restaurant Supawan, to show me how to make a tom kha ghai soup, and Shuko Oda, the Japanese chef, to teach me how to make her walnut miso. I accosted home cooks on social media who had innocently posted photos of their breakfast to ask them more about what they ate and how they made it.

Enticing, inviting and delicious. Vegan and vegetarian dishes that are hard to resist (and why should you?' YOTAM OTTOLENGHI

Full of delectable, mouth-watering dishes . . . we guarantee you'll be devouring the entire book in no time Stylist on Fresh India

Chef, food writer and best-selling author, Meera Sodha, shot into the limelight in 2014 with her debut cookbook, Made in India, introducing readers to fresh, vibrant and easy Indian cooking. Born in Lincolnshire to Ugandan Asian parents, her love for her mum’s home cooking and her desire to keep her ancestors’ food traditions alive led her to capture the recipes of her childhood.Add the beetroot, salt and 6 tablespoons of water, pop on the lid and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally; if the curry looks a bit dry, add more water, a tablespoon at a time. Take off the lid, stir in the coconut milk and simmer for 10 minutes, until the beetroot is tender and the sauce has reduced. Finally, stir in the lime juice and turn off the heat while you get on with the beans. That’s how I felt when Melissa Denes, an editor at the Guardian, called me. She said they were introducing a new vegan column into the weekend magazine and she wanted me to write it. In my most private moments I had dared to dream about writing a column, but I never seriously thought it would happen. As I weighed up the options, I realized there were a few small problems.

Varieties such as Crown Prince and Delica grace farmers’ markets, and their nutty, honey flavours make them a powerful weapon for the home cook. I have loosely based this recipe on the Bengali malai kari, a dish made with sweet onions, garam masala and rich coconut milk. Warming, hearty and sharpened with a little lime for freshness, it’s best eaten with rice or scooped on to the softest naan you can find.Something happens to me when I get within 10 miles of Leicester. I crave chilli tofu: the urge is so strong, I swear I can smell it the closer I get to into the city.

While the vegetables are cooking, make the sauce for the rice. Put 300ml of the coconut milk into a blender with the garlic, ginger, 1 chilli, the turmeric and ¾ teaspoon of salt, then blitz smooth. Put the cauliflower on a baking tray in a single layer and put the beetroot and swede on another baking sheet in a single layer. In a small bowl, mix the garam masala, 5 tablespoons of rapeseed oil and ¾ teaspoon of salt, then drizzle over the veg on both trays and toss to coat. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, until tender and caramelized in places (the swede and beetroot may need a little longer). Heat a large frying pan on a medium flame and, when hot, toast the fennel, mustard, cumin and coriander seeds for a minute or two, shaking the pan every few seconds, until the coriander seeds turn golden (coriander always takes first). Tip the seeds into a mortar and bash until fairly well ground. There are seasonal specialities, warming noodles and curries, tofu and rice dishes as well as salads, sides and sweets - all practical and surprisingly easy to make - and bursting with exciting flavours.Veganism wasn’t my only constraint. I had much less time on my hands too now that I was a new mum. This meant that elaborate dishes, or those that required too much time to prepare or cook, were left by the wayside. They didn’t make the cut into my column, or into this book. Next, take a bowl that will fit all the eggs and put a couple of handfuls of ice in it. Add cold water to the bowl so it’s three-quarters full, and leave to one side. While the rice is steaming, make the chutney. Add the remaining 100ml of coconut milk, the coriander, the other chilli, lemon juice, sugar and ½ teaspoon of salt. Blend smooth, then scrape into a serving bowl. Cook for exactly 7 minutes (set a timer) from the moment the last egg hits the water. Drain and pop the eggs into the bowl of iced water to cool off.