East: 120 Vegan and Vegetarian Recipes from Bangalore to Beijing [American Measurements] by Meera Sodha

    • Categories: Chutneys, pickles & relishes; Sandwiches & burgers; Snacks; Taiwanese; Vegan; Vegetarian
    • Ingredients: plain flour; active dry yeast; caster sugar; rice wine vinegar; cucumbers; light soy sauce; peanut butter; garlic; toasted sesame oil; oyster mushrooms; shiitake mushrooms; salted peanuts
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Notes about this book

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Notes about Recipes in this book

  • Mushroom bao

    • Apollonia on August 20, 2021

      I used store bought frozen bao buns, so can only review the filling, but these were only a moderate success for us. I found the the mushroom filling kind of gloopy and the vinegar only pickles didn't have a ton of flavor. Despite measuring everything to the gram, I also ended up with easily 3x the filling needed for the bao. Put together, everything tasted fine but I wouldn't make again.

    • skvalentine on October 08, 2021

      The bao dough was so good (this was my first time ever eating this type of thing) but the mushroom filling was a miss for me.

  • Sweet potato cakes with kimchi mayo

    • fbcd on October 03, 2022

      I found the corn sweet potato combination too sweet. Next time I would try it with green bell pepper instead of corn. My kimchi is not that hot, so I would add some chilli flakes, but the resulting sauce was nice an I used the leftovers with burgers later in the week.

    • soval96 on December 11, 2024

      Very tasty, really great for meal prep lunches. Personally found they broke up quite easy whilst cooking so have to be very careful

    • Hellyloves2cook on June 16, 2020

      Husband made this and as the eater I can say these potato cakes were really very nice. Will definitely be making these again in our household.

    • Hellyloves2cook on February 27, 2023

      Have made these a few times already. Very nice !

    • Dinovino on March 31, 2022

      Can substitute pumpkin for sweet potato. Very tasty mayo.

  • Chilli salt pineapple

    • Melissa_427 on March 19, 2021

      This seasoning mix is such a winner, loved it with pineapple, sprinkled on avocado toast or as a dry rub for meats.

  • Celery and peanut wontons with chilli soy sauce

    • Melissa_427 on March 19, 2021

      Made the filling only and served over peanut butter noodles, a very lovely and filling meatless meal.

    • pie4u on April 19, 2022

      Made a half recipe. We were cautious about overfilling and only had a couple break during cooking. Sauce was a little salty for our taste but that is easily adjusted. Overall a very tasty first coarse or light main.

    • Shaxon on June 16, 2021

      This is an excellent first course dish. Don't overpack the wontons and boil in a skillet rather than a saucepan to avoid too much movement

    • Anea25 on September 02, 2024

      didn't really know what to expect but I really enjoyed them. They feel quite meaty even though they are vegetarian. I will probably include them in my list for Asian dumpling dinner parties.

    • MADCH82 on July 02, 2020

      Quick, easy and delicious

  • Mum's beetroot and ginger soup

    • fbcd on September 27, 2022

      Very good. Can handle even more ginger.

  • Sweet potato momos

    • aeybkme on January 29, 2023

      Delicious, I've made this several times and they're always a hit.

    • Yildiz100 on March 25, 2021

      Nice filling. Not crazy about this sauce with sweet potatoes though. I think it was the vinegar that jarred. I would like to try these with some chili garlic chutney

  • Wild mushroom miso broth

    • louisewint on January 22, 2021

      I did not like this AT ALL. Maybe it was my brown rice miso, but it just didn't taste good to me. Shame, because I used top-notch mushrooms for this and followed the recipe pretty exactly.

  • Thai salad with grapefruit and cashews

    • Kduncan on February 23, 2021

      This makes a lot of salad. Pretty easy to make. Overall a fine salad but not a great salad.

    • snackbaby on February 23, 2023

      ate this with soba noodles, delish

    • chezmaryb on January 31, 2022

      I added a touch of fish sauce and also lime to brighten things up. Also used a little bit of extra sugar. If I made the recipe again I might skip the iceberg lettuce and favor something more nutritious and sturdy, but otherwise turned out quite good

  • Tomato ponzu salad

    • Ksmotherman on May 09, 2021

      Very simple, but tangy and tasty salad. Choose the best tomatoes you can find. I added 1 more tbsp each of tangerine juice and soy sauce, and used 1 whole lemon.

  • Chargrilled summer vegetables with a dhana-jeera dressing

    • SKidd on August 21, 2023

      Extremely good! I cut the veggies to similar sizes and used a grill basket over charcoal so cooked everything at once, took some time but worked fine, the dressing is great!

    • Dinovino on January 26, 2023

      Green beans or spring onions are a great substitute for the broccoli. Fantastic cooked on the BBQ

  • Paneer, spinach and tomato salad

    • joelle on November 05, 2022

      I did make a few changes to this recipe based on what I had on hand, but I found it to be a delicious take on a sheet pan dinner. I used 1 lb of tomato, one onion, and subbed extra firm tofu for paneer to make it vegan. I also made the naan from scratch using the elephant ear garlic naan recipe from her Fresh India cookbook. Would definitely make again!

    • fbcd on October 03, 2022

      Meera calls this a salad and describes it as a fresh take on saag paneer. I liked the flavour profile and th dressing, but found this to be neither fish nor fowl, neither salad nor curry. It was more like roasted tomatoes over raw spinach. The paneer ended up being too crusty so if I make it again I will just fry the paneer as I normally would.

    • et12 on June 30, 2023

      We liked this as a light meal but didn’t find it enough to feed four as a main. Three maybe. A good taste profile and very easy to put together.

  • Asparagus and mangetout with chilli peanut crumbs

    • ALawson25 on August 24, 2021

      Quick to make, used dried panko breadcrumbs and it worked out fine. The lemon was definitely crucial to the flavour. Would make again as a side or another veg dish.

    • Hellyloves2cook on January 27, 2020

      Made this for Xmas dinner - too hot to make traditional roast here in NZ - and well it was easy to prepare and tasted very very nice. Liked by everyone and the favourite out of 3 dishes made from this book.

  • Double rainbow salad

    • Apollonia on August 22, 2021

      This was ok, but the dressing was very sesame heavy for me. Maybe my sesame oil is particularly strong, but it really drowned out all of the cilantro and ginger flavors. I wouldn't make again without dialing that back (or making my life easier and just dressing with lime and sesame rather than messing about with a dressing I couldn't really taste).

  • Caramelized fennel and carrot salad with mung beans and herbs

    • purrviciouz on October 07, 2019

      Very delicious and felt like what I would imagine to be a French style grain salad. I added 1tsp fennel seeds to the roasting vegetables. I enjoyed that the couscous and mung beans were the same size. I served this with a small amount of baked chicken.

  • Breakfast at Shuko's

    • et12 on December 16, 2023

      Like others said, tasty but not amazing. A nice quick lunch. I think I will only use one egg yolk next time and maybe one less tablespoon of soy sauce.

    • soval96 on December 11, 2024

      Have made multiple times now, only when I'm feeling lazy and have nothing in the house. Pretty decent but not very satiating

    • joneshayley on August 31, 2020

      I didn't enjoy this at all. A confusion of flavours and overall sloppy texture even with the nori. I won't make it again

    • Lepa on October 12, 2019

      I wanted this to taste more like carbonara but it didn't have the same richness. The egg was a bit soupy instead of thick and creamy. I didn't have nori so I put furikake on top. I doubt I'll repeat this recipe.

    • louisewint on January 22, 2021

      I liked this as a super quick lunch, made it for myself with a 200g pack of straight to wok udon and halved the sauce so I only used one egg yolk. i quickly made some edamame from the freezer to eat with it. It's not amazing, but quite tasty to me!

  • Swede laksa

    • joelle on November 05, 2022

      As much as I love rutabagas and Meera Sodha, this was a bit of a miss for me. Adding a generous amount of lime and some extra heat from chile pepper flakes helped punch up the flavor, and it wasn't bad, but it's not one I would make again.

    • lilham on February 13, 2021

      I didn’t like the soup base. It lacked the depth of flavour normally found in laksa. I liked swedes in noodle soup however. I won’t be making this again but will borrow the idea of adding roasted swedes to other noodle soups.

    • MilduraSO on May 18, 2020

      Wow! I wouldn’t normally be drawn to a dish starring swede but the head note made me curious and was 100% accurate. The swede and shallots were the most perfect pairing ever and tempered the fiery hot soup so well. Aside from giving the swede an extra 5 minutes, I wouldn’t change a thing about this recipe. I’ll probably be eating this weekly in the winter.

