A couple more spoonfuls and it’s 2015, I’m in Mumbai, it’s 2am and my husband Hugh has just arrived. One more spoonful and she’s six months old and learning to eat; she doesn’t wrinkle her nose at a simple kheer made with apples. I began by looking beyond India to east and south-east Asia, finding new ways to shift vegetables from the side to the centre of the table.

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.There are noodles, curries, rice dishes, salads and bakes, all surprisingly easy to make and bursting with exciting flavours. Separate the whites of the eggs from the yolks into two large bowls and add the caster sugar to the yolks. When the rice is tender (ie there is no chalkiness in the centre), take it off the heat and spoon into a serving bowl. Whether you are vegetarian, want to eat more vegetables or just want to make great, modern Indian food, this is the book for you. Drawing from her 'New Vegan' Guardian column, Meera Sodha's stunning new collection also features plenty of brand-new recipes inspired by a wide range of Asian cuisines.

I sailed across the Palk Strait to Sri Lanka, where lunch means a selection of curries each made from one main ingredient – beetroot, aubergine, pumpkin, cashew – served alongside a coconut dal (parippu). The Vietnamese are masters of the mouthwatering salad, elevating raw vegetables to heavenly places using a secret weapon, nuoc cham chay – a bright, hot, sweet-and-sour sauce that wakes up every neuron in your brain. Her recipe instructions are very easy to follow and are also accurate, so if she says the sauce will be ready after simmering for 7 minutes, that’s when it will be ready!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. With relatively short ingredient lists and straightforward instructions, this great book will have you producing authentic-tasting dishes without spending all day in the kitchen. I discovered the wonderful world of the Asian larder: fermented, pickled and salted ingredients – kimchi, sweet miso and gochujang added flavour in an instant.