Day 225 - Aloo Chaat

At the risk of being sacrilegious, this aloo chaat is like the Indian version of an American “Hot Pocket”.  Only it is better than a Hot Pocket.  J 

These were a tasty dinner and very quick.   Trader Joe’s says these are filled with, “potatoes, chick peas, chaat masala (an Indian spice blend), and a sweet-tangy tamarind chutney”.  I say they are filled with warm yum.  J

I am sorry, I only have a photo of this on the plate (not the original box).  Check the link below to see the box!  Here is aloo chaat served with radish, rice, and baby bok choy (with capers).  Nice meal.

The only problem was that they were a wee bit dry.  We wished we would have had some chutney in the fridge to serve with them, but we were unprepared.  Next time!

They are very reasonably priced, as are many things at Trader Joe’s.  At $2.29 for a box of 2, that is only $1.15 per piece.  These would make an easy and yummy lunch.

Trader Joe’s does quite a few Indian dishes.  Their Indian Fare series is a staple at our house, especially Punjab Eggplant (reviewed on day 151 of this blog). 

Here is a Trader Joe’s article about the aloo chaat:  http://traderjoes.com/fearless-flyer/article/946

Price - $2.29

Rating – 3.75

Day 190 - Punjab Choley

This is the second Indian Fare dish to be reviewed in this blog (the first was Punjab Eggplant on day 151).  Truth be told, we always have some of these Indian Fare boxes in our cupboard.  They are very quick, very easy to make, and tasty.  But I can NEVER remember which of them we like best.  So I hope these reviews help me keep them straight!

Here is the RED BOX, Punjab Choley

This one is made of chickpeas, tomatoes, onion, ginger, and a “spicy aromatic sauce”.  Normally we just plop it over rice, but tonight I am “fancy-ing” it up by topping it with raw chopped red onion and green pepper.  Maybe I am feeling the need for fancy because we are eating this on the 4^th of July.  Yup – nuttin says HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA like a good Indian dish!

See how I fancied it up???  Under all of that is rice.

Ok, so after I wrote that intro, dinner was ready and we ATE IT.  I can now clearly say – PUNJAB CHOLEY IS NOT OUR FAVORITE INDIAN FARE.  So for my future reference, not the red box, Susan!  I thought this was the one we didn’t buy often, but I thought it was out of respect for David’s “not love” of chick peas (though he adores hummus…).  But no, I think this is not our normal Indian Fare dish because it just isn’t all that great.  For starters, it is TOO SPICY.  And I do not say that often – in fact I don’t think I have said it one single time throughout this already more than half over review project.  I came to the dinner table with TABASCO last night in case this was not “hot enough”, but no hot sauce was needed.  It might have been because I put those red onions on top, but I really think the dish itself was super spicy.  I tried some bites without onion bits and they were still hot, hot, hot. 

But other than the taste of HOT, all you really get is CHICK PEA. 

We served it over basmati rice (to be reviewed tomorrow) and had a side of asparagus.  The box mentions naan or pita, but to tell you the truth it just wasn’t saucy enough for even the basmati.

This meal is cheap and fast to prepare, but not all that good to eat.  And isn’t EATING what a meal is all about? 

Price – $1.99

Rating – 2.75

Day 151 - Punjab Eggplant

Trader Joe’s makes these “Indian Fare” dishes that are perfect to have on hand.  They come in small boxes so are easy to store in the cupboard, are super easy to cook (we just put the foil-like pouch in boiling water while we are cooking whatever we are going to serve with the Indian dish), and are a perfect size for 2 servings.  We always have at least one of these packages in our cupboard for easy dinners.

These are sort of  hidden on the bottom shelf at our Trader Joe's, but worth crouching down to get

Tonight’s dinner was this Punjab Eggplant served over TJ’s Basmati Rice (to be reviewed soon) with sides of yellow squash, a fried chicken finger (which David was craving) and broccoli.  It was a really good combination.

Tasty, cheap, fast and easy dinner

The Punjab Eggplant is a tiny bit spicy, which we like.  It is super saucy which makes it nice over rice.  And it is filling.  Oh, and did I mention, it is CHEAP, too? 

So to recap:  easy, cheap, tasty, and saucy!  All good things!

Grab one of each of the Indian Fare dishes off the shelf at Trader Joe’s and try them out.  Find your favorite and keep it on hand for nights that you just don’t feel like cooking (or nights when you want something saucy!).

Price – $1.99

Rating – 4.25