While the recipes here are interesting, there is no discussion of food safety at all. Studies from India and elsewhere in South Asia where cooked meals are delivered to workers as tiffin show that food poisoning is very common. No book recommending meals to be eaten at a later time should omit a detailed discussion of food safety.

While reminiscent of food I grew up eating, I don't know if this is a cook book I will be reaching for in my meals. But it is a good read for people trying more vegan recipes.

Definitely a new twist on the eponymous tiffin which is a meal you can carry and which will stay good till lunch.
The book largely contains vegan twists on some familiar foods from india and quite a few that are from all over the world. As an Indian, the use of a large number of ingredients does not deter. However, it may not be for everyone..

Would have loved see more pictures.
Thanks netgalley for the copy.

Was looking for a peek into what are in Tiffins, for the everyday in the life in India... While there are some recipes that make me think it would be authentic.. there are lots of non indian recipes... that are themed to different cuisines and put in tiffins.. kinda dumb if you ask me.. not what I was hoping for.

I think that this book was a lovely idea that explores different foods from across the globe, but in practice it’s a bit of a hard book to cook from.

If you love making complex meals that require a wide array of ingredients, then this book may be perfect for you, but for the average home cook looking to get some meals made to go, this book may be a tad harder to use for that reason. That said, while the recipes in the book are generally a bit more complex, they do sound really delicious. Some of the recipes are very familiar, but others are unique and flavourful and I think that is a real highlight of the book. It does, however, not have as many pictures of the recipes as I would like, so if you are like me and prefer to have a picture with each recipe, that is an unfortunate con of this book.

Altogether then, this book is not bad and would definitely work well for those who love to cook and want to better transport food with them. This book has a lot to offer, though I would say that aside from the details regarding how to store and transport the foods, it is not quite as “on-the-go” as I would like.

Special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for an online copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Tiffin made easy.

A very cosmopolitan look at tiffin and not limited to traditional tiffin recipes.
Instead, it is filled with recipes that are attainable with an Indian twist.
I do love a tiffin, a compartmentalized lunch box.

Recommend.

I really liked the ideas behind The Modern Tiffin. Being of Caribbean descent with a diverse group of friends (who loves to cook and bake), I was excited to see this book that helped me think beyond a tiffin of Indian food. The author's tips & tricks along with chosen recipes for Maharashtrian Indian, South Indian, Italian, American Comfort, Indo-Chinese, Mexican Tiffin (among others) are so drool-worthy. Fortunately, I live close to markets where tiffins and spices are easily available which makes this book a great reference in my collection.

The Modern Tiffin was fun and offered many food ideas I have not previously considered. I would recommend this to any foodie.

This book is a dream come true for me. Spicy vegan food! Priyanka Naik speaks about her rich Indian heritage and New York upbringing as well as her travels as her inspiration for the recipes included in this wonderful book. I can't wait to cook this recipes for my family. Each recipe comes with a personal story that explains why the recipe was included in the book. Priyanka is a thoughtful storyteller and a successful self taught chef. I enjoyed this book.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Well first off this book does not focus on solely one type of cuisine. This cookbook ranges from Mexico to South India to Australia! A definite trip around the world. And because this is such a trip around the world this author acknowledges the different uses of oil from around the world. I find this a very important key point since some oils can add flavors to dishes and obviously the different smoke points. I think this book will have a recipe for just about anyone and not any boring ones. Even though this cookbook extends into different cuisines it also gladly gives some of these recipes an Indian spin such as Masala Grilled Cheese or Tadka Mac' n' Cheese.


This review has also been posted to Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

I really loved this cookbook. It was fun and the recipes were easy to follow. My only complaint is that when you download the Netgalley title it is in black and white. I would have preferred to see the vibrant colors. The recipes were delicious and I would recommend for some wonderful Indian inspired food and it is also vegan.

Excellent creative vegan recipes with a global fusion twist. Every recipe sounded delicious and they are grouped in themes of country cuisine, each with the framework of the portable tiffin in mind, each with a spicy twist. My mouth was watering throughout! Pretty colorful design too.

This is a great book for people who are Vegan or wanting to just add more veggie options in their lives. I'll definitely be making some of these.

I really dug this. I do not own a tiffin and was fairly unfamiliar with them in general, but am intrigued and in love! The recipes sound wonderful and are easy to follow. I appreciated that the vegan recipes weren't heavily focused on replacing or placating meat-eaters diets. This was not a cookbook of solely "chicken" dishes; the veggies shine! I will 200% now be buying a tiffin and this cookbook for lunch breaks at the library and I can't wait. :) Highly recommend!

Iwas excited when I saw this book on NetGalley. I have a tiffin that I don’t use nearly as much as I probably could. I was hoping to get some ideas and tips. I was extra excited when I saw that this was a vegan cookbook so every recipe was something that I could potentially make.

The book starts with an introduction to tiffins, which are three part stacking metal lunchboxes developed in India. There is also an introduction to the basics of Indian cuisine.

This cookbook features Indian fusion recipes organized by the area of the globe they represent. There are sections for various parts of India and Asia. Then the focus moves to places such as American comfort food with an Indian twist, Indio-Italian, Spanish, Latin American, and even Australian based foods.

I’ve tried a few recipes so far. I made the Tofu Banh Mi sandwich. The tofu marinade was wonderful and it made a great sandwich. I was conservative with the spices because I am a wimp but I could have been braver. The spices gave much more flavor than heat but that could have been dialed up if you like more heat in your food.

