A couple more spoonfuls and it’s 2015, I’m in Mumbai, it’s 2am and my husband Hugh has just arrived. And because of the wide variety of recipes represented in this book, I have ventured into cuisines that I had previously thought to be too complex for me to cook – the Sichuan recipes are an example of that, with Meera’s Mushroom Mapo Tofu and Kung Pao Cauliflower now regulars in our house. East will show you how to whip up a swede laksa and a chard potato and coconut curry; how to make Kimchi pancakes or silken tofu with pine nuts.

Carefully peel off the now top piece of baking paper and replace with a new sheet just slightly larger than the cake. I accosted home cooks on social media who had innocently posted photos of their breakfast, to ask them more about what they ate and how they made it. Often referred to as BIR (British Indian Restaurant) style cooking, more and more people are discovering that this style of cooking is easy to replicate at home, providing both enjoyment and saving lots of money.This time, I travelled by reading: I followed Fuchsia Dunlop around the streets of Chengdu and saw 90s Jakarta through Madhur Jaffrey’s eyes. 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! 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.

This makes it easy to find a recipe to make, whether it’s to match the ingredients you have, or to satisfy a culinary craving!

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. Bring to the boil – but watch it doesn’t boil over – then turn the heat down to a whisper and cook for about 30 minutes, stirring fairly frequently to make sure the rice doesn’t stick and burn. The tomatoes create a wonderful sauce with the coconut milk; they also float up to decorate the dish. Unlike the stuff you get at your local curry house, her food is fresh, vibrant and surprisingly quick and easy to make.

There are sweet potato momos for snacks and unexpected desserts like salted miso brownies and a no-churn Vietnamese coffee ice-cream.

Meera explains in the introduction that this recipe persuaded her to finally fall in love with kale – and persuasive it is.

Add the coconut milk and 175ml of water, whisk until you have a smooth batter, then leave to one side. I would genuinely hate to be without this in my cookbook collection, and strongly recommend it to everyone.Line your tin with non-stick baking paper, folding it tightly into the corners so the paper comes up the sides of the tray by 2cm. Make the sauce by putting the lime juice, sugar, soy sauce, chillies and garlic into a jug or small bowl and mixing well.