Our favourite dish was the roasted cauliflower korma and we loved trying out puddings like peanut kulfi and pistachio cake.

Among the best vegetarian Indian cookbooks, “Saffron Soul” by Mira Manek should be on top of your list.Featuring sections such as First-Timer Recipes and Kid-Friendly cooking this is the perfect cookbook for the novice Indian cook who wants to get their whole family involved in meal prep. When the book arrived I read through it, cover to cover, making a note of the recipes I wanted to make on a small notepad by my side. There is no shortage of tasty breakfast, lunch, and dinner options that can be followed by some luscious vegetarian desserts. Divided into five chapters – breakfast, snacks, light lunches, main dishes, and sweet treats – readers can expect bright, fresh flavours with recipes like Green smoothie, Pistachio and kale hummus, Quinoa pizza, and vegan Vanilla ice cream.

After learning I have a peppercorn intolerance, I’ve made to making my own “Garam Masalmost” with only slight modifications to your recipe. Dedicated to teaching us the ways of creating bountiful, nourishing meals to be shared, you’ll struggle not to be left yearning for each and every meal described as you leaf through the pages of this feel-good cookbook. However, choosing the right Indian cookbook that perfectly fits your vegetarian preferences might be tricky. It is somewhat of a cross between pav bhaji (mashed veggies with pav bhaji spice blend in the book), and tikka masala. I would really like to purchase a digital copy there but it says the book is not made available for my country (and only the German version can be purchased).

Madhur Jaffrey also does not fall prey to one thing that I have come to abhor with other Indian cookbooks - the recipes get watered-down to be more accommodating. Then sauté cumin in olive oil and pour it over the florets and roast them in a hot oven for about half an hour.

Simple twice-cooked eggplant: I love roasted eggplant dishes, and have made Middle Eastern eggplant dishes (from Claudia Roden, Yotam Ottolenghi etc. Use one of the 3 veggie balls/koftas with any of the 20+ Main sauces, use vegetables or beans of choice with any of the sauces, use other lentils in the 25+ dals! It's interesting to be exposed to all the exotic vegetables (gourd, for example) but they're hard to find outside of Indian groceries and not all that rewarding for the effort involved. And that is what keeps me coming back to this book: it pushes me to try unusual vegetables, preparations and flavours.

If you have a sweet tooth, the fudgy coconut balls are a perfect treat, while the exotic taste of the saffron cream popsicle will give you a truly Indian vegetarian experience. In fact, she’s continuing her long-standing tendency towards producing modest but thorough Indian cookbooks that forgo showmanship in favour of authentic regional expertise. PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL OF THE RECIPES CONTAINED IN THIS BOOK ARE ALSO INCLUDED WITHIN OUR MAIN COOKBOOK, and also available online - but we know that some of you prefer to cook from a cookbook rather than a screen!