Meera Sodha is the Guardian's 'New Vegan' columnist and author of Fresh India, which won the Observer Food Monthly Best New Cookbook Award 2017. Stir again and bring the mixture to the boil, then put the lid on, turn the heat down to a whisper and cook for a further 15 minutes. 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. Packed with straightforward recipes to suit every occasion, I have cooked authentic-tasting dishes that I have gone back to over and over again because they have become real family favourites. Make the sauce by putting the lime juice, sugar, soy sauce, chillies and garlic into a jug or small bowl and mixing well.

There are no frighteningly long ingredient lists or recherche spices - just simple recipes that really work. There are sweet potato momos for snacks and unexpected desserts like stem ginger chocolate truffles and matcha roll cake. This meant that elaborate dishes, or those that required too much time to prepare or cook, were left out. Lifting the parchment at the scored end, roll the sponge up again fairly tightly (but without squeezing out the cream). There are warming noodles, curries, rice dishes, tofu, salads, sides and sweets, all surprisingly easy to make and bursting with exciting flavours.I made this for a family dinner and tossed everything together beforehand, which yes, I know you shouldn't do but I lacked the Tupperware to separate everything. Add the coconut milk and 175ml of water, whisk until you have a smooth batter, then leave to one side. If you’re looking to expand your repertoire of vegetarian dishes or want to learn a bit more about how to use spices, then East will do that for you. I appreciate Meera Sodha’s ability to pleasantly surprise by bringing simple ingredients together in new ways.

Huge numbers of people, growing by the day even then, were choosing to eat a more plant-based diet, whether for political, environmental or financial reasons. The tofu was crisp and chewy, giving way to a soft and creamy sponginess, and doused in a sweet, fiery sauce. 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. Drawing from her ‘New Vegan’ Guardian column, East also features plenty of brand-new recipes inspired by a wide range of Asian cuisines, from India to Indonesia, China to Singapore, by way of Thailand and Vietnam. Wherever you find Meera (figuratively, of course), you can count on her recipes to be reliable, not too finicky and packed with flavour, texture and colour!Top: Emporio Armani View image in fullscreen Meera Sodha: ‘I was excited to enter this brave new world.