Meera Sodha gives such precise and accurate instructions, which is very reassuring to less experienced cooks. This means that even the most inexperienced cooks can follow the recipes and produce a tasty and delicious meal. The techniques and flavors in this are definitely very approachable to a cook who feels apprehensive about trying “Asian” cooking. 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. Recipes like the chilli tofu are fiery and lovely, whilst meals like the pho are fragrant and satisfying.

The photo was the lure for me – cubes of fried cheese nestled in a creamy coconut sauce – as well as the fact that I already had most of the ingredients in my cupboard.Take the cake out of the oven and leave to rest for exactly one minute, then place a sheet of baking paper over the top, followed by a large chopping board.

Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden and crisp on the bottom (test this by sliding a palette knife under the pancake; if it lifts away easily, it’s ready). If you love Asian-style food, then East is a wonderful resource if you want to start cooking more of it at home – without the meat. The cookbooks I enjoy the most are beautiful and easy to follow, yet create complexly flavored, elegant food.The result was a coconut-y, spiced, mildly-hot curry punctured with wedges of fried paneer and, as you can imagine, tasted rather good. I think the broadness of the theme (“east”) means a lack of specificity in a lot of the recipes that makes them feel very indistinct. If you enjoy vegan cooking, you might also want to read my review of Merchant Gourmet’s Plant-Based Cookbook. Using a large spatula, fold the egg whites into the yolks, being careful not to knock out too much air. East will show you how to whip up a swede laksa and a chard potato and coconut curry; how to make Kimchi pancakes or silken tofu with pine nuts.

Fortunately, Sodha included an “Alternative Contents” at the beginning where she conveniently categorized a handful of recipes into her favorites, quick recipes, seasonal recipes, etc. Line your tin with non-stick baking paper, folding it tightly into the corners so the paper comes up the sides of the tray by 2cm. The tofu was crisp and chewy, giving way to a soft and creamy sponginess, and doused in a sweet, fiery sauce.Really easy to make and a great variety of recipes makes this probably the best recipe book I've had. However, as a vegan, my preference is always to have a vegan, fully plant-based cookbook to look through.

Readers advisory note: this is probably a really good cookbook for someone who is looking for vegetarian recipes with limited access to ingredients. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes over a medium heat, stirring frequently to remove as much water as possible, then add the garlic and soy sauce and cook for a further 5 minutes. I haven't been able to put it down and have tried recipes from it everyday since and they have all worked well and been absolutely delicious and like nothing I have tasted before! Lifting the parchment at the scored end, roll the sponge up again fairly tightly (but without squeezing out the cream).And even if a recipe didn’t immediately strike me as appealing, her description of it always had me excited for it by the end. One minor downside for me was the ingredients are only listed with grams and not ounces but luckily I also got some electric scales for Christmas so I was saved the pain of having to convert the measurements to use my scales with weights.