    • MilduraSO on June 13, 2020

      Made this for the second time using the leftover soup from when I last made it (2 person household). Just needed to roast the swede and shallots, soak the noodles for 3 minutes and add a squeeze of lime when serving. All in all it was about 5 minutes in total spent in the kitchen and was delicious. I’ll probably make a larger batch of the laksa next time so I can freeze enough for several meals.

  • Ben Ben noodles

    • ALawson25 on November 15, 2021

      A really delicious mid week meal, I don’t think it would be as good as it was and will definitely make again. I used flat mushrooms with I thought were fine.

    • SKidd on February 13, 2023

      Have made this a couple of times and it’s very good. I always think I want a more “authentic” version but it tastes amazing so…

    • aeybkme on January 29, 2023

      We found this too creamy to be authentic.

    • sarahj22 on January 18, 2021

      Slightly weird but delicious. I like the flavour of mushrooms but not the texture, so this was a great way to serve them. They matched beautifully with the creamy noodles. I subbed dark soy sauce for light and found the dish a little too salty, so in future I'll make sure to stick with light soy and/or cut back a bit.

    • raybun on February 26, 2021

      Delicious! The mushrooms disintegrated in the processor, next time I’ll be more careful to keep some texture. Tried with shiitake and cremini, no discernible difference.

    • grindabod on January 30, 2020

      Absolutely delicious. I added a little bit of fish sauce along with the vinegar as I'm not vegetarian, but honestly I think it would have been super tasty without as well. Gobbled this up in a matter of seconds!

    • lean1 on February 13, 2023

      made this with baby bella mushrooms because that is all i had. I left out the pickles and the pepper corns, and used 1/8 tsp chili powder instead. I chopped the mushrooms by hand to avoid turning them to mush and it came out fine. I like this as an alternative to Dan Dan which I can't eat.

  • Peanut butter and purple sprouting broccoli pad Thai

    • Lepa on September 23, 2019

      We didn't like this very much. The introductory note says that it is a vegan version of Pad Thai but it didn't taste anything like any Pad Thai I have had. It had an odd taste from too much tamarind (or maybe I just don't like tamarind). I won't be repeating this recipe.

    • Hellyloves2cook on June 27, 2020

      My husband made this in May 2020. It was ok! I think he overcooked the noodles so that instantly made the dish gluggy. The sauce was quite strong and I’m not sure it really worked for me to be honest. I like all the ingredients in the recipe but I guess my brain was thinking Pad Thai and it certainly did not resemble any Pad Thai I’ve eaten, ever. I have eaten a fair few in my time too. I may repeat it and make it myself and see. Meanwhile there are too many other recipes in this book I have earmarked.

    • ems_kitchen on March 10, 2021

      This is great! It's a lot more flavoursome than 'normal' pad thai. We loved the sauce and I'll be coming back to this recipe. I'm not a huge fan of tofu but it was delicious in this dish.

    • christineakiyoshi on July 14, 2021

      This is great! Would probably add a little more lime next time. Love the recipes in this book because they come together in less than an hour.

  • Mouth-numbing noodles with chilli oil and red cabbage

    • aeybkme on May 29, 2023

      Definitely make the chilli oil, it's delicious!

    • Kattancock on February 12, 2022

      We really enjoyed these. The recipe calls for way too many noodles, you can easily halve them and still have extra.

  • White miso ramen with tofu and asparagus

    • EmilyR on August 07, 2022

      We really liked this - I have used soy milk and almond milk at various points. It is quick and flavorful.

    • louisewint on January 22, 2021

      Delicious broth! I didn't make the asparagus since it's not in season for long, but I added some cabbage I had leftover and it was delicious.

    • Feelingsamtastic on January 05, 2023

      This was not one of our favorites. The texture was so thick I ended up having to thin out with water. Also, while the flavor of the broth was tasty with the noodles, the flavor was pretty overwhelming its own - I didn't want to finish the broth once the toppings were gone.

    • erin3107 on February 14, 2023

      Tasted nice at first but the broth was very thick and rich so it wasn't enjoyable about half way through. Would be better making half the broth probably and thinning out with water

    • christineakiyoshi on November 23, 2020

      This is another recipe that comes together easily. It is a very hearty soup and filling. I enjoyed it and will make it again.

    • cc7740 on May 25, 2020

      Blending the raw garlic made the paste bitter, would heat the aromatics before blending next time.

    • Melissa_427 on May 17, 2022

      Loved this! Subbed oat milk for soy, bacon for tofu, a food processor for the blender and air fried the asparagus, all substitutions worked great!

  • Clay pot noodles with beetroot and smoked tofu

    • snackbaby on July 16, 2023

      super tasty! ate this with some shatta (random condiment, but the acidity worked really well) to up the heat. I did not find this extremely fussy/messy. makes a lot of food.

    • Pandan on June 17, 2024

      I didn’t find this to be overly complicated, as you don’t have to cut the vegetables, just throw them in your blender. Made this on a busy weekday with low carb shirataki noodles and 500g beetroots. Also added some fresh mint in the end. It wasn’t clear how fine the beetroot & walnuts were supposed to be blended. I blended them into a quite fine paste. Really nice earthy flavours. My result just didn’t look that bright pink in the end after cooking. I was a fan of it, my husband didn’t like it - but he dislikes both tofu and beets in general. :D thought this was going to be more soupy, but is more like a creamy noodle dish. Also not sure whether it wouldn’t taste the same if you just mixed everything together instead of layering it.

    • aeybkme on January 29, 2023

      This is so messy to make. It tastes nice but not good enough to justify the dishes!

  • Shiitake pho with crispy leeks

    • Ksmotherman on May 09, 2021

      It was so good! Definitely something I'll make again. The fried leeks are a perfect topping. I also topped it with cilantro, bean sprouts and sliced jalapenos. I increased the spices quite a bit to suit my taste; 3 cinnamon sticks(vs 1), 4 star anise(vs 1), 4 cloves(vs 3), and I doubled the soy sauce to 2TB. I also added 1 TB of hoisin.

    • mademoisielle on February 25, 2021

      One of my favourites from this book! Amazing flavours and fried leeks are a great touch. I tend to double the amount of chopped leeks.

  • Udon noodles with red cabbage and cauliflower

    • fscassim on July 01, 2020

      The combination of red cabbage and cauliflower does not meld well together, and the overall flavours are just off

    • dc151 on May 17, 2021

      I agree with Lepa- more salt and DO NOT leave out the ginger. A great way to get the kids to eat veggies, everybody tried it! I used dried udon noodles, parboiled them before throwing them in the pan and that worked out just fine. Cabbage did not take as long as stated, and both veggies could've used a bit more oil.

    • Tealismyname on March 26, 2023

      A bit funky-- with a lot of dishes. Didn't dislike it but a bit odd. We didn't need extra salt---the ginger brings out the dish.

    • Lepa on September 29, 2019

      This was pretty easy to throw together and I liked the fact that it was half vegetables. It needed a bit more salt and the ginger was essential (without it, this would be a bit bland).

    • Astrid5555 on January 04, 2022

      The whole family liked this a lot even without the ginger. Cabbage and cauliflower took 20 minutes, next time will just use one tray to make clean-up easier. Using “straight-to-wok” udon noodles makes this a very quick midweek dish.

  • Spring onion and ginger noodles

    • christineakiyoshi on November 11, 2020

      Delicious and fresh tasting!

    • erin3107 on February 14, 2023

      this one was nice, and easy too. Not sure if it's meant to be a side or a main but I would definitely put some veggies and tofu with it

  • Caramelized onion and chilli ramen

    • aeybkme on March 01, 2022

      This is such a great storecupboard recipe. It's worth spending the time to caramelise the onions properly.

    • christineakiyoshi on November 19, 2020

      Huge fan of this recipe. Delicious and easy to pull together. We omitted the egg, since we are vegan, I used three Thai bird chilis and put some chili oil on top. Yummy and the whole family loved it.

    • Hansyhobs on December 14, 2023

      I had everything in the house (no greens so didn't bother with them) and this was super satisfying and delicious.

    • grindabod on February 24, 2020

      Another great recipe from a great book. I used a homemade stock based on bean cooking liquid, which had the added bonus of lending the broth that nice milky ramen hue.

  • Food court Singapore noodles

    • sarahj22 on November 24, 2020

      Really yummy and so easy. Once the veg is chopped it all comes together very quickly. We didn't have beansprouts or green beans but subbed in mange tout and swapped the rice noodles for egg noodles. I was surprised at the previous note saying this is 'not the healthiest dish around' as I felt it hit the mark with being cosy and comforting while remaining fairly light and packed with veggies. A definite repeat for us.

