Ved, Sonal Tiffin (0316415766)

There are more varieties of cooking in India than in the rest of the entire world, yet American cookbooks tend to focus only on what's familiar here. Tiffin encompasses recipes from across the continent, where flavors vary from coconut and tamarind to curry and masala and everything in between. In the West, the cuisine is influenced by Portuguese flavors and the sea, with rich crab curries. In the North, meat dishes, such as tandori chicken and mutton stew, warm the body on a cold Himalayan night. Delhi is known for street delicacies such as flat breads and kababs. And throughout the country are Persian, Thai, and British influences as well.

A tiffin is a traditional Indian lunch pail that holds homemade curries, vegetables, rice, and spicy meats. Our expansive cookbook open it up to show the diverse flavors from all of the regions of India, from spicy fish curries to rich dumplings to spring rolls to butter chicken. The 500 recipes are organized by region and then into subcategories of meats, seafood, vegetarian, and desserts.

With vibrant illustrations that represent the regional style and mouth-watering photography of the dishes, Indian cooking has never been more accessible or well-respresented.