Trader Joe's blog and cooking.
If you are a fan of Indian food, the Trader Joe's offers a decent selection. But quality can vary, fortunately, that's why you have this site!
From Chicken Tikka to the Fish Korma Curry find reviews of Trader Joe's Indian products and see which ones are worth your time and which ones you may want to consider leaving on the shelf!
For far too long, I’ve heard many a comment (including my own written thoughts) about Trader Joe’s not selling their curry sauces in a jar. Yes, I know there is a Masala sauce on shelves, but it is no where close to the sauce on the frozen entrees.
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So one of my favorite items from Trader Joe’s has to be the vast selection of Indian entrees. I’m pretty sure I stock up just about every time I go. It’s single serve and far cheaper than visiting an Indian restaurant. And to be honest, I’ve liked some of the frozen entrees better than some of the restaurants that I’ve visited.
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There are some sections at Trader Joe’s where they can do no right: sushi would be an example. It’s so wrong, it has no chance of being right. There are other sections of the store where they can do no wrong. That section is the Indian selection, where they have now added Trader Joe’s Fiery Chicken Curry.
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Lunches. There are so many times I am so guilty of not making my lunch. Before I moved close to a Trader Joe’s I existed off of frozen meals. But truthfully, they were pretty terrible. The calorie count was reasonable, but there was a sacrifice in taste. Most of those frozen meals tasted like cardboard. Trader Joe’s Korma Fish Curry tastes like anything but cardboard.
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Basil. A common ingredient in my household. So is tea. But if you are thinking that this is just basil in tea form, you might be a bit mistaken depending on what ends up in your cart regularly. The basil I keep is the one that pairs really well with tomatoes and cheese. In reality, the one variety I use is among the 40 varieties of basil available. Tulsi or Holy Basil is a totally different variety than what you might be picking up in the fresh herb section. Now Trader Joe’s introduces those of us who might otherwise be unfamiliar to Holy Basil Tea.
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Let me apologize in advance if my reviews seem carb heavy. Because most of the new items hitting shelves are for some reason breads. I thought I was done reviewing bread last week when I tried Chocolate Chip Pain Au Lait. Nope, not only does the frozen Indian section have a new bread, there is also a pancake bread (review to show up in the near future). So while Trader Joe’s does an excellent job of serving certain food communities, I feel like the low carb crowd might be left out here a bit.
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The pros: Trader Joe’s Indian Fare Yellow Tadka Dal is new, well spiced, and different from all the other Indian dishes available at Trader Joe’s.
The cons: While I love the tikka options, this one was just ok. This item is not vegan.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Indian Fare Tikka Vegetables is one of two new pouches of Indian food to hit shelves. While this package looks small, the portion size is just right.
The cons: Not quite as good as the frozen entrees, but not bad either. If you were hoping for this to be vegan, sorry to disappoint but it does contain milk.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Tandoori Naan is quick and tasty bread straight from the freezer.
The cons: It’s plain, but odds are you aren’t eating this by itself.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Matar Paneer star ingredients were the peas and paneer were the stars here. The curry sauce was just ok.
The cons: Not the best of the Indian selections, but hey what do you expect in a can? Not pretty when you open and dump out the can.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Jaipur Vegetables does not take up space in your freezer. It’s a pantry item. Was ready in about a minute.
The cons: You’ll need a separate microwave safe dish or container if you are using the microwave. You might find that this is a hard to find item because for me it’s located on the bottom shelf of my local Trader Joe’s.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Garlic Naan is a very tasty bread that has just the right amount of garlic and cilantro.
The cons: Heating up an oven to 400F for a cook time of 2 minutes. Cilantro might not be for everyone. Should possibly have way to heat this up in the microwave. (I found 30-40 seconds on high made it just warm without giving up too much from heating it in the toaster oven)
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Mini Chicken Tikka Samosas are generously filled with tasty chicken tikka masala filling. It will remind you of a finely shredded Trader Joe’s Chicken Tikka Masala with mashed potatoes. It is does not contain as much sauce as that would ruin the crispy won ton like pastry wrap. Medium in heat this might catch some off guard who don’t read the package carefully.
The cons: This is a medium heat product so be warned. No microwave allowed on this one.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Channa Masala is lunch or dinner ready in about 4 minutes, good Masala sauce, one of the few Indian dishes you can buy in the freezer section. Tasty masala sauce with a bit of heat without being “hot.”
