How should you use these menus?
These are starting points, not rules. Change any dish to what you cook best and what your customers like. Each week runs Monday to Saturday, with lunch and dinner, so you can take only the meal you serve.
Every box keeps a steady base: a dal or curry, rice or rotis, and something fresh like salad or curd. Only one or two dishes change each day. That keeps shopping simple and your cost per box steady.
What is a good everyday veg week?
| Day | Lunch | Dinner |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Dal, rice, mixed vegetables, 2 rotis, salad | Vegetable khichdi, curd, pickle |
| Tuesday | Chickpea curry, rice, 2 rotis, cucumber salad | Lentil soup, mixed vegetables, 2 rotis |
| Wednesday | Dal, rice, cabbage and peas, 2 rotis | Vegetable pulao, curd, salad |
| Thursday | Black-eyed bean curry, rice, 2 rotis, salad | Moong dal khichdi, curd |
| Friday | Mixed dal, rice, okra stir-fry, 2 rotis | Stuffed vegetable parathas, curd |
| Saturday | Kadhi, rice, potato and peas, salad | Dal, 2 rotis, seasonal vegetable |
This is the week most customers expect: familiar, filling and easy to cook in batches. Keep one dish everyone loves, such as Friday's parathas, as the treat of the week.
What can you cook for a Jain-friendly week?
A Jain-friendly menu leaves out onion, garlic and root vegetables such as potato, carrot and radish. Practices differ between families and even between days, so check each customer's needs before you promise anything.
| Day | Lunch | Dinner |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Moong dal, rice, cabbage stir-fry, 2 rotis | Plain khichdi with ghee, curd |
| Tuesday | Chana dal, rice, bottle gourd, 2 rotis | Besan chilla, curd, salad |
| Wednesday | Toor dal, rice, okra, 2 rotis | Vegetable pulao with peas and beans, curd |
| Thursday | Kadhi, rice, green beans, 2 rotis | Moong dal soup, pumpkin, 2 rotis |
| Friday | Mixed dal, rice, cauliflower and peas, 2 rotis | Vegetable dalia, curd |
| Saturday | Chickpea curry, rice, 2 rotis | Plain dal, rice, papad |
How do you plan a high-protein week?
Some customers, such as people who exercise or want to eat more protein, ask for fuller boxes. Lean on lentils, beans, chickpeas, sprouts, curd and tofu. Offer egg as an optional swap for customers who eat it.
| Day | Lunch | Dinner |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Chickpea curry, rice, sprouts salad, 2 rotis | Lentil soup, tofu stir-fry, 2 rotis |
| Tuesday | Dal with spinach, rice, curd, 2 rotis | Besan chilla, mint curd, salad |
| Wednesday | Black-eyed bean curry, rice, 2 rotis | Moong dal khichdi, curd, sprouts salad |
| Thursday | Mixed dal, rice, soya chunks with peas | Tofu curry (or egg curry as a swap), 2 rotis |
| Friday | Whole moong curry, rice, 2 rotis, salad | Chickpea salad bowl, lentil soup |
| Saturday | Tofu and vegetable curry, rice, 2 rotis | Dal, 2 rotis, roasted chana salad |
Do not make claims about health or exact grams of protein unless you have measured them properly. 'A fuller, protein-rich box' is honest and enough.
What goes into a week of light meals?
Light weeks suit hot months, older customers and anyone who wants simpler food for a while. Use less oil, more steamed and stir-fried vegetables, and soups and khichdi for dinner.
| Day | Lunch | Dinner |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Moong dal khichdi, curd, salad | Vegetable soup, 2 rotis, sautéed vegetables |
| Tuesday | Vegetable dalia, curd | Lentil soup, rice, steamed vegetables |
| Wednesday | Lemon rice, curd, cucumber salad | Mixed vegetable soup, 2 multigrain rotis |
| Thursday | Dal, rice, bottle gourd, salad | Besan chilla, mint curd |
| Friday | Vegetable pulao, cucumber raita | Moong dal soup, 2 rotis, salad |
| Saturday | Curd rice, stir-fried beans | Khichdi, curd |
How do you rotate, prep ahead and keep portions right?
Rotate in a four-week loop
Run the four weeks in a loop, or keep Week 1 as your main week and bring in the others now and then. Customers notice when Monday is always the same dish; they also like knowing Friday is paratha day. Change the dishes, keep a few favourites.
Cook ahead where it is safe
- Soak dals, chickpeas and beans the night before.
- Chop vegetables for the next day's lunch in the evening and keep them covered in the fridge.
- Make spice pastes and tempering mixes once or twice a week.
- Use the same vegetable in two dishes in a week, so nothing goes to waste.
Keep portions the same
Use the same ladle and the same container for every box, and write the portion down: for example one bowl of dal, one bowl of vegetables, 2 rotis. The same portion every day means the same cost every day, and no complaints that yesterday's box was bigger.
With HomeTiffin you write the week once, each day fills in from it, and customers see the whole week on your kitchen page. See weekly menu and the guide on how to plan a weekly tiffin menu.