    • VineTomato on December 17, 2019

      I only cooked this to use up a spare red and yellow pepper, and now it will be added into regular rotation. Not the healthiest dish around but could slip in nicely for a quick weeknight meal when the rest of the week has been virtuous. I don't love peppers and Mr VT hates a beansprout and yet we both loved it! Used Cape Malay curry powder and Mr VT said it was exactly like a dish he used to get in a food court in Cape Town. Love Meera's recipes.

    • ksg518 on January 11, 2021

      Very good! I used 8 ounces of noodles to use up a whole package and perhaps should have increased the veggies accordingly (although I was very generous with the sprouts). My only complaint was that the recipe calls for slicing the green beans lengthwise. Mine weren't very thick and I gave up when I realized there was a high likelihood of slicing off part of my finger. I don't think it makes a difference if the beans are fairly thin. This would be an easy weeknight dinner if you had the time to prep the veggies a few days ahead of time.

    • Yildiz100 on December 27, 2020

      Good! Added a scrambled egg for protein. Used extra bean sprouts instead of green beans. Looks like too much veg for the amount of noodles, but it was perfect.

    • christineakiyoshi on November 18, 2020

      This is loaded with veg--liked it very much. May want to add a splash of lime the next time I make this. We added a bit of chili oil to the top.

    • et12 on December 10, 2023

      Good flavours for a nice, comforting dish.

    • Deja1 on November 03, 2024

      Love this version of Singapore noodles. Excellent meal for my vegetarian family members. I added a fried egg and crispy chili oil on top.

  • Leek, mushroom and kale subji

    • VineTomato on December 15, 2019

      A lovely way to eat a bowl of vegetables! I replaced the kale with rainbow chard, which worked well, it would not be a terrible idea to double the amount of chard. I like to chop the stems and added those at the beginning with the onions.

    • Hellyloves2cook on June 28, 2020

      My lovely husband made this ( well I did buy him this book for Xmas one year) As a taster I can say it was a blend of wonderful veggies and spices,stir fried together to create a deliciously tasty meal. One of those recipes you can tweak with and add whatever you have in the fridge.

  • Aubergine katsu curry with pickled radishes

    • SugarFree_Vegan on August 09, 2020

      I used Gram / Chickpea Flour instead of the plain flour in the recipe because I find it works really well and also adds protein to the dish. I had a very big aubergine so sliced it in rounds which also works well. Really tasty sauce which compliments the crispy aubergine and tangy pickled radish.

    • ALawson25 on August 18, 2021

      Totally delicious, prefer it to the chicken version actually. I part cooked my aubergines in the oven, then deep fried and chucked them in the oven again. They were lovely and crispy, and the sauce had a great flavour. Will definitely make this again!

    • MilduraSO on May 17, 2020

      The sauce was a huge success and makes enough to be frozen for at least a couple more meals. I found the aubergine a bit dry. In the future, I’ll finish it off by frying in oil.

    • SKidd on October 02, 2023

      Such a pretty and delicious dish. I’m not sure I loved the sauce as much as I expected based on others who have made it—I had a “hot curry” from Penzeys that was maybe a little too much? But the concept and execution was fine, I did use eggs for my wet breading layer (because I had a ton of backyard eggs and am not vegan ha) and baked them with convection fan for the last 5-10 minutes and they were nice and crispy.

  • Pumpkin malai kari

    • dosojosazules on May 14, 2023

      Great dish and comes together quickly after dealing with the squash. The toasted almonds add a great nuttiness and texture

    • katmagdunn on November 01, 2023

      This was fantastic -- I made it two weekends in a row. The flavour is really intensely rich—it does need the lime, though, or else it's too sweet. Because the sauce and the pumpkin are really made separately, it's an easy one to prep; you can make the sauce beforehand and just char the pumpkin night of.

    • Deja1 on November 16, 2024

      Wonderful! Made this with butternut squash and served with both rice and naan.

    • skvalentine on February 03, 2025

      I didn't love this sauce. The roasted kabocha was delicious but I felt the sauce was too sweet. I might try it again and leave out the sugar.

    • ALawson25 on November 14, 2021

      This had a lot of flavour and was easy to make, I would make this again as it was a very satisfying vegan main.

    • et12 on October 10, 2023

      This was delicious! Perfect for a cozy autumn evening. The roast pumpkin pairs well with the curry sauce which reminded me of a butter chicken sauce. My only complaint is that the recipe tells you to discard the pumpkin seeds but then to finish the dish with toasted almonds. I thought toasted pumpkin seeds worked just as well and no need for food waste. Will definitely make this again.

    • joelle on November 05, 2022

      Delicious! I made this with butternut squash and canned tomato sauce in the place of strained tomatoes. I found it to be fairly easy to make, and very flavorful.

    • Lepa on November 02, 2020

      I made this with kabocha. It was good and I will probably make it again. The sauce wasn't anything like the picture. It was an unappetizing pink color with purple onions floating in it - but the taste definitely made up for the ugly appearance.

  • Tomato curry

    • joelle on November 05, 2022

      Maybe it was user error, but sadly, this didn't work for me. The flavors were good, but the tomatoes got over caramelized, and it never looked anything like the picture in the book. She says "you'll know there's [no water left in the coconut milk] when you can see oil at the sides of the pan" but that never happened for me. So neither of the two main elements came together as described. Not sure I would revisit this one because it felt like a waste of some truly glorious farmer's market cherry tomatoes.

    • Foodycat on May 06, 2020

      This is really delicious. It needs good tomatoes though! I served it with naan but rice would have been better. Maybe with some cashews in the rice for a bit of texture, because the curry is quite soft.

    • MADCH82 on December 09, 2024

      absolutely amazing - one of our favourites and often repeated

    • Melissa_427 on October 27, 2021

      Really lovely! I wasn't sure about tomatoes and coconut milk, but it was so tasty. Used the last of our garden cherry tomatoes. O do feel like it took a bit longer to cook down than predicted but that's a forever struggle in my cooking ventures.

  • Roasted paneer aloo gobi

    • OnVaDeguster on May 17, 2020

      The whole family loves this recipe. I make my paneer using 3l of fresh full cream milk, 500gr fresh yoghurt and the juice of one lemon. The mix of spices is great and reminds me of my 10 years spent living in India. A regular on our table!

    • skvalentine on January 06, 2025

      Family didn't love this, so probably won't repeat it, but I did appreciate the sheet-pan meal aspect! The paneer got overdone before the veggies were ready, and the spices were somehow too spicy for my kids and not flavorful enough for me. Tough crowd!!

    • dosojosazules on January 31, 2024

      Wonderful dish, just needed more time to roast the potatoes and cauliflower. Loved the zing from the lemon and the acidity from the tomatoes. Will definitely make again

    • luluf on May 24, 2022

      Family loved it. I had to cook everything for way longer than 25 minutes though as well as turning the oven onto fan grill to give the required charred effect but that’s partly my oven

    • et12 on March 29, 2023

      A nice comforting dish that was easy to make. Took an extra ten minutes in the oven then what was called for but I also doubled the potatoes and it overloaded my roasting pan slightly.

    • libbyanelson on April 21, 2021

      Really wanted to love this -- love aloo gobi, love paneer, love to roast non-melty cheese on a sheet pan -- but it ended up underwhelming me. The spice balance seemed off to me (½ tsp salt is not very much for two whole sheet pans of vegetables, and 2 t of chili powder, even the relatively mild Kashmiri, gave it a REAL kick that overwhelmed other flavors). Even after longer in the oven than the recipe called for, the whole thing seemed a little underdone (not the dark browned cauliflower and caramelized tomatoes in the photo). Also I'm not sure if US red onions are just bigger or what, but it was a LOT of red onion (which I don't personally mind, but added to the general feeling of "off-ness.") Definitely not bad and I don't regret making it, but likely not destined for the rotation.

    • lizbot2000 on October 13, 2019

      Easy & delicious. I used a container of mixed sweet cherry tomatoes and just halved them. The cauliflower and potatoes took a lot longer than listed, but that seems to always happen to me. I'm probably cutting them larger, or maybe I like everything more charred.

    • joelle on November 05, 2022

      This took an hour of roasting for me, but it was worth every minute. A delicious sheet pan dinner and one of my favorite takes on aloo gobi. I did sub extra firm tofu for the paneer, used only one red onion (mine was large), and one medium Russet potato; I also added a big squeeze of lemon over the whole thing, and served with a schmear of cashew sour cream and fresh cilantro. So, it's not a perfect recipe as written, and if you make it, definitely plan for a longer cook time. (Why do so many recipes seem to underestimate how long a potato takes to cook??). But if you love aloo gobi, definitely worth a try with a few tweaks. I will definitely make this again.