The cons: The dish has a lot of chickpeas which can be very filling. I almost wanted a vegetable to go with this because it had so much sauce to it.
The verdict: …
The pros: For $2.29 Trader Joe’s Aloo Chaat Kati Pouches which contain two pouches. Vegetarian snack, hearty filling reminded me of meat. Crispy pasty. Ready in 4 minutes (unless you want to burn your tongue by not waiting for it to cool down).
The cons: If you are sensitive to spice, this spice will linger on your tongue for a while. It’s medium heat. Filling will be a hit or miss with some people.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s has one of the largest selection of Indian cuisine I’ve seen in any mainstream supermarket. So it’s been fun to experiment before I step foot into an Indian restaurant to compare them to the more authentic experience. I just want to avoid sounding like an idiot walking into one. I’d also want an idea of what I’d like too. So it’s been a pretty good adventure so far. The Trader Joe’s Chicken Tikka Masala and Trader Joe’s Paneer Tikka Masala have been my favorite. So I figured I’d expand my horizons and give Trader Joe’s Vegetable Biryani a whirl.
The good: Three or so minutes in your microwave and an Indian lunch/dinner is ready for you to enjoy. Veggie dumplings were quite tasty. Decent calorie count if you are watching those types of things.
The bad: rice had a strong curry flavor to it, but I felt like it needed just one more element to complete the dish like a sauce.
The Verdict: …
This is one frozen entree that is frequently unavailable is Trader Joe’s Palak Paneer. I wasn’t sure what to think of it just looking at the package. I’ve enjoyed their other Indian dishes such as the Trader Joe’s Vegan Tikka Masala, Trader Joe’s Lamb Vindaloo, Trader Joe’s Butter Chicken, Trader Joe’s Chicken Tikka Masala and my personal favorite the Trader Joe’s Paneer Tikka Masala Review. What I enjoyed most about the Paneer Masala was the Spinach flavored rice and the Paneer itself. This one is called Palak Paneer because Palak means Spinach. Can this dish be supplemented, yes, the back of the box give you recommendations to serve this with rice. Being that this is my lunch I’m having it without, but I’d highly recommend this with rice….
I’m not vegan and for the most part I’m very doubtful when it comes to trying anything labeled as such. I have the image of bunny food and tofu and the knowledge that I will walk away less than satisfied. But I was wrong with Trader Joe’s Vegan Tikka Masala.
This dish took me by surprise. The “meat” fooled me. If you had put this dish in front of me and not told me it was vegan I would have been none the wiser. The meat tasted like a perfectly shaped meatball. I didn’t feel like I was missing anything at all. This is a standout in the Indian section as is Trader Joe’s Paneer Tikka Masala and Trader Joe’s Fish Korma Curry….
I’m not always the best about packing my lunch. It’s good to have certain meals available in the freezer at work. This is another selection from the Indian food in the Trader Joe’s Lamb Vindaloo. My full thoughts follow the pictures below….
So another box from the Trader Joe’s frozen Indian cuisine. I can honestly say I’ve never had Butter Chicken out. It also goes by another name murgh makhani, but that is no where on the package. What does Trader Joe’s Butter Chicken consist of? Plain Basmati rice and a spicy chicken curry. How spicy is this batch? As spicy as mild chicken wings in a bar, where there is heat but there is no pain….
If you are like me, Indian was not a familiar flavor in my household growing up. In fact, in an Irish-American household salt and pepper were exotic and frequently only placed on the table at holidays. They were frequently not passed around, nor were they used in my lifetime.
That same salt and pepper shaker were my grandparents, which means that that salt and pepper is likely half a century old if no longer. In other words, it probably wouldn’t taste like much. So Indian is definitely a foreign, but now much embraced flavor. So I ventured outside of my comfort zone and tried Trader Joe’s Chicken Tikka Masala. I’m glad I did….
I’ve reviewed Trader Joe’s Chicken Tikka Masala in the freezer section. In actuality, Trader Joe’s Paneer Tikka Masala was the first Indian food I tried from their line of Indian cuisine in the freezer section. I looked at the picture, had no clue what Paneer was. I falsely assumed it was chicken somehow I was genuinely fooled. It could very easily pass as the most tender chicken you’ll ever eat (it’s cheese by the way, not chicken). Paneer for anyone who is unfamiliar with it, is like a cottage cheese that is pressed into cubes much like a ricotta salata….
