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

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Add the ginger, garlic and chilli, cook for 2 minutes, then add the broccoli stalks and 4 tablespoons of water, cover the pan and steam for 2 minutes, until the broccoli is tender.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, turning the pumpkin halfway through, until tender and blackening at the edges. This isn’t an attempt to be an authoritative voice on Asian food: to undertake such a survey would take years. Again, the familiar-looking ingredients list caught my attention and, as with the curry, the recipe came out looking exactly like the picture. Turn down the heat to its lowest possible setting and leave to simmer for an hour and a half to an hour and three-quarters, until the rice is falling apart and has no bite left at all.It’s more fragrant than Indian dal, it has more aromatics such as lemongrass and star anise, and it’s as soothing to cook (all in one pot) as it is to eat, because the coconut milk softens the edges somewhat. I am now an auntie myself, and I’d be thrilled if my pilau became the topic of conversation in someone else’s kitchen.

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. This dish is traditionally eaten out and about with other street food such as samosas, chaats and dosas, but at home I eat it by itself or with spinach, non-dairy yoghurt and chapatis to create a meal. Every Indian auntie has a special pilau recipe that is often the subject of much debate and competitiveness.I was stuck for new recipes to begin with, but I suspected that by looking beyond India to East Asia and South East Asia I would find further inspiration for how to shift vegetables from the side to the center of the table.

Taste, squeeze in a little lime and taste again, adjusting the salt, sugar or lime juice as you wish.

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! Ramen, for example, is an adaptation of Chinese wheat noodles and was first introduced to Japan by Chinese immigrants in the early 20th century. Put the radishes into a heatproof bowl, cover with 100ml of just-boiled water, and add the salt, mirin and vinegar. Or maybe her ‘New Vegan’ column in the Guardian has had you thinking ‘Hey, this is plant-based food I can get on board with’. Stir in the onion, garlic and chillies, cook for around 6 minutes, until the onion turns translucent and soft, then add the tomato puree and cumin, and cook for another 5 minutes.

These modest ingredients come together to form a seductive and silky sauce much greater than the sum of its parts.Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, until tender and caramelized in places (the swede and beetroot may need a little longer). 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.