The other day, while wandering through the beautiful, and eerily empty, Market at the Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur, I stumbled across a little collection of cookbooks. There weren’t many left, but every single one looked thoughtfully chosen. One, in particular, caught my eye: Your Daily Veg by Joe Woodhouse.

I didn’t buy it but I should have.

Joe Woodhouse grew up on farms in England, became a vegetarian at the age of ten, trained as a chef, and later worked as a food stylist and photographer before turning his hand to writing cookbooks. His approach to cooking is wonderfully simple: let the vegetables do the talking.

This isn’t one of those vegetarian cookbooks trying to imitate meat. Nor is it about complicated techniques or impossible-to-find ingredients. It’s about making everyday vegetables exciting, seasonal, and utterly delicious. Think roasted aubergines, comforting potato dishes, creamy mushrooms, grilled asparagus, and clever little combinations that make you wonder why you never thought of them yourself.

Even Nigella Lawson is a fan, describing the food as joyful, seasonal, and full of flavour without being fussy. That’s probably the best way to describe the whole book.

The irony isn’t lost on me. I found one of my favourite discoveries of the month in what might be the loneliest beautiful supermarket in Kuala Lumpur. I still don’t know how the place is surviving. During my visit, I was the only customer. Nobody came in. Nobody left. But perhaps that’s exactly why it’s worth a detour.

You might discover a beautiful ingredient, a wonderful bottle of olive oil, or a cookbook you didn’t know you needed. And if you’re lucky, perhaps you’ll even persuade them to give you a little discount.

As for me, I think I need to go back. Hopefully the supermarket will still be there.

And hopefully, so will the book.