    • julieshul on April 01, 2021

      We found this to be so bland! I ended up throwing hot sauce on it every time I ate it, because it was missing something.

    • Astrid5555 on February 15, 2022

      Based on the other reviewers’notes I fiddled with the marinade and left the vegetables in the oven for 10 more minutes. The whole family really liked this dish and we will definitely have this one again.

    • Apollonia on August 11, 2021

      This was a good dish, but probably not a repeater. It took a super long time in the oven, and I'm not sure it was ultimately that much faster or less annoying than just doing it in the oven.

  • Jersey Royal and green bean istoo

    • Hellyloves2cook on February 27, 2023

      Easy to make and easy to eat too! Another delicious recipe from this book.

    • et12 on March 26, 2023

      This was the first recipe I made from this book and it was excellent. Great subtle flavours from a curry, really comforting.

  • Sweet potato and aubergine massaman curry

    • jacqie on January 19, 2021

      I used zucchini instead of eggplant and canned penang paste- really fast and really good.

    • Astrid5555 on February 20, 2021

      Used almond butter instead of peanut butter because of peanut allergies in the family. Together with the sweet potatoes this made the dish quite sweet. Nevertheless husband and younger son loved it, so will make again. Curry paste alone is really excellent though.

    • ALawson25 on March 10, 2022

      This was only just alright for us, the heat level was quite spicy for a massaman curry and the paste felt like it was missing something despite following the ingredients to the letter. I did like the aubergine in it though.

    • Ganga108 on September 22, 2024

      It made a lot. At first I thought it was too sweet and lacking in flavour. But after some time the flavours matured and it was good. I did add a little lime juice. Next time I'll add some garlic in the spice paste. I might replace some of the coconut milk with stock.

  • Paneer kofta with a tomato and cashew sauce

    • Shaxon on December 26, 2021

      The payoff to effort ratio wasn't there for me. Too much effort and fuss, but the results weren't fabulous.

    • skvalentine on January 02, 2025

      The tomato sauce was absolutely delicious and I will definitely be making that again. The kofta didn't really work for me-- patties didn't hold together and I thought the ratio of kofta to sauce was way off (not nearly enough sauce).

    • erin3107 on February 18, 2023

      wasn't bad tasting but was only ok for me. felt a bit silly grating potatoes as you can definitely just mash them to get the desired consistency

    • lilham on October 09, 2021

      The recipe didn’t say how long the potatoes should be boiled for. However I am not sure you can ever grate cooked potatoes? Any how, mine was mashed with a potato masher instead. The kofta tasted of potatoes only and nothing of paneer. They were also too soft to be stirred into the sauce. I thought the recipe is ok but Mr Lilham liked it.

    • Dinovino on April 13, 2024

      Nice sauce, definitely needs the dried fenugreek.

  • Aubergine pollichattu

    • Ksmotherman on May 09, 2021

      Very flavorful. I paired it with the nutmeg, lime & coconut green beans from this book, and the radish, red onion & pomegranate salad from Fresh India. This dish is very rich, so definitely benefits from a sharper tasting side

  • Thai green curry with aubergines, courgettes and mangetout

    • ALawson25 on February 04, 2024

      I think this is pretty good, and similar to the recipe I learnt in Thailand at a cooking class. I added tofu but actually it didn't need it. The aubergine was delicious in it. I would make again but cooking the spice paste out was not ideal as it filled the room with spicy steam!

    • christineakiyoshi on October 20, 2021

      This was very easy to make with things that I had on hand. Love the recipes in this book as they all come together quickly!

  • New potato, chard and coconut curry

    • et12 on December 03, 2023

      We really like this curry. Came together nicely with delicate flavours. Served with rice but I think it would have been good on its own.

    • anothersarah on July 17, 2023

      This was delicious.

    • Hellyloves2cook on February 27, 2023

      14/1/23 My husband made this without any changes and we enjoyed it.

    • paulabee on July 17, 2024

      This was good! It's relatively mild, but I served it with a more assertively spiced paneer dish so these went well together. It's a lovely use of summer produce when you still want something warming and hearty (without being heavy). I thought the chard was great here but I could likewise imagine tossing in whatever greens I had on hand. A note--as is often the case in MS's recipes, the written potato cook time feels much too short; she says 10 minutes and then you're adding the coconut broth and putting in the chard stems after that. I cooked the potatoes until they were actually soft in the coconut broth before adding to the chard stems and I'm glad I did (otherwise I would have cooked the chard to oblivion I think); potatoes took about 25 minutes, then chard stems for five, then another five with leaves to finish. My potatoes held their shape and weren't overdone at all.

  • Paneer, tomato and kale saag

    • ksg518 on May 04, 2022

      Good although not a "wow" dish. But still a likely repeat given how much kale my CSA gives me from time to time. Oddly, my book calls for agave, not brown rice syrup. I thought it was a tad too sweet and would cut back on the agave next time.

    • et12 on May 27, 2024

      I hoped to enjoy this more than I did. Nothing wrong with it really just that I felt the flavours didn’t meld together so well.

    • potatooryam on December 29, 2020

      So good. I was a little worried that it would be too sweet right after I added the rice syrup, but the flavors combined really nicely once it had cooked for a bit.

    • lilham on July 06, 2020

      This is delicious. I substituted granulated sugar for the brown rice syrup. I love how it uses kale instead of the normal spinach. This will be in our regular rotation for curry night.

    • Apollonia on August 23, 2021

      This is decent, but we apparently liked it less than others. It was a bit under-spiced (maybe a fault of my spices!) and my family wasn't too keen on the kale.

    • Astrid5555 on April 13, 2022

      Delicious, even my teenagers enjoyed this curry. Very tasty, used Swiss chard instead of kale.

    • erin3107 on February 14, 2023

      This one was ok but I wasn't a huge fan of the texture. My friend really like it who shared it with me though

    • Florafauna on September 16, 2020

      Very tasty, a keeper! We will have this whenever we have a glut of kale (veg box - autumn, most weeks!) We used chickpeas instead of paneer to make it vegan. Maple syrup substitute for the rice syrup. It went very well with the green chilli and mustard pickle in her fresh India book page 236!

  • Sprout nasi goreng

    • snackbaby on July 16, 2023

      i was not such a big fan of this. cutting the sprouts is a bit of an annoying task, and I did not really enjoy the topping of raw sprouts either. I suppose for my the strength in nasi goreng is just being able to use whatever you have left in the fridge and so this felt needlessly fussy.

    • aeybkme on May 29, 2023

      Really tasty, I really liked the raw sprouts on top.

    • Hellyloves2cook on July 22, 2024

      This has been made man times over the last few years in our house. I must admit that my husband is the one that makes this. He is a big fan of brussell sprouts and he likes to take what is left over in a lunch box to eat at work the next day. This recipe will encourage my youngest son to eat brussel sprouts too.

    • JessicaRFisher on February 11, 2023

      Really enjoyed this. The marinated sprouts are delicious for crunch and a hit of different flavour. I'd ease back on the sesame oil next time; personal preference and the fact our oil is probably not great quality.

    • joelle on November 05, 2022

      I didn't make the marinated Brussels sprouts, but even without them, this was a delicious, flavorful dish. I reduced the amount of rice a little, and served it with a fried egg on top. Yum.

  • Coconut rice with aubergines and pickled cucumber

    • Hellyloves2cook on April 27, 2020

      The aubergine element to the dish was rather nice. However the rice part didn't work and remained hard and nutty- I cooked it longer than suggested. Perhaps I should have used the carton version of coconut milk rather than the canned variety. I will try to do my own version of a coconut rice next time.

    • Cvtbird on March 19, 2021

      Large portion size

    • snackbaby on February 23, 2023

      i really enjoyed this, but it makes A LOT. the pickled cucumbers really make this dish!

  • Kimchi fried rice

    • christineakiyoshi on December 31, 2022

      Delicious! I added a bit of tofu to this. Flavors are perfect.

    • wcassity on October 27, 2021

      Delicious. Added / scrambled two eggs.

  • Egg fried rice with peppers, peas and chilli

    • Lepa on November 14, 2019

      This was easy to throw together and really good. I omitted the chili because we have young children and my husband and I topped ours with siracha. Everyone in our family enjoyed this dish!

    • joelle on November 05, 2022

      I found this to be a mise en place nightmare. A lot of dirty dishes and time for fairly bland, lackluster results.

