We used to be big fans of the Tandoor Chef line of frozen food. We’d gobble up everything they made, and we loved almost all of it. But then, the brand started disappearing from store shelves, only to reappear as the Deep Indian Kitchen line. So we did the only thing we could: We rolled up our sleeves and got to work reviewing all of the meals in the Deep line. Somehow, we’d missed the Deep Indian Kitchen Paneer Tikka Masala in those explorations.
Well, folks, today is the day that we finally right this wrong. Today we’re digging into the Paneer Tikka Masala to see what it’s all about.
Cooking this is a cinch. Pop it into the microwave for two minutes, give it a quick stir, then pop it back in for two more minutes. Boom, your meal is done! (If you want to read the full cooking instructions straight off the box, check out our package scans at the bottom of this review.)
This meal combines Deep’s Chicken Tikka Masala with their Spinach Paneer. It’s basically a version of the Chicken Tikka Masala that uses paneer cheese instead of chicken. That means it’s okay for vegetarians to eat it (though not vegans).
We’ll say right away that we definitely prefer chicken to paneer cheese. While the paneer is alright here, it just can’t compare to that rich, succulent meat that Deep uses in their Chicken Tikka Masala. Seriously, Deep’s chicken is off-the-charts incredible.
On the other hand, the sauce here is to die for. This is a creamy sauce that blends the oh-so-slightly sweet with a blend of spices (including garlic, turmeric, and paprika). This stuff is absolutely fantastic, and we really loved getting to eat it again.
So is it spicy? Well, we always get ourselves into trouble when we answer that question. Whenever we say something isn’t very spicy, someone in the comments section complains that it was too spicy for them, and whenever we say something is spicy, someone sounds off in the comments to tell us we’re just a bunch of babies. We just can’t win, can we?
That said, we don’t think this is very spicy. Yes, we know there’s someone who’s going to disagree with us, but we felt the spice level to be mildly tingly.
Now, we should point out that the basmati rice isn’t amazing on its own — it has a great texture but little flavor — but when you mix it into the sauce, it becomes incredible. So definitely mix the rice into the sauce. Everything is just so much better that way.
One meal contains 390 calories and 580 mg of sodium. Both of those numbers are pretty respectable — especially the sodium, which is lower than we would have expected (our guess would have been closer to 700 of 800 mg).
The Deep Indian Kitchen Paneer Tikka Masala isn’t as good as the Chicken Tikka Masala, but it’s a good options for vegetarian eaters (though not for vegans). Deep has an excellent track record of making delicious meals, and this is no exception.
To learn more about the nutrition content, ingredients, or cooking instructions for this frozen meal, check out our package scans below.
