Customer Reviews

Kitchens Of India Ready To Eat Dal Bukhara, Black Gram Lentil Curry, 10-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 6)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Let me preface this review by saying that I LOVE Indian cuisine. This product, however, falls short on taste. It has a very heavy sauce that has a strong aftertaste. I had to soften the harsh flavor with a large dollop of sour cream. I definitely would not order again!

I'm a big guy who can eat anything, and I just couldn't get past 4 bites. The taste is kind of stale with a pronounced sharp, bitter aftertaste of strong raw garlic (i usually love garlic). It is mostly tomato goop with a few lentils and it has a one dimensional flavor. I have had other Kitchens of India products that were delicious--this one is disgusting. Maybe I had a bad batch, because I can't fathom how anyone could like this or think it was authentic-tasting. However, this company produces pretty healthy products, just read the ingredient lists--completely absent of preservatives with just a few actual components.

Let me start by saying I'm an American cook with some decent experience making Indian cuisine. My husband is Indian and black lentils are among his favorites. Making black lentils is complex and laborious (to me) so I was happy about the idea of a quick black lentil "cheat." Well this isn't it. There are a couple of problems with this item:
1.) The package says it has 2.5 servings. More like one. And one package has 15 grams of fat.
2.) Too much creamy tomato goop and not nearly enough lentil.
3.) No complexity of flavor. Just over-spiced, over-salted tang.

This product is not worth your money, or your calories or the 3 minutes it takes to heat it up.
I would have rated it one star but perhaps I will use my remaining boxes as a soup or chili starter. Maybe...

I live in Florida but even here we have
a little bit of winter. It did get
down to the 30's the other night. brrr
These are the days for something warm and
yummy in my tummy.

This has also become one of
my favorite comfort foods. Not only do I
enjoy it when it's cold outside, it's also
my go-to food when feeling a little down.
Something about it just makes me feel a
little better. Like momma's chicken soup.
Well, I'm a vegetarian so she makes my
warm soup sans the bird. :)

We had the good fortune of having dinner at The real Bukhara restaurant in New Delhi this April. Everthing there was incrdible but the Dal was a real stand out. The server gave us a package of it to bring home with us. Sure enough, it was almost every bit as decicious as the real one at the restaurant. I hopped on line and found it available to ship to the states and I can't tell you how thrilled I am. I serve it all the time and it's the easiest way ever to impress with an authentic Indian dish. You just zip open the pack, pour it in a bowl, microwave for 45 seconds and serve with naan. Outstanding!

After trying Kitchen of India's variety pack, as well as their Chili Pepper Curry and a number of products from other labels such as Tasty Bite, I have chosen to subscribe on a regular basis to Kitchen of India's Black Gram Lentils Curry as well as their Red Kidney Beans Curry. Of the two I prefer the lentil curry: it is simply the best packaged Indian product that I have tried.

Since taste is certainly subjective (what is pleasing to my palate may be unpleasing to some one else and vice versa), I should mention that I have been a vegetarian since 1969, have a strong propensity for Indian cuisine that is not too spicy, and generally like anything which has whole grains and beans as a base.

We keep a pretty big stash of several types. This is a pretty decent Dal. Not spicy enough for me, but good for the wife. I add a little pepper sauce. Just wish they could formulate it with half the sodium or less...pretty much all these things give you your daily allowance. My wife has mild hypertension that seems salt responsive, so she always goes up a few points after this meal. Nothing a little thiazide won't take care of though...

This tasted great. I just hope the rest in the variety pack taste as good. It is also easy and fast to prepare. Just put the pouch in boiling water for 3-5 minutes. :) (you can also use a microwave or open pouch and heat in frying pan)

PS The curry might also be useful on short camping trips.

We are big fans of Indian food and quite often prepare and cook our own. But sometimes we're in a hurry and just want something quick ... So this dal-in-a-bag hits the spot when served with wild rice or with papadam. I would call it fairly mild, but that's my tongue speaking and yours may call it medium hot. Ours came with free Indian music CDs in the packages, and we wound up getting the complete set of five in our 6 pack. What a great bonus!

I was in India last Oct. and ate dinner at Bukhara and loved the dal. I was thrilled to find that I could buy it at home. Although it doesn't capture the smokey flavor exactly, this comes pretty close. I don't agree with the other reviews who say it lacks flavor. It is very tasty- just not spicy.