    • gamulholland on April 14, 2021

      This was tasty and simple, easy to make on a weeknight with food we had in the house and leftover cooked rice. I added ginger at the beginning and some sesame oil at the end, extra bell pepper, no chile because then the kids could eat it.

  • Spring pilau with asparagus, fennel and pea

    • ksg518 on April 22, 2021

      Meh. I thought the final product lacked something -- most likely more acid. It calls for lemon wedges at the end but I think the whole dish could use some extra zest and lemon juice. I also think the amount of rice she calls for is too much for the amount of veggies but I've come to realize that Sodha and I appear to disagree on the rice to veggie ratio question. If you used the full amount of rice she recommends, it would be four very big servings.

  • Summer pilau with tomato, coconut and cashews

    • et12 on May 14, 2023

      I thought this dish had lovely delicate flavours and cooked up really nicely. For me, this works best as a good pilau to serve alongside a bold flavoured main rather then as a main dish itself.

    • dc151 on May 02, 2021

      This was just ok for us. Too much coconut, other flavors didn't pull through, it seemed.

  • Autumn pilau with squash, cavolo nero and smoked garlic

    • Kiwibackhome on June 17, 2024

      We added toasted cashews and sultanas and served with Anna Jones' green chutney.

    • et12 on October 29, 2023

      I liked the heartiness of this dish and the use of pumpkin and dark green leaves. I used a savoy cabbage and it worked great. Nice comforting flavours.

  • Winter pilau with beetroot, cauliflower and coriander chutney

    • Hellyloves2cook on April 27, 2020

      My husband made this as one of our lockdown meals. It was nice and pretty to look at with the gem like pomegranate seeds.

  • Aubergine larb with sticky rice and a shallot and peanut salad

    • chaffinski on January 04, 2023

      Third that it is delicious. I also couldn’t buy Thai basil. Served with black rice rather than sticky rice. A vegan dish that I don’t feel I want to add cheese, egg or yogurt to.

    • christineakiyoshi on October 26, 2024

      Fantastic! Very flavorful and great way to use eggplant from the garden. Bright flavors. 5 stars!

    • ALawson25 on March 13, 2022

      Second that this is delicious! Sadly couldn’t get hold of Thai Basil leaves, but it was still tasty. I would try and double the shallot topping next time

    • SKidd on August 19, 2023

      I was going to make the katsu curry but pivoted to this recipe as I had everything on hand. So good, though my eggplant skin was a little tough so I ended up scooping it out with the salad and eating it mixed with rice, the dressing was quite spicy with the pepper I had but with the mild eggplant and rice was just fine. I subbed brown sugar for the palm and a little fish sauce for part of the soy (as I’m not vegan). Also compared to other recipes in the book this didn’t make giant portions—I usually halve her recipes and it still makes tons but we used three eggplants and the full salad portion and it was about right for two with side dishes.

    • aeybkme on March 06, 2022

      This is a 10/10 dish. Easy and absolutely delicious. I've made this with both normal basil and Thai basil. It's great either way. I make an extra 1/4 of the dressing because it's delicious.

  • Sweet potato and tenderstem bibimbap

    • aeybkme on March 06, 2022

      Really easy and super delicious! I roast all of the veg to save time.

    • NicoleBrown on January 07, 2025

      Delicious! I made only a couple adjustments - I cooked the rice in my instant pot + I roasted the sweet potatoes and broccoli in the oven. Added in some leftover edamame for even more protein. Sauces are so good!

    • pie4u on April 28, 2022

      Simple and delicious. This is our favorite of the recipes we have tried from this book so far. Didn't have avocado so added spinach.

    • WandaA on September 21, 2024

      Loved this recipe. The sauce is fantastic and makes a great batch. Used it with tweaks to roast carrots the next day. Will definitely make again!

    • et12 on August 28, 2023

      Enjoyed this one. The sauce is tasty and everything easy to make. Was perfect meal for a Monday night after a busy weekend.

  • Piccalilli spiced rice

    • ksg518 on February 14, 2021

      Not sure what I was expecting from this but it certainly wasn't what I wound up with. This was just very heavy and blah. I made it as directed except I didn't have the chili. I also cut the rice by about a third - I think this is way too much rice for this dish and I don't think the extra rice would help the final product at all. Not a repeat.

    • aeybkme on March 01, 2022

      I made this as a side for an Indian dinner party. Be heavy handed with the lemon and mustard. We all enjoyed it and I'd make it again.

  • Beetroot and yoghurt rice

    • aeybkme on March 01, 2022

      Surprisingly delicious. A great way to use up veg box beetroot and a very pretty dish!

    • FieryFantail on June 05, 2023

      Very tasty, though I think I would like this even better served as part of a thali instead of mixing the rice in from the start.

  • Scrambled tofu akuri

    • Ganga108 on July 16, 2023

      Delicious! Scrambled tofu with the taste of India. I used Pressed Silken Tofu this time, and it was perfect. I love her idea of draining the tofu for 10 mins prior to cooking. Yum. A definite favourite, along with Ottolenhi's scrambled harissa tofu. BTW, I prefer scrambled tofu made with silken tofus over the more popular firm tofu. It is naturally more creamier and soft, whereas you do need to be careful of moisture when using firm tofu - recipes often add milk, cream and even mayo! No need for that here.

    • joelle on November 05, 2022

      This was delicious! I thought I would be clever and use this for a wrap, but it's too loose for that. The suggestion of serving it over toast is a much better plan.

  • Tempeh with pak choi and tomato sambal

    • joelle on November 05, 2022

      Delicious! I steamed my tempeh in the instant pot set to 0 minutes before frying it, because my understanding is that steaming tempeh before other cooking methods helps remove some bitterness and allows it to soak up flavors better. I also subbed whole canned tomatoes for the ripe ones the recipe requires, since it was winter. I served this with the Brussels sprouts nasi goreng, and it was so good!

    • Astrid5555 on December 18, 2022

      This was excellent! Used canned tomatoes instead of fresh ones and added some more water for the pak choi to steam properly.

    • hbakke on June 01, 2024

      We enjoyed this. The tomato sambal was flavorful and paired well with tempeh. I did have to add a little water to the pan to steam my baby bok choy, but otherwise followed the recipe. I served this with a rice and grain medley.

  • Mushroom mapo tofu

    • damjih on April 22, 2021

      Its good but kinda just tastes like all the leeks, I'd go easy on them~

    • mademoisielle on January 26, 2021

      Liked this one, easy weeknight meal with some greens and rice. Of the tofu recipes in this book I prefer the honey, soy and ginger braised tofu though.

    • Margret on October 25, 2024

      To much leek.

    • anothersarah on February 02, 2022

      A lot of special ingredients for a much buzzed about recipe that was just ok. I like spice but it overpowered the flavors in this dish.

    • Astrid5555 on February 11, 2021

      Made as written this was way too spicy for us. Nevertheless will make again with less chilli bean sauce. We loved the mushrooms instead of the usual ground pork.

  • Celeriac, tofu and kale gado gado

    • aeybkme on March 06, 2022

      Very easy, really delicious and a great way to use up veg box celeriac.

  • Honey, soy and ginger braised tofu

    • Shaxon on December 26, 2021

      I've made this more than once and will definitely make it again. My pears have always blended well into the sauce. It's like a "secret ingredient." Excellent with some jasmine or basmati rice, easy and not too many dishes.

    • jhallen on October 20, 2021

      This was easy and really amazing. Great sauce & great texture.

    • Apollonia on January 27, 2022

      Fantastic! My pears were really juicy and ripe; I don't think it would work with firmer pears. I also doubled the sauce, which worked great. Served with steamed broccoli and rice.

    • potatooryam on December 29, 2020

      Like Lepa my sauce looked nothing like the picture, I wonder if my pear was too large and not as ripe as it should have been. I ended up pureeing the sauce and adding it back to the pan. It was tasty enough but probably wouldn't repeat.

    • Dinovino on April 08, 2022

      Half a grated apple instead of the pear worked well.

    • EmilyR on March 16, 2022

      The sauce was excellent, though as others have stated - it doesn't look like the picture in the book. We had broccoli and this tofu, which was excellent. My tofu stuck to the pan quite a bit, but I'm far from a frying pro. I ended up blitzing the sauce in a vitamix and I think you could even use canned pears in juice / water for the subtle sweetness.

    • tarae1204 on April 25, 2021

      I used a small, ripe pear and my sauce didn’t look like that in the picture. Still it was tasty and my kids liked it with reduced gochujang.