I also made the stuffed mushrooms that combined Italian inspiration with some Indian spices. These were also very good.

I’m looking forward to trying a few of the spiced cashew recipes.

My main complaint about this book is that it seemed to forget that it was supposed to be tiffin-focused when it got to the recipes. Each of the dishes can be served at room temperature so you can pack it for lunch. After each recipe there is a little section that says a sentence or two about packing it up. That’s good. But I would have liked to see some photos of the food in a tiffin. Maybe suggestions like “Pack this in the bottom tin, put these in the middle, and then add this snack to the top to make a great lunch” with a picture.

Overall, the recipes are good but it is just lacking that little bit that could have made it great.

Tiffins, bentos for those of us who hate our foods touching.

Before I knew of bentos I knew of Tiffins, I'm not sure where I learned of them but in my childlike mind the Tiffin was the pinnacle of the Miners Lunch Pail and I needed one.

Reading this rekindled that fire for tiffins, but also has given me a ton of recipes that I desperately want to try. 1. Because I love vegetables and often enough they are not the star of the show. 2. it's vegan 3. So many of these recipes felt genuinely unique, and different.

The one thing I will say is that this being an ARC it was in black and white, it's easy to forget how much color plays a part in our interpretation of food and without any color this food looks so flat.

I have a confession to make: I don't believe in the sanctity of food culture. By that I don't mean that people shouldn't love and respect the origins of their food! I respect traditionalists and salute their desire to hold onto what makes their cuisine special. But in a globalized society, and living in a country made of immigrants, I firmly believe that the divisions between food cultures are permeable barriers. This is why I am thrilled that Priyanka Naik is fully embracing the ways that cultures mix and mash in her book, The Modern Tiffin.

Naik has a bright and perky writing style that feels like you're reading a book written by a friend. She explains in detail about her culture, her reasons for being vegan, and her desire to cook and eat sustainably. She draws on her Indian heritage and her experiences growing up in NYC and traveling an ever-shrinking world to create her fusion dishes. Her usage of Indian spices and flavors in traditional Italian bruschetta or simple American grilled cheese is exciting and enticing. I wanted to try every recipe, and the photos just enhanced the experience (I can't wait to see them in full color!). Recipes like the Bondi Blue Tea Cakes are truly inspired, as it is so rare to find blue food. Naik is making food that stirs up excitement in the reader - a must-have for a marketable cookbook.

My only hesitations in this book were the perennial caramelized onions problem (it never takes as little as 10 minutes to properly caramelize onions though every recipe writer this side of the moon says it can be done), and the lack of research into some topics. A lot of the history and context around the food was built around Naik's personal experience, which has its positives and negatives. It's authentic to her experiences, but is limited by her knowledge. For example, I would have loved to have seen the history of Indo-Chinese cuisine delved into because it's such a fascinating topic. But with limited space available for explanation, Naik admitted she didn't know the history and moved on to the food. While the recipes look delicious and are written well, I am the kind of cookbook reader that geeks out over food history and context, and would have liked to have seen topics like this explored.

I am anxiously awaiting publication of Naik's book, and can't wait to hold a physical copy in my hands! Her social media presence is bright, fun, and colorful, and this book promises to deliver more of the same. Thank you to Priyanka Naik for making fusion food fun and for blurring the lines between culinary borders!

The Modern Tiffin is an engaging collection of plant based recipes drawn from many different world cuisines collected and curated by Priyanka Naik. Due out 2nd Nov 2021 from Simon & Schuster on their Tiller Press imprint, it's 224 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

Vegan food has (until quite recently) had a fussy non-portable and somewhat boring reputation. This is a collection of tasty and portable dishes which are suited to picnics and other on-the-go dining. The food is designed to fit into a tiffin box and is varied, interesting, and appetizing.

I really liked the layout and formatting of this cookbook. I also really enjoyed the author's chatty style and the overall informal and adventurous vibe of the recipes. The introduction gives a good overview over tiffin (the concept), the author's experiences growing up on Staten Island, and her food and travel philosophy. The author gives a comprehensive crash course on tools and products (including where to acquire a tiffin box), shopping, food prep & seasoning, and storage. The recipes are arranged in 10 complete thematic meals and a finishing chapter with drinks.

Ingredient measurements are supplied in American standard measurements only. The nutritional information is not included. Each recipe includes a header with a short description of the recipe and approximate servings (generally the recipes will feed 2). Extra tips or recipe alternatives are listed in text boxes in the recipes. The recipes themselves are fairly straightforward; many will require specialist international grocery suppliers or online sourced ingredients. Most are simple, none of them are overly complex. The photography in the eARC provided for review is in black and white - they will presumably be in color in the final release (but possibly not). Many of the recipes are illustrated simply and clearly.

Four stars. It would make a nice choice for public library acquisition, foodies who enjoy plant based cuisine, and lovers of world-cuisine.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

The Modern Tiffin is one of the most beautiful cookbooks of 2021. Filled with mouthwatering vegan recipes, every page will entice and delight you.

The Modern Tiffin is a cookbook focusing on vegan Indian dishes. I am always looking for new vegan dishes to try but this is not the cookbook for me. A lot of the dishes have chilies that I am not a fan of. While I could try the dish without the spice I feel like I might be missing something and the flavor profile might not be right.