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

By Meera Sodha

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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Publishers
• Release date: Oct 20, 2020
• ISBN: 9781250750747

Meera Sodha

When not traveling around India, collecting recipes, Meera Sodha chefs, writes, and lives in London. Made In India is her first cookbook.

Book preview

snacks & small things

There are those who righteously stand up for breakfast as the most important meal of the day and those who tout the benefits of family dinners (and I’m not denying either). But where is the ambassador for snacking? If the position is vacant, I’ll happily apply.

In my opinion, a life well lived is a life full of small edible delights: little opportunities of deliciousness that can be woven into a day. Sadly, in much of Europe and America, we’ve become a bit too hooked on very convenient but highly processed and sugary snacks—the sort that are mass-produced and presented in uniform packages in our convenience stores and supermarkets. But in Asia, for the most part, things are different and freshness and variety reign supreme.

In Bangkok, a snack might be a freshly pounded salad: the rising smell of lemongrass, mixing with chile and garlic, catching on the midday heat and sending your taste buds into over-drive. In Darjeeling, you might polish off a plate of momos (see here): perfectly sized little dumplings with a big bang of flavor, dipped into chile sauce. You might float down the Mekong River while chomping your way through a sizzling rice-flour crêpe (see here), doused in the famous sweet-and-sour Vietnamese sauce, nuoc cham.

At their best, snacks like these can be the best thing you’ll eat all day: artfully made by masters of their craft—and not just the filler between more important meals. They can be enjoyed when you’re on your own—standing up at a night market, or sitting on a train platform—or with a group of friends. When it comes to snacking, there are no rules.

Of course, everyone is anti-snacking these days for health reasons, but snacks don’t have to be unhealthy, especially if you make them yourself. I hope this chapter will inspire you to think a little more about those in-between moments, and make the most of them.

MUSHROOM BAO

V

There is genuine pleasure to be had in things that feel just right: the weight of a pound coin, a bath at the perfect temperature, the feel of a well-worn wooden spoon. To this list, I’d add the bao: this little bun, a staple of Taiwanese street-food stalls, is ergonomically designed for eating—it fits snugly into the nook of a hand; the pillowy dough gives like memory foam; and the semicircular shape slots cleanly into the mouth.

note / You’ll need a steamer: the inexpensive bamboo ones are brilliant.

Makes: 10 bao /

For the bao buns /

3 cups + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting

1 tsp instant yeast

2 tbsp sugar

½ tsp salt

1¼ tsp baking powder

1 cup warm water

canola oil

For the pickled cucumber /

⅓ cup rice vinegar

½ a cucumber, halved, deseeded, and thinly sliced

For the mushroom filling /

⅓ cup soy sauce

¼ cup creamy peanut butter

2½ tbsp rice vinegar

4 cloves of garlic, crushed

4 tsp toasted sesame oil

2 tbsp canola oil

1½ lbs oyster and shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced

a handful of salted peanuts, ground or finely chopped

Start by making the dough. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, then add the water little by little and bring the dough together using your hands; you should have a sticky ball. Turn it out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, until smooth and bouncy, then place in an oiled bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel and leave in a warm place to double in size for 1 to 1½