    • Lepa on September 12, 2019

      My sauce didn't look like the sauce in the picture. I suspect it was because my pear wasn't ripe and didn't cook down as much as it should have. The dish was still very good. I reduced the gochujang paste to 1 tsp so it wouldn't be too hot for my kids and it was just right.

    • Kduncan on January 18, 2021

      This was fine. My sauce was a bit thick but overall the flavor was great. Will probably try some other recipes in this book before I circle back to this one.

    • Tealismyname on July 03, 2023

      Delicious even without the pear!

    • lizbot2000 on March 14, 2022

      I have loved Maangchi's version of this for years, and I wanted to try this version with the added pear and added braising of the sauce and tofu together at the end. I had always just thrown the sauce on the fried tofu without cooking it. I really like the pear and cooking the sauce to thicken it up, but I ended up needing to double the gochujang and soy sauce to make it as spicy and umami as I wanted.

  • Chilli tofu

    • Lepa on October 11, 2019

      This dish is spicy and satisfying. I only had a pound of tofu and that was perfect. I have a hard time believing twice as much (as listed in the recipe) would work. Dusting the tofu on cornmeal was a great trick that gave it excellent texture and prevented the sticking that often drives me nuts. I added extra salt at the end but otherwise made this dish as listed. I will probably make this again- but only when the kids aren't eating!

    • sarahj22 on September 12, 2020

      My friend made this for me and it was truly delicious. When I made it myself it was still very tasty, but I must have let the tofu cook in the sauce too long after frying as it had lost its lovely crispiness. I halved the amount of tofu but kept the other quantities the same, which was enough for three not-overly-saucy portions. (As Lepa says, using more tofu seems odd as it would mess with the tofu-sauce ratio.) Unfortunately this dish didn't convert my tofu-hating husband - otherwise I'd consider this a repeat recipe.

    • carlythecook on August 12, 2022

      A favourite. I make this about once a month. I always double the sauce.

    • Yildiz100 on December 28, 2020

      This dish was fine but not comparable to versions of this dish that include tamarind. Made a half recipe which was all that my largest skillet could handle. Not a repeat for us. Not because it is bad, we just have a version we like better.

    • Apollonia on September 18, 2020

      Loved this dish! Based on the other comments, I cut the amount of tofu in half, which resulted in 2 generous or 3 more slim servings (you could probably stretch to 4 servings with chapati or another accompaniment). I also pan fried the tofu, which worked nicely, though I'm sure a deep fry would get you closer to restaurant flavor. This is definitely a repeat in our house; next time I will just double the sauce.

    • hbakke on October 17, 2022

      Nicely spicy from the jalapeños I subbed for finger/serrano chiles. I pan fried (rather than deep fry) 15 oz of firm tofu and that was plenty for us. We both liked the sauce and may double it next time (along with adding more veg) as mentioned by another reviewer.

    • christineakiyoshi on November 13, 2020

      Very tasty. We needed to add additional water, as recommended in the recipe. We did not have serrano on hand so used a mix of jalapeno and Anaheim peppers. Used the recommended amount of tofu since we are tofu fiends. Will make it again!

    • aeybkme on March 02, 2022

      I use a 400g pack of tofu and three peppers. This makes 4 decent sized portions.

    • Nickelp on February 11, 2022

      I had a head of cauliflower to use up so replaced the tofu with the cauliflower and it turned out quite tasty. Next time would probably roast the cauliflower instead of steaming it.

    • snackbaby on July 16, 2023

      probably my favorite dish from this book - or at least the one I've made the most. tasty, addictive, exciting. I use 2 bell peppers + 250-400 g tofu for 2 people (depending on the brand of tofu). I also sometimes roast the tofu in the oven.

  • Spring vegetable bun cha

    • joelle on November 05, 2022

      Yum! The dressing is the star of the show. In fact, the rest of the recipe was a bit fussy for me; next time, I might save myself some trouble and make the dressing and add that, plus fresh herbs and peanuts, to whatever salad ingredients I might have at hand.

    • et12 on April 02, 2023

      The sauce mixed in with the greens, cabbage and peanuts really makes for a tasty dish. Reminded me of the bun cha I had on the streets of Ho Chi Minh City. The tofu doesn’t really add much to this dish and I would omit next time in favour of more noodles and greens.

  • Mashed potato paratha with a quick lemon pickle

    • RachLFinn on October 03, 2023

      Scaled this up a little as I had more potatoes than required. Quite a lot of hands-on cooking is needed - but fun to do. You'll need quite a lot of extra flour - so if you've only got enough for the weighed amounts, beware. Lemon pickle is strong and feisty. A good fun side dish all around. Excellent flavours as always from this cookbook (my most cooked from recipe book by some way!)

    • aeybkme on March 06, 2022

      Really delicious and pretty easy.

  • Seeni sambol buns

    • ldyndiuk on January 23, 2023

      The filling took a lot longer to cook, which I expected, but it came out well. The actual bread, however, was kind of terrible. The recipe is both specific and vague in that it calls for 4 cups + 2 tablespoons of flour, but doesn’t give a weight. The liquid was a combo of coconut milk and coconut oil cooked with a little sugar and salt, and I think it was not enough liquid. You also add a few tablespoons of water, but my dough was very tough and the bread came out hard and dry. I did add some extra water but clearly should have added more. A lot of work with disappointing results.

  • Kimchi pancakes with a spinach salad

    • bluepastrami on December 26, 2022

      the jeon themselves made stupendous latkes. I divided the batter into 10 latkes, and the size was perfect. since I made them without the salad, I used a sauce of gochujang, sesame oil, soy sauce, and black vinegar. I look forward to making them as Meera Sodha describes, as part of a salad with a dressing, since the need for latke materials has subsided for a year and I’d like to put these on a good rotation through the kitchen.

    • louisewint on January 22, 2021

      Pretty delicious. I halved the sauce and it was just enough, so the recipe makes extra. Not sure how 250 grams of kimchi would yield near to 200mls of kimchi liquid, so I had to top it up a lot. You have to cook these for long enough, I went for 6 minutes per side, to make sure the inside is cooked. Another note, the pancakes in the picture look small, but in the recipe she says to make them 15cms diameter (which makes 4 pancakes) so I went with that.

  • Tomato, pistachio and saffron tart

    • Anea25 on August 22, 2024

      this really needs good acidic tomatoes to cut through the richness and sweetness of the pistachio mixture.

  • Vietnamese coconut pancakes

    • Kattancock on February 12, 2022

      One of those recipes that I thought would be decent and we ended up loving. The pancakes are nice and creamy to contrast with the sharp, crunchy salad. Note that the US measurement conversion is off for the rice flour - the Guardian online version of the recipe says 220 g and I'll do that next time, my batter was too thick. (Continually mad that Canadians end up with the American versions of these cookbooks when I would way rather have grams and ml!)

  • Sun House chilli eggs

    • Lepa on October 11, 2019

      I love shakshuka so I expected to love these eggs but they were only okay. I missed the spices and complexity of shakshuka. I added some Brooklyn Delhi Tomato Achar and that improved the dish but going forward I'll probably make shakshuka.

  • Sweetheart cabbage okonomiyaki

    • lilham on November 07, 2021

      This is a bland okonomiyaki recipe. Nothing like the ones I had in Japan. However, it is simple and easy to make and it is filled with lots of cabbages. I shredded the cabbages very finely and the children ate without complaints. (This counts as a win doesn’t it)? I also found the sauce too sweet. A little goes a long way.

    • jacqie on January 19, 2021

      Light but very filling. I like it with the toppings of hoisin sauce and oyster sauce/mayo, but it's a bit plain on its own. Maybe add a chili next time?

    • Anea25 on October 17, 2024

      I liked these a lot. More filling than what they seem on the paper! The sauce is absolutely necessary.

    • Cvtbird on April 26, 2021

      This was delicious, greater than the sum of its parts. The sauces make it.

    • soval96 on December 11, 2024

      This is so easy and tasty. Has been in my regular in my weekly menu for a long time

    • snackbaby on November 16, 2024

      i liked these a lot: good mix between indulgent and still somewhat healthy. very simple to make and they flip well. sauce is good but does need the mayo to offset the sweetness.

  • Egg tamago rolls with wasabi mayo

    • mzgourmand on November 17, 2020

      This cookbook looks gorgeous and I am eager to try other recipes from it. And I think this recipe highlights just how idiocyncratic taste is. I was expecting to love this recipe b/c I love traditional, Japanese restaurant tamago - this rendition is more salty and less sweet, which of course could be tweaked. I definitely did not enjoy the addition of sesame seeds to both the base recipe and the dipping sauce, and I like sesame seeds generally. But here I found that they disrupted the texture of the dish - others might enjoy that contrast. I usually like nori but found that a whole sheet of it was too strong a counter-point for each individual serving, and finally I actively disliked the wasabi mayonnaise dipping sauce, which I made with fresh wasabi powder. However, my wife - who spent several years working in Japan - tasted only the wasabi mayonnaise and thought it was delicious. It really is all a matter of taste.

