Dinner by Meera Sodha

Meera Sodha, the bestselling, multi-award winning author of East, Fresh India, and Made in India, is back with her much-anticipated fourth book, Dinner. Dinner is a fresh and joyful celebration of the power of a good meal. Drawing from Meera’s ‘New Vegan’ Guardian column and from a wide range of Asian cuisines, Dinner also includes many brand-new recipes, all created to answer the question: What’s for dinner? in an exciting and delicious way.

Meera's journey back to the kitchen is a poignant reminder of how food can heal and connect us. Within the pages of her book, she shares not just recipes, but stories of resilience, love, and the simple joy of cooking for the people we cherish most.

  

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We are delighted to feature recipes from Meera Sodha's deeply personal and evocative book, that are perfect for celebrating family, friendship and togetherness; the indulgent and flavourful Sticky Mango and Lime Paneer Naans and the vibrancy of the No-Cook Salad with Tomatoes, Chickpeas, and Rose Harissa. These dishes embody the spirit of Meera's culinary journey and invite us all to gather around the table with those we hold dear.

  

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Good things come in threes: buses, the little pigs and Destiny’s Child. I’m adding paneer, naan and mango chutney to that list. 

note: Don’t be put off by the list of ingredients: there’s very little cooking to be done here.

   

SERVES 4

5 tbsp Greek yoghurt

5 tbsp mayonnaise

1/2 tbsp mild curry powder

3 1/2 tbsp mango chutney (I like Geeta’s)

½  red cabbage (250g), core removed, the rest very finely shredded

salt

2 limes: 1 juiced to get 2 tbsp, the other quartered

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 tbsp gram (chickpea) flour

1 tbsp rapeseed oil

500g hard paneer, cut into 2 1/2cm cubes

4 shop-bought naan or flatbreads

30g fresh mint, leaves picked

   

First, make the curried mayo. Put the yoghurt, mayonnaise, curry powder and a tablespoon of mango chutney into a bowl, mix well and leave to one side.

Next, place the shredded cabbage in a bowl with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, then scrunch with clean hands until wilted. (If you get red hands, scrub them with the inside of the juiced lime to remove the colour.)

For the sticky mango and lime glaze, put the lime juice, 2 1/2 tablespoons of mango chutney, the garlic, gram flour, a teaspoon of salt and 3 tablespoons of water into a bowl and stir well.

Put the oil into a frying pan over a medium to high heat. When hot, fry the paneer, turning every minute or so to brown each side, for around 5 minutes. Turn the heat down, add the mango and lime glaze and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring, until the glaze goes sticky and coats the paneer cubes. 

Heat the naan or flatbreads (I zap them in the microwave), then slather over the curry mayonnaise, scatter over the cabbage, cover with the paneer and sprinkle with some mint leaves. Squeeze over some more lime, then roll up and eat.

  

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The perfect assembly job. For when it’s too hot to cook but you still want to eat something delicious. 

note: Pre-cooked jarred chickpeas are fantastic for salads, because they are ludicrously creamy. If you have only tinned, use two tins and to get rid of any chalkiness, put the chickpeas and their water into a saucepan, bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes, then drain, to get super-soft chickpeas. Belazu makes an incomparable rose harissa. 

   

Serves 2 

3 tbsp rose harissa paste

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 tbsp lemon juice (from 1– 2 lemons) 

1 tsp fine salt 

    

1 x 700g jar of cooked chickpeas 

½ red onion, finely sliced 

30 baby plum tomatoes (300g), halved 

1 cucumber (350g), deseeded and cut into 1cm half-moons

20 pitted Kalamata olives, halved 

20g fresh coriander

30g fresh mint, leaves picked

pitta bread or flatbreads (pp 307-8), to serve 

  

Put all the dressing ingredients into a bowl and stir. Drain the chickpeas, tip into a large bowl, and add the onion, tomatoes, cucumber and olives. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and mix well. Finely chop the coriander and all but a small handful of mint leaves. Sprinkle over the chopped coriander and mint, and fold through the salad.

To serve, toast the pitta breads or heat the flatbreads and cut into pieces. Tip the salad out on to a serving platter, scatter over the remaining mint leaves and serve with the bread on the side.

  

   DINNER: 120 vegan and vegetarian recipes for the most important meal of the day

£27  By Meera Sodha