If you’re anything like me and really struggle with finding a curry house that you can guarantee won’t serve you a meal that sends you home feeling ill by the end of the night then read on, as I have found and tasted the best ‘make your own’ curry packs that are of restaurant standard.
After making a special trip to a food market whilst on holiday in North Devon, I was about to call it a day and head off due to the fact that there was next to nothing that I could get my nashers into. Thankfully for me, I came across a Curry Now stand selling ready-made curry packs containing dehydrated spices to allow them to be cooked in just 15 minutes at home. Following a severe grilling of the chef and seller to make sure they were ‘allergy friendly,’ I settled on the Tikka Masala and Bhuna packs after strong recommendations from my Dad, who commented on how they tasted just like a curry you’d get at a good restaurant on the Balti Triangle.
Containing a spice mix, marinade packet and the dehydrated curry base sauce which takes just five minutes to cook, the instructions on the packet recommend that the meat or vegetables being used should be marinated for at least 45 minutes, or a whole 24 hours if you really want to bring out all the bursting flavours of the dish. I have to admit, being the forgetful soul that I am, I managed to fend off my hunger for a whole hour on the first attempt before I decided that the curry mix just needed to be thrown into a saucepan and whipped up. Obviously being dairy free, I couldn’t use the double cream recommended, instead settling on a splash of the single soya cream just to add extra creaminess to both the Tikka Masala and Bhuna.
The pack states that the mix can serve 4 people, which is perfect for a quick meal for friends on a weekend. I however was just cooking for myself and managed to get four meals out of the two packs to freeze, as well as spices left over to use again in my homemade curries at later dates which of course I remembered to marinate at an earlier stage.
All of the packs are labelled as being suitable for coeliacs, vegetarians, vegans, and those with a lactose intolerance, provided that ingredients such as the creams used in some of the dishes are replaced with non-dairy alternatives.
The real selling point with the Curry Now packs is that anyone can whip up a delicious dish in just a few minutes to their own liking, whether that be extremely spicy, nice and mild or of a medium heat with a creamy consistency.
The website provides more information on how to order the packs, where they can be purchased from across the country, as well as giving buyers the opportunity to buy in bulk for charity events, church fetes, conferences or just to have in the cupboard for rainy days – the great thing being that the packs can be stored for up to a year.
I have tried a fair few selections of ‘free from’ curries over the years, but I can honestly rate the Curry Now packs a ten out of ten for flavour, freshness and easiness of cooking. I will certainly be ordering again from the company, as will my Dad who tested other mixtures and was just as equally impressed.
Tummy Happy 