Meera Sodha

This HAS to be the best cookbook out there (at least for now) that I've ever tried. Wow! And I'm not a vegan or vegetarian. I've tried so many of the recipes and they are pretty much all exceptional or stellar. We like Asian food so much in our house, and what really impresses me is how relatively easy the recipes are compared to other Asian cookbooks, and there aren't (comparatively) that many ingredients that you can't find at a regular grocery store. I work at a library, and really don't show more ever buy books, but am considering buying this one once I have to return it, because I don't want to wait for it again. It's hard to pick a standout, but the sweet potato cakes with kimchi mayo (I made extra and put that stuff on so many things) and the Napa cabbage okonomiyaki were 2 that I had to turn around and make again within a few days. And I put the gochujang sauce from the bibimbap recipe on just about everything that isn't dessert. show less

This cookbook features a huge variety of Asian dishes that aren't reliant on any particular flavor profiles, with highly descriptive flavor text, and it's wonderfully bound.

I have not yet cooked even a fraction of the recipes in this cookbook, but what I've cooked has been straightforward and reasonably tasty (not all mindblowing, but all a solid meal). It does seem to call for a good number of ingredients that I don't normally keep in the pantry, which come in large-ish sizes, and which I show more sometimes don't know where to find in stores (opening to three pages at random: kimchi, bird's-eye chili, unripe mangoes, "straight to wok" udon noodles, pickled ginger, Fresno chiles, black mustard seeds, English mustard), without much guidance on appropriate substitution. That gives me a bit extra friction when planning these meals, because it's been easy to end up with all but one ingredient for a target recipe when shopping. I expect that says more about how I currently cook than anything else, though.

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Onigiri stuffed with walnut miso -- I still dream of these sweet and interestingly textured rice balls

Napa cabbage okonomiyaki -- this got a thumbs up from the family, and was extremely easy for a weeknight

Bunny chow -- cabbage, greens, and black chickpeas in buns with copious turmeric; I love cabbage so I was excited by this one, but I didn't think it was worth repeating

Chickpea flour fries with chile sauce -- these are Burmese tofu bits; I found them initially tasty, but they don't stand up to eating more than a few, and I had to throw some away uneaten show less

Meera Sodha’s latest book aims to help us make a great dinner quickly, and with little fuss. Over 100 mouthwatering recipes, packed with flavour and surprisingly ingenious combinations, help us find delicious new ways to make a quick dinner.

‘The ability to put a good dinner on the table has become my superpowers and I want it to be yours too’.

This is not a book to look through when your hungry, the photography is beautiful, vibrant dishes full of colourful vegetables, delicious spices show more and exciting ideas, tempt you on every page. Meera Sodha has created a book that you want to work your way through, rather than just try the odd recipe, and then go back to revisit, again and again!

After contents, the book is divided into seasons, and then Alternative Contents; Quick, One pot/pan, Bung it in the Oven, Noodles/pasta, Rice, Soups and stews, Salads, and Meera’s Favourites. This makes it easy to find a recipe to suit your needs, find something that suits the occasion or to find something you can do with the ingredients you have to hand.

Dinner is a beautiful book to look through, the colourful layout, stunning food photography and easy to follow recipes are a winning combination. A very enjoyable way to hone your cooking superpowers! show less

I want to make the majority of these recipes. Well, actually, I want a disciple of Meera's to open a Fresh Indian restaurant in my city, so s/he can make them for me. They look *almost* easy enough for me to succeed in making. Most of the ingredients are in my pantry already. Very many of the recipes are vegetarian friendly, quite a few are even adaptable to vegans' diets.

Four stars because I need to buy a copy of this so I can try the recipes, and because there are some things I think are show more too 'gourmet' to be in the book, like lamb and recipes that are, after all, complicated. But it might actually deserve five stars. It does have lots of helpful appendices, and lots of stories.

Homemade Paneer: 1/2 gal. whole milk, 4T lemon juice
(Although, it looks like many paneer recipes would actually be a good way to use Tofu.)

Add ginger to lemonade.

Grow your own bean sprouts, try lentils instead of hunting down mung beans. Also, eat when sprouted; don't necessarily wait until there's no bean left.

Coconut-Milk Fudge:
1.5 C condensed milk - Simmer, add 2 C dessicated coconut and 1/2 t ground cardamom.
Keep simmering until it resembles a soft dough, cool and test a pinch to see if you can roll a ball from it. When ready, cool (in a fresh bowl). Form 25 to 30 balls, roll in 1/2 C des. coconut, chill.

Roast Cauliflower with a drizzle of spiced oil (5T oil to 1/2 t turmeric, 2 t cumin seeds, ground w 1.5 t salt, 1 t chili powder). Squirt w/ lemon juice, serve.

Saute fresh green beans with ginger (and mustard seeds?), then add a bit of tomato paste & turmeric, salt & pepper.

'Cole' Slaw: add radish, red onion, mint, cilantro, lime juice.

Cabbage (that looks like Pad Thai noodles):
2 t mustard seeds, cook to 'pop' in 2 T oil
Add: 1 large onion, sliced, then 1/5 lbs cabbage, same.
Steam (in a bit of water, lid on skillet) then
Add 1/2 t turmeric, 1 t salt, 1 t cumin, 3/4 t chili powder, 1 T tomato paste,
Serve when completely tender. I suggest serving w/ lime and chopped peanuts!

Pickle 2 red onions in 6 T lime juice, 1t salt. Ready in an hour in the fridge.

Savory (Ugandan) 'French' Toast: chili powder and minced cilantro. show less