    • kitchen_chick on November 12, 2021

      We really liked this, and we adore wasabi mayo. I didn’t have nori sheets, so I used shredded nori. I agree it’s a “salty” tamago, so if you’re expecting a sweet egg omelet then try leaving out the soy sauce.

  • Bombay rolls

    • VineTomato on December 15, 2019

      Absolutely delicious! I forgot to add the oil to green paste and didn't miss it in the end. Very easy to make and the flavour is incredible. So good in fact we decided an extra one could be our dessert!

    • kshell on May 04, 2023

      Have made several times and they are always great despite not ever having the exact list of ingredients. I always use fresh cilantro, but have subbed a lesser amount of dried mint for fresh, added in parsley, used vinegar for lemon juice, whatever onion-like thing is on hand (shallot, scallions) and I skip the chillies. I've accidentally added the onion to the food processor with the rest. Used whatever grated cheese I had. You can do no wrong! I agree with a previous comment, these are really filling.

    • aeybkme on March 01, 2022

      These are great for picnics. I've made them twice, once with cheddar and once with violife shredded cheese. Both worked really well!

    • Running_with_Wools on August 11, 2024

      Really delicious and fairly easy. Super flavorful. Everyone asked for this recipe. Like a savory cinnamon roll but with homemade spicy and herby chutney and aged cheddar cheese.

    • MilduraSO on May 17, 2020

      This was so unusual and I’m on the fence. My husband loved them and ate 3 (they are really filling or he would have eaten more!). I enjoyed one but found by the second one that the flavour was too much. Really quick and easy so perfect for a family spread with lots of other bits to balance it out.

  • Leek and chard martabak

    • JennyR on March 16, 2023

      Absolutely delicious, had 2 sheets of filo lurking and 1 leek and 200g chard left from my veg box so did half the recipe for two of us, didn't have any spring onions so added a sliced shallot to the mix. Definitely a keeper.

    • Astrid5555 on April 23, 2020

      We really enjoyed this savory veggie kind of strudel dish, great feedback from both kids. Not too much work for a weeknight dinner, will definitely make again!

  • Quick coconut dal with tomato sambol

    • joelle on November 05, 2022

      I have mixed feelings about this. The dal is *very* rich and needs some brightness from the sambol, but I found the raw onions to be overpowering. If you're sensitive to raw onion, keep that in mind.

    • et12 on October 01, 2023

      We liked this. I used Chana dal instead of lentils and so had to cook longer and thickened with corn flour, but it was really tasty.

    • LFL on July 17, 2022

      5 stars. So good! I would say it’s closer to 4 servings than 2. We left out the curry leaves and the finger/serrano chili but otherwise made as directed with full fat coconut milk. The dal is sublime even just by itself and the sambol is almost as good. They go together really well. Whether you make both together or just one, the results are delicious. The only adjustment I might make in the future would be to cut the salt by 25%.

    • Melissa_427 on June 15, 2021

      So tasty! Spicier than I would have imagined!

    • aeybkme on May 29, 2023

      Don't skip the tomato sambal on top, it adds much needed freshness!

    • Cvtbird on June 20, 2021

      Delicious! I don’t like tomato so did the Sambol without it which was tangy and provided texture. One of the best dal I’ve had.

    • snackbaby on February 23, 2023

      love this. i sometimes replace the curry leaves with 2-3 lime leaves for a slightly fresher flavor in the dal

  • Black dal

    • snackbaby on February 23, 2023

      decent meal, but a bit underwhelming perhaps. not my favorite of meera's dals

    • Ganga108 on September 18, 2024

      I made this in the Instant Pot. Cooked the dal in IP with salt and a little ghee (6 min HP, Full NR, perfect). I made the tadka/tomato mix separately and added to the dal, and then slow cooked it for some hours in the IP, to give the urad that slow-cooked urad style (yum). The dal is awesome, in a Punjabi, dark, urad dal sort of way. Dark and beautiful, it goes well with a light cucumber-capsicum salad and rice. NOTE Garam Masala is a finishing spice. Best added at the end (my preference of course) - perhaps 5 mins before you serve to allow flavours to develop.

  • Black-eye bean and chickpea usal

    • joelle on November 05, 2022

      So good! Filling but light. Perfect for a spring day. I made the black-eyed peas and chickpeas (separately) in the instant pot from dried. Subbed a yellow onion for the red, and sugar snap peas for snow peas. This was a hit.

  • Red lentil rasam with roast red cabbage

    • joelle on November 05, 2022

      The rasam was delicious! I didn't have red cabbage, so I skipped that part, but I've made a similar cabbage recipe from Meera Sodha's Fresh India, and it was very good.

    • Hansyhobs on March 12, 2023

      Had a red cabbage hanging about so made this as I already had everything in. Really tasty and easy to make. I love roasted red cabbage and it works well here but you don't NEED it. Served with rice. I cooked the lentils for longer than stated as I wanted them closer to dal consistency and not soupy.

    • MariaSwe on May 07, 2023

      This was quite nice and easy. I thought the cabbage could have used more than a pinch of salt in the beginning. I didn't use the entire amount of Kashmiri chili but I should have. Will make again.

    • snackbaby on November 16, 2024

      not my favorite from this book. rasam is nice but for some reason found it difficult to navigate the roasted wedges in relation to the soup.

    • aeybkme on March 06, 2022

      This is a great storecupboard dish. You don't need the roster red cabbage but it's very addictive!

  • Chickpea flour chips with chilli sauce

    • Cvtbird on March 18, 2022

      Surprisingly nice, crispy outside and soft inside. Can make the chips then leave in the fridge before frying to order.

    • Yildiz100 on May 07, 2021

      Needs about 10x as much oil as stated because these soak up the oil like crazy. I followed the recipe precisely but the result was too soft. The middle sort of melted making something that looked a bit like an eclair and wanted to fall apart. Ok, but not a repeat.

    • Kattancock on February 12, 2022

      I was a little surprised at how good these were! Crisp on the outside and nice and creamy in the middle. I had to cook the mixture on the stovetop a lot longer than 12 minutes, I probably made it to 20 and it was only barely starting to pull away from the pan. The recipe says to use an 8-inch pan and cut in half then in strips; I found the 4-inch pieces a bit long and they tended to break when I was frying them, so I might do thirds next time. I also want to strategize another dipping sauce as the ketchup-sriracha mixture was fine but I think one could do better... and yes, they do require more oil than the recipe says, but not that much more, maybe 2 tbsp with each batch? I did mine in 2 1/2 batches in my medium pan.

    • Kattancock on November 08, 2022

      Can anyone in the UK give me the metric measurements for the ingredients, esp. the chickpea flour? Making these for the second time and for some reason the quantity of batter was way less than last time. N.A. edition says "1 scant cup (7 oz) chickpea flour" and I'm wondering if the first time I did 7 oz by weight instead of volume. (Somehow I can't get up the energy to complain to the US publisher to include the original metric measurements alongside the US translation, particularly for a Canadian audience, but so frustrating...)

  • Amritsari pomegranate chickpeas

    • Yildiz100 on December 25, 2020

      This is really nice but misses the more complex spice profile that other Amritsari chole recipes usually have. I sprinkled it with some garam masala and that made it more like I expected. I really liked the pomegranate molasses as a substitute for dried pomegranate. The acidity was just right. I used canned tomatoes, so I reduced them to 150 grams since they usually contain less water. Also, chopped the green chili for more heat.

    • joelle on November 05, 2022

      Not the most attractive dish, but delicious. I made the chickpeas in the instant pot from dried, and doubled the pomegranate molasses.

    • snackbaby on July 16, 2023

      found this to be underwhelming. kept adding molasses, but for some reason the thing never really came alive for me.

  • Maham's dal

    • aeybkme on May 29, 2023

      I made the guardian article version of this, frying the aromatics before adding the lentils. This is my go to dal recipe.

    • christineakiyoshi on February 16, 2025

      My husband loves this! I need to plant a few more curry leaf plants so that I will have an abundance to use. 5 stars

    • joelle on November 05, 2022

      I made this in the instant pot with a few changes, and it was delicious! Subbed red lentils for mung dal, in a 3 quart IP, added ingredients for the dal, plus one scant teaspoon of salt (and left salt out of the spiced oil -- based on the instructions, I think the placement of salt in the ingredients list may have been in error?), added water to the first line. 12 minutes pressure, with a quick release.

