Always on the hunt to bring you the latest tasty findings led the olfactory senses to the Gourmantra booth at this year’s Good Food Festival & Market. There the Prasad women (sisters Rachna, Mona and mother Rekha) were cooking up an Indian feast of flavours using their ingeniously packaged Gourmantra Indian Meal Kits. Intrigued, a more than cursory glance at the ingredient list yielded a happy surprise - ingredients I recognized with virtually no unpronounceable inclusions. Plus, the snappy boxes promised a dish in 30 minutes (10 minutes prep time, 20 minutes cooking time) - this certainly was intriguing.
Some of the Most Popular Indian Dishes on Offer
Tandoori, Korma, Channa Masala and Butter Chicken make up the four kinds of kits on offer in grocery stores throughout Ontario and the western provinces- they also happen to be the most recognized Indian dishes around. Not one to jump on the over-priced, ready-made meal bandwagon (even though this is a long-lasting trend that’s not going to go anywhere anytime soon), the skeptic in me wondered how good these could actually be. All four packets found their way into the kitchen as did a chef pal, her husband and mine along with four healthy appetites. And given these aren't ready made dinners- they're kits, we were all game.
The Taste and Cooking Test
In roughly one hour dinner was indeed on the table (given that three kits were prepared- it is about 30 minutes if you're just making one kit)- a collective favourite, the Channa Masala, was flavourful and aromatic, as was the terrific chicken korma (the other option would have been lamb) and beef tandoori (or you can opt for bone-in chicken, pork or fish- just remember to give it enough time to marinate in that delicious sauce!). Each box comes prepared with a ground spice blend (the Prasad ladies say they acquire the finest spices possible from India and Sri Lanka), a puree packet (usually garlic and ginger) and an envelope of good basmati rice. Each box feeds three to four which is a more than fair assessment. You add the protein of your choice and a few other fresh ingredients that can range from lemon juice, yoghurt, a chopped onion to more chilies should you like to up the heat quotient. The Gourmantra women have left no detail unattended, even offering optional ingredient tips and suggestions to really make a dish sing.
Making it Really, Really Easy
A side panel also offers you a heat gauge (ranging from mild to hot), a useful shopping list to make life easy while at the grocery store and clearly outlined directions that even the novice can follow without any hassle. And like most anything else, once you get comfortable with the flavour profiles, there’s nothing stopping you from adding your favourite ingredients- maybe some other veggies to the channa masala or fresh herbs to the meat dishes. Overall, Gourmantra received stellar reviews from the dinner companions who would gladly eat any other Gourmantra offering (you have their confidence now Prasad ladies). It’s like having Rekha in your kitchen cooking with you- talk about making your next dinner party a no-fuss, no-muss event (again, even the basmati rice is included for goodness sake) that even the most gourmet in the group will enjoy! This cook can’t wait to taste what’s next!
Oh and for those of you who weren’t at this year’s Good Food Festival & Market, you might be interested in knowing that Gourmantra (based in Markham, Ontario no less) won this year’s People’s Choice Award in the Favourite Entrée category! Tasty news indeed.
Check back soon to read about another hot product discovered at the Market- especially if you like it hot, hot, hot!
