Meera sodha tofu

Although there are many wonderful things I could make for dinner, when I want something fast and good, I often make fried rice. Sometimes, it has diced carrots and broccoli, at other times tofu and leafy greens – and it comes together quickly, even when you’re too tired to cook. You’ll need a wide frying or saute pan with a tight-fitting lid

I liked the sound of “hasselback celeriac” so much that I had to create a recipe just for the name. But now I am not sure I’ll ever be able to eat this root in any other way. Cutting deep fans into the celeriac means there’s more surface area to roast and to spread miso over, creating richer and deeper flavours, while the tops catch in the heat and crisp to a satisfying crunch

Matar paneer, the classic curry on which this veganised version is based, is one of India’s darlings. I was, therefore, a bit fearful to replace the beloved paneer with tofu for fear of losing some of the richness, but I’m here to tell you that it works brilliantly, in part because the cashews blended into the sauce bring a velvet creaminess to which paneer would happily tip its hat

An excellent way to get your protein. This dish is traditionally eaten out and about with other street food such as samosas, chaats and dosas, but at home I eat it by itself or with spinach, non-dairy yoghurt and chapatis to create a meal

I’ve used lots of soft and crunchy summer vegetables alongside robust glass noodles and a punchy, sweet lime sauce. The tamarind tofu is a bonus – and it works very well, too – but you could easily make this without it

This is a popular and well-loved Thai stir-fry. A variation of it, pad faktong, made with egg instead of tofu, is widely available in Thailand’s many ran khao kaengs, or rice and curry shops. It’s simple to make and very delicious, but ugly. And that’s OK. To make this, you’ll need mushroom stir-fry sauce - a vegan equivalent of oyster sauce – which is readily available in most Chinese supermarkets and online

The fritters add texture and fun, but they’re optional. If you can’t find Japanese curry powder, use two tablespoons of regular curry powder instead

Lemongrass is always cheaper when bought from Asian grocery stores. It’s often sold in big bags, so freeze any that you don’t use. You’ll need a blender to make this

This recipe was intended to be a riff on a simple Chinese home-cooking favourite, egg and tomato stir-fry, but it turns out that the tofu doesn’t taste like a replacement for the egg, or inferior to it. It has just become its own new wonderful dish

When I was growing up, our family treat on a Saturday night was a Chinese takeaway. We’d drive 15 minutes to our nearest town to get it and the way back was agony. Now with my own family, we still love Chinese food on Saturday night, but with no local takeaway, I make it at home

These work well as a light meal with simply dressed leaves, or bolster them into a more substantial dish with naan, raita or a pilau

If you have a glut of carrots that need using up, this filling and fragrant curried laksa uses a full kilo!

A one-pan supper for one: fried tofu and pak choi smothered in kecap manis

The beetroot, walnut and tofu combine to create some rich, almost meaty flavours and, as a bonus, the noodles turn pink. While a clay pot is the traditional cooking vessel, a 24-28cm casserole dish will also do here

This vegan breakfast is no mere substitute for scrambled eggs; it's a deliciously flavourful dish in its own right, full of ginger, garlic, fresh chilli, and spices.

In this curry, I have, like the Thais do, used dried red chillies, soaked and blended with other aromatics to give the dish its characteristic warming and complex flavour. It is ear-ticklingly spicy, but fear not: it has been softened (a little) with some coconut milk

In the tunnel between the last heat of summer and the uncompromising cold of winter (let’s call it autumn?), I just want to eat curry. But not the oily, rich sort that needs to be mopped up with naan. Instead, I want something sharp, fresh, hot, sour and salty that will make me feel alive – such as today’s recipe, which borrows flavours from Thai cooking. It’s packed with chilli, ginger, turmeric and lime, with tofu and coconut thrown in to round things out

Mapo tofu is a well-loved Sichuan dish that originated in Chengdu centuries ago. This version, stripped to its bones, is made with meaty shiitake mushrooms, leeks and broth, all layered over with bright Sichuan peppercorns and a magical sauce (toban djan) made of fermented broad beans. The result is flavour amplified – and that never grows old

In this recipe, "East" author Meera Sodha offers a plant-based alternative to a favorite Sichuan dish

People say, ‘You can’t have it all’, but they probably don’t know about banh mi a Vietnamese-colonial French champion of a sandwich. Crusty bread, yes, but also pickles, herbs, mayo, chillies and a spiced delicious filling – and, in this case, tofu fried in five spice, too. It’s got texture, flavour, heat, cool, crunch and an interesting history to boot. One that I can’t fit into my word limit here, but you get the picture – banh mi has it all