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: …
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Indian
Trader Joe’s Matar Paneer
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: …
Trader Joe’s Jaipur Vegetables
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: …
Trader Joe’s Garlic Naan
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: …
Trader Joe’s Mini Chicken Tikka Samosas
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: …
Trader Joe’s Korma Fish Curry
The pros: Trader Joe’s Korma Fish Curry expands the Trader Joe’s line of Indian cuisine. At $3.49 this is reasonably priced and in line with everything else they offer. It’s also an excellent value when you consider you are getting a fish entree (and a good sized portion of fish) for this price.
The cons: Must enjoy (or be willing to try) curry to appreciate this dish. The occasional fenugreek leaves left behind in the rice was an element which I wasn’t crazy about. Swai doesn’t taste like much, but the sauce carries this dish.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Channa Masala
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: …
Trader Joe’s Aloo Chaat Kati Pouches
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 Vegetable Biryani
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: …
Trader Joe’s Palak Paneer
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….