Dhingri Mutter and Bhindi Masala

I tried two new SWAD micro-curries today: Dhingri Mutter and Bhindi Masala. First I ate Dhingri Mutter, and I was thinking about it all day, so I decided to make another microcurry for dinner. The only one of my selection that Zahra hadn't tried before was Bhindi Masala, so that's what I ended up making.

The SWAD Dhingri Mutter was amazing. I think it may be my favourite microcurry yet, of any brand. The official description is: Mushroom and Peas in Onion, Tomato and Cream Sauce. It has huge plump mushrooms and peas. It's very full and you almost forget that it's completely vegetarian. It had some spice but not enough to overcome the basic flavour. I will definitely be buying it in bulk next time I make it down to the middle eastern store.

I start my review of SWAD Bhindi Masala by saying that I actually do like it. So consider how good the flavour must be that I can actually tolerate it in the face of the many complaints I have about it. The official description is: Okra in Exotic Mild Curry Sauce. First off, mild? Really? It is the spiciest micro curry I have had so far. It wasn't so spicy that it wasn't worth eating, but it was spicy enough that I enjoyed eating it cold better than eating it hot, because the rice was less painful. So yeah, sort of spicy. The texture wasn't very appealing either - it was very slimy. I'm not sure what else I expected from packaged okra, but yeah, I wouldn't be able to tolerate eating it without rice. The worst, though, was that the Bhindi Masala had a quite bitter aftertaste. But the primary taste was somehow good enough to make up for the rest. I probably won't buy it again, but only because the other micro curries are so good.

When I compared the two packages I found some interesting things. Firsly, the picture on the front of Dhingri Mutter looks exactly like what's in the package. The cover picture of Bhindi Masala frankly looks nothing like what's in the package, though I can't say I blame them. (The contents are brown and slimy). In fact, I can't say that the picture on the front could even be a dressed-up version of what's in the box, using some toppings and other ingredients. It's a stretch to even imagine it as a restaurant version of the same dish. But ah well.

Also, since I loved the Dhingri Mutter so much, and since it lists cream in it's description, I assumed right off the bat that it would be higher in fat and other no-no's than Bhindi Masala. I was surprised to find that the opposite is true. The Bhindi Masala provides 25.8% of your daily fat - not bad for convenience food, but much higher than Dhingri Mutter's 13% of daily fat! The serving sizes are the same. (Also, the sodium, at 10.6% and 13.9% respectively, is much lower than most convenience foods such as ramen or canned soup). The seemingly surprising fat descrepency is explained by the ingredient lists: Bhindi Masala lists vegetable oil as it's third ingredient, in Dhingri Mutter the fat comes after the mushrooms, green peas, and onions that make up an overwhelming percentage of it's volume.