I was surprised to see this line of Indian heat and eat products in my local grocery because quite frankly their selection is hit or miss and the main reason that I will travel to another market in another town. As many of you who follow me know, I am a HUGE fan of Indian cuisine. It has always been one of my favorites but is one of those things that was a either a restaurant or take-away thing. My mother does in fact make a curry that is out of this world but it is not something I personally would make for myself particularly during the week when time is at a premium. So, I am always on the lookout for quick and easy packaged sides that taste authentic in all their spicy glory. Yes, technically these are more entrees than sides but I love to use them as exciting sides that spice up even the most mundane of main courses.
Kitchens of India most definitely meet the authentic criteria. I don’t want some toned-down version that is tailored to local palates. I want the full-experience that can transport me to the streets of Mumbai with a single fork-full. To-date I have samples the Pindi Chana (chick peas with potatoes), Dal Bukhara (Black Gram Lentils Curry), Rajma Masala (Red kidney bean curry), and Navratan Korma (Mixed Vegetable and Cottage Cheese Curry).
The Pindi Chana was absolutely delicious. It was nice and spicy but not in an obnoxious sort of way. It had a wonderful bouquet of spices swimming in the rich sauce that was flavored with pomegranate seed powder and tea leaves extract. If you do not like spicy than this variety is probably not going to appeal to you. The black lentils were not as spicy as the chick peas but were equally as flavorful. They had a great creamy texture that paired so well with some roasted chicken that sopped-up the sauce. They had just a subtle hint of chili powder. The red kidney beans were actually very surprising because they were not all mushy (nor were the onions) as I would have expected but were still nice and firm after being heated. Again, this variety will appeal to a wide-range of spice preferences as it was more low to medium in the spice department. I am a huge Korma fan but was admittedly leery when it came to a pre-packed variety. I had vision of broken-down pieces of cheese turning into a gloppy mess when poured into a bowl. I was wrong. I don’t know how they do it but the cheese was swimming in a fragrant sauce chock-full of vegetables (peas, kohlrabi, potatoes, onions, and even cashews) and the cheese was still intact in terrifically firm pieces.
I still have a few more varieties to sample and am definitely looking forward to it. You can view Kitchens of India complete line of products on their Web site.