    • Ordinaryblogger on May 08, 2022

      Easy to make and so tasty. Wonderful with coconut brown rice.

    • et12 on February 16, 2025

      Very good, comforting flavours and so easy. I used Chana dal instead of mung dal and it worked fine, except it nearly took twice as long to cook.

  • Roast green beans and tenderstem with sesame sauce

    • luluf on May 24, 2022

      Easy and fabulous side dish loved by everyone

    • Tealismyname on July 28, 2022

      Really delicious! The sesame sauce was great. I added a half tsp of rice vinegar.

  • Kung pao cauliflower

    • Hellyloves2cook on June 28, 2020

      This was very nice. Made as part of a meal. In fact this has been made a few times since- it’s that delicious!

    • Dinovino on December 19, 2023

      Really tasty dish

    • christineakiyoshi on November 21, 2020

      Another quick to make recipe from this book. Very good!

    • fbcd on April 05, 2024

      I found this dish to be too salty and somehow lacking in umami and heat. Adding some miso to the the roasting oil and substituting water for some of the soy and hoisin helped a bit, but It still needs more tweaking.

    • snackbaby on February 23, 2023

      love this adaptation, made it a few times. i also enjoy leftover cold for lunch.

    • NicoleBrown on February 03, 2025

      Really delicious! We didn’t have bird’s eye chilis so we subbed 1T of gochujang for a bit of heat. Used olive oil instead of canola. Ate it for a late evening snack!

  • Roasted carrots and cabbage with gochujang

    • Hellyloves2cook on February 27, 2023

      19/2/23 Husband made this as an accompaniment to our meal as we needed to use some carrots up. Very pleased to eat this.

    • mlbatt on September 17, 2023

      Excellent! One note: I lined my sheet pans with nonstick foil (and some of the marinade still stuck). Tossing in the oil & white wine vinegar after roasting seemed unnecessary to me, but I did it anyway, and was glad I did. Definitely goes on the list to make again!

  • Tandoori broccoli

    • Dinovino on April 13, 2022

      Page under Broccoli is incorrect, should be 242 on 42

    • tarae1204 on April 25, 2021

      Really tasty and fairly simple. Didn’t look like the picture in the book. I wonder if “cream cheese” is for the US version and a different ingredient shows up for the UK version?

  • Tamarind shallots

    • et12 on March 26, 2023

      Really tasty way to prepare shallots. We loved it. Served it with the recommended potato and green bean istoo and it balanced it out very well.

  • Nutmeg, lime and coconut green beans

    • Ksmotherman on May 09, 2021

      Excellent flavor! The sauce is very silky and slightly sweet, coats everything. One of my favorite ways to cook green beans now

  • Blackened sweetcorn with miso butter

    • ALawson25 on August 27, 2023

      Slightly reduced quantities of Miso as I didn't have enough, so adjusted the other ingredients by taste. Flavour was fantastic, and given I had to substitute the real butter for flora due to making for a vegan, this was extra impressive. Would definitely make this again.

    • rodillagra on October 08, 2020

      The miso butter was very salty. But I would have put salt on corn on the cob anyway so it made a pleasant change. Use the lime wedges it is served with, a squeeze of lime makes all the difference.

  • Whole roast pumpkin with black bean and chilli oil

    • jacqie on January 19, 2021

      I used gochujang instead of the black beans- it wasn't too spicy and was really good. I tried it as a main course but I think it works better as a side.

  • Vietnamese coffee ice cream

    • Foodo on June 18, 2024

      Easy and tasty! Be sure to whip your cream extra stiff or else it will separate during freezing and the bottom of the ice cream becomes chewy.

  • Banana bread with toasted coconut

    • Astrid5555 on May 05, 2022

      Delicous banana bread, but also for me the baking time was way off. Baked it for 30 minutes at 200, tented it with foil, turned the oven down to 180 and baked for another 20 minutes.

    • rosyannposy on October 31, 2019

      This was delicious but the baking time is off. Baked it 20 minutes less at 400 then only 5 min more at the next temp. I started to smell burning. The crust was black but very good inside. Next time I will cook at 350.

    • EmilyR on June 21, 2023

      Tried taking the advice of the previous bakers and went with 375° for 30 minutes... it needed another 30 or so tented. This is not sweet due to not having added sugar, but it's a great little breakfast cake especially for Vegan friends.

    • Jardimc on June 26, 2023

      A burnt mess. Wish I had thought to read people’s EYB notes before I tried this. I have so many amazing banana bread recipes, this one is simply not worth going back to. Ack.

  • Salted miso brownies

    • damjih on March 30, 2021

      I made these last week with GF flour, came out perfect, even better when in the fridge for a day

    • chezmaryb on March 04, 2021

      Worth the hype, these were sweet, a little savory, and the flavor combination really worked

    • kshell on February 05, 2024

      Second time making these. They are great! Very chocolatey and fudgy. Used a 9x13in. cake pan by accident, pulled after 28 min at 355F convection. I much prefer them on the thin side and will use this pan again. It is hard to tell when they are done baking. In the 9x13 pan there was no wobble but the whole thing was bubbling and I waited till it lost its wet sheen in the middle.

    • Jonnadv on January 21, 2022

      Just made this recipe, and it turned out a bit weird. I followed all the steps exactly but after adding the chia seeds, the coconut oil separated from the rest of the mixture. Because of that the inside turned out fine but the outside got sort of fried and burned a bit.

    • Hellyloves2cook on June 28, 2020

      Hmm... My husband made this and used gf flour instead of plain flour. It wasn’t soft or moist like a traditional brownie. Now, I admit it could be that he overcooked them, but putting that aside, they were sickly sweet and inedible. No one in my family liked them. One bite and we all put them in the bin. Like to hear anyone else’s experience of making these.

    • Kattancock on November 16, 2022

      These worked out really well and have such good flavour. I admit mine weren't vegan, I was out of coconut oil so used butter, but they are going on my list for a vegan dessert. I would prefer a stronger miso flavour, am wondering about increasing the quantity or using a stronger miso. I think next time I would also sprinkle some salt on top. I had a bad experience once with rancid chia when buying pre-ground seeds so now I always grind them myself in a spice grinder, works great!

  • Banana tarte Tatin with cinnamon, black pepper and cloves

    • Anea25 on July 13, 2024

      I really enjoyed the flavour but for me the timing was off, the puff pastry was still almost raw and the sugar could have been more caramelized.

    • sdcookbookclub on February 27, 2021

      Ingredient list is missing frozen puff pastry

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  • ISBN 10 1250750741
  • ISBN 13 9781250750747
  • Published Oct 20 2020
  • Page Count 303
  • Language English
  • Countries United States
  • Publisher Macmillan
  • Imprint Flatiron Books

Publishers Text

This edition has been adapted for the US market. It was originally published in the UK.

* Named one of the best cookbooks of the year by The New York Times, the Boston Globe, and Delish *

“Enticing, inviting and delicious. Vegan and vegetarian dishes that are hard to resist (and why should you?).”
—Yotam Ottolenghi

“Sodha, who writes a vegan cooking column for The Guardian, has widened her scope in this exceptional volume, drawing on ingredients and techniques from throughout Asia to inspire a mix of mostly speedy, weeknight-friendly dishes… a glimpse of Ms. Sodha at her best.”
—Melissa Clark, The New York Times

“With verve and charm, Meera Sodha persuades all cooks to make her luscious plant-based food. Her honesty and wit shine bright in this accessible collection of recipes tailored for omnivores and busy people. Every page bursts with exciting ideas you’ll want to cook up!”
—Andrea Nguyen, author of Vietnamese Food Any Day and The Pho Cookbook

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.

Meera Sodha's stunning new collection features brand-new recipes from a wide range of Asian cuisines. This cookbook is a collaboration between Sodha and the East Asian and South East Asian home cooks and gourmet chefs who inspired her along the way. There are noodles, curries, rice dishes, tofu, salads, sides, and sweets, all easy to make and bursting with exciting flavors.

Taking you from India to Indonesia, Singapore, and Japan, by way of China, Thailand, and Vietnam, East will show you how to whip up a root vegetable laksa and a chard, potato, and coconut curry; how to make kimchi pancakes, delicious dairy-free black dal and chili tofu. There are sweet potato momos for snacks and unexpected desserts like salted miso brownies and a no-churn Vietnamese coffee ice cream.



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