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Author Topic: Ready made curry kits, restaurant style  (read 23,259 times)

AI Summary
The discussion centers around the quality and authenticity of ready-made curry kits from an online Asian supermarket, with mixed opinions from users. Some participants express satisfaction with the ease and taste of the kits, while others criticize them for lacking the depth of flavor found in traditional cooking methods. Overall, there is no clear consensus, as opinions vary widely on the kits' effectiveness as a substitute for homemade curry.

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Offline JohnSmith4

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Ready made curry kits, restaurant style
« on: January 14, 2016, 11:26 PM »
I hope this is the right section.

So I was perusing an online Asian supermarket, and noticed they do their own range of ready made curry kits, supposedly restaurant style. Has anybody tried them before? I'm tempted as a cheat to try one or two.

http://www.theasiancookshop.co.uk/u-cook-curry-kits-1-c.asp
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Offline Peripatetic Phil

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Re: Ready made curry kits, restaurant style
« Reply #1 on: January 15, 2016, 10:11 AM »
I've not tried them, John, but I like the write-up from their chef which strikes me as being genuine :  http://www.theasiancookshop.co.uk/blog/2013/12/02/spicesindianfoodrecipeschickendhansak/.  I may give one a go ...

** Phil.

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Offline JohnSmith4

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Re: Ready made curry kits, restaurant style
« Reply #2 on: January 16, 2016, 09:43 PM »
I'm going to put an order in with them Monday or Tuesday. I'll get a couple of their ready made kits, and I'll report back on the verdict in the near future.
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Offline George

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Re: Ready made curry kits, restaurant style
« Reply #3 on: January 16, 2016, 10:09 PM »
Quote from: Phil [Chaa006] on January 15, 2016, 10:11 AM
I've not tried them, John, but I like the write-up from their chef which strikes me as being genuine :  http://www.theasiancookshop.co.uk/blog/2013/12/02/spicesindianfoodrecipeschickendhansak/.  I may give one a go ...

I disagree. The nature of the recipe strikes me as nothing like a BIR dhansak. For a start, there's no use of base sauce. Secondly, he cooks raw chicken in the sauce for 20 minutes, releasing loads of chicken stock to kill any normal BIR dhansak flavour. What a con - marketing for the gullible.
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Offline Peripatetic Phil

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Re: Ready made curry kits, restaurant style
« Reply #4 on: January 16, 2016, 10:36 PM »
It's easy to criticise a recipe from its write-up, George (just as it's easy -- far too easy -- to praise a curry on the basis of a photograph or two), but the proof of the pudding is in the eating :  have you tried following the recipe to see if it yields a dhansak that you enjoy, or are you "dissing" it simply because it does not conform to your idea of how a BIR dhansak recipe should read ?

** Phil.

P.S.  When I wrote "I like the write-up from their chef, which strikes me as being genuine", I was referring specifically to the write-up (the personal part) rather than the recipe included.
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Offline Gav Iscon

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Re: Ready made curry kits, restaurant style
« Reply #5 on: January 16, 2016, 10:50 PM »
I'd be interested to see what they are like. Fenwicks new food court near to me have a Raffi's Spicebox Counter, www.spicebox.co.uk, and I very nearly purchased one to try if it had'nt been for the missus hurrying me up (its usually the other way round). Quite a few people buying them though.
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Offline JohnSmith4

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Re: Ready made curry kits, restaurant style
« Reply #6 on: January 20, 2016, 06:20 PM »
My order came today, including the U-cook garlic chicken and a jalfrezzi.

Easy as pie to make, just add hot water, simmer, add pre-cooked meat, simmer a bit more. I must say I was impressed with it (I made the garlic chicken this evening). It was lovely, and very much restaurant style, in my eyes. They say 4-6 portions, but I got 3 healthy 'man-size' (read, greedy) portions out of it. For ease of use and quality it's really good, probably better than anything I could make myself, I can't speak for others' culinary abilities.

Hope that helps.
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Offline Peripatetic Phil

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Re: Ready made curry kits, restaurant style
« Reply #7 on: January 20, 2016, 07:22 PM »
Excellent news, John.  In the meantime I have made sure that I have /all/ the ingredients for the Chicken Dhansak previously referred to, and will be cooking that as soon as (a) I have time, and (b) I have eaten up all the other items that are still awaiting my attention (inc. a /very/ large piece of beef reduced from circa GBP 27-00 to circa GBP 17-00, and a Waitrose Chinese goody-bag reduced from GBP 10-00 to just under GBP 6-00).

** Phil.
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Offline Micky Tikka

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Re: Ready made curry kits, restaurant style
« Reply #8 on: January 20, 2016, 07:58 PM »
Well done John
Not even 10 posts under your belt and you have reached your curry goal  :)
I'm gutted all that prepping and all I needed to do is boil some water  :'(

Cheers MT

Where did it all go wrong
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Offline curryhell

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Re: Ready made curry kits, restaurant style
« Reply #9 on: January 20, 2016, 09:16 PM »
Thanks for taking the time to report back on these kits John Smith.  I think with a bit more practice and time spent here you should be able to at least equal the results.  And with time and more practice surpass them easily  :)  Reasonable price till the p&p went on.  I can get a curry and rice for less  and I know it will taste pretty damn good with no effort from me required. Time you add in cost of meat, TA is a more economical option unless the TA's round your way are that dire  :-\
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