Monday 28 July 2014

Desi Cooks 'Curry Bombs' Review

I'm rather excited today as I have a fantastic new product to introduce you to!! The curry bomb range from Desi Cooks are frozen cubes of mixed vegetables and beautifully balanced spices that you can use to create quick and tasty, authentic homemade Indian and Punjabi dishes. They are made from fresh, natural ingredients so you won't come across any artificial colours, preservatives or flavourings, or any MSG. All you'll find inside are honest, real ingredients with no hidden nasties.

The full range of 'bombs' includes Daal/Lentil, Kebab & Meatball, Coriander Chutney, Mint Chutney, Chicken Tikka Marinade, Curry and Biryani. The curries take between 30-60 minutes to create and the chutneys and daal take around 5-10 minutes.


The brilliance of the curry bombs is that they are easy to use and store; just pop them in the freezer. Most of the 'bombs' can be used from frozen and every dish you create is completely customisable; if you like your dishes hot & spicy you can add fresh chillies or cool it down a little with some natural yoghurt if spicy isn't your thing or if you're cooking for the children.

The Terrors, their Daddy and I have been taste-testing the Desi Cooks Curry Bomb range over the last couple of weeks and it's pretty safe to say that they've been a big hit all round. My Husband and I enjoyed some delicious chicken tikka & red pepper skewers with spicy minced beef kebabs and a salad & yoghurt as a treat on a summery evening last week.

Chicken Tikka Skewers and Minced Beef Kebabs

The cubes were very easy to use; I took around 4 of out each pack and allowed them to defrost. To create the chicken skewers I diced some chicken breast and allowed it to marinade in the sauce for around 3-4 hours in the fridge. I then wrapped the chicken in tin foil and cooked it in the oven, along with the red pepper, adding the pepper then chicken alternately onto kebab skewers when they were both cooked.

The spicy minced beef kebabs were also incredibly easy to create using 4 defrosted kebab & meatball cubes. I mixed them with minced beef then shaped them into sausage shapes before inserting the kebab skewers. I cooked them in the oven then seared them in a hot frying pan before serving them with the chicken tikka & red pepper skewers with fresh salad and natural yoghurt.

They were both very easy to create and tasted delicious. The chicken tikka skewers had quite a kick to them and had I been making them for the children to enjoy too I would have added a good amount of yoghurt to the marinade. They were a little hot for me but I really enjoyed them dipped in natural yoghurt and my Husband thought they were just the right amount of spice. Both of us agreed that they were really yummy and the spices didn't overpower the flavour.

The minced beef kebabs were my favourite! Subtle, tasty spicing made them very moreish and I'm sure, had we prepared them for the children too, they would have really enjoyed them. I especially liked that the frozen kebab & meatball bombs already had diced onion in the mix so there was no need to add anything else while I was preparing them. As long as you have the meat Desi Cooks will add the flavour.

Chicken Biryani

We also enjoyed a delicious chicken biryani using the Desi Cooks Biryani Bombs. I added a handful of diced onion (my family love our onions) and cooked it with the chicken and the biryani bomb. I added half a cup of water to create a slightly thinner sauce. While my Husband enjoyed the hotter biryani, I used some coconut milk (natural yoghurt would work well too) to cool it down a little for myself and the children. It was very easy to customise and meant that we could all enjoy same dish together.

Daal Soup

One of my favourite dishes is a tasty daal soup and Desi Cooks' Daal & Lentil Bombs didn't disappoint. Taking a handful of cubes straight out of the freezer I added them to a saucepan and cooked them for around 5 minutes until they created a delicious looking soup. I did wonder if I needed to add some fresh lentils but soon found there was no need, Desi Cooks had it covered and it was as simple as heating the cubes right through until they were hot. It was divine, really flavourful with a slight kick that left me wanting more.

We were all very impressed with the Desi Cooks range. Every dish we created tasted fresh and flavourful, something which really makes them stand apart from other frozen curry products on the market. They've spotted a gap in the market, a tasty sauce/spice bomb but with fresh, frozen ingredients that really boost the flavour above anything you could purchase in a jar. It cuts cooking time in half and the range really out-shone the jarred spice mix I usually reach for.

The only negative I found was that it wasn't clear how many of the frozen cubes to use for each dish but it was pretty easy to work out once you started cooking and you could always add a little water and/or yoghurt to make the dish a little saucier. Other than that we found the curry bombs very easy to use. Desi Cooks had already done all the preparation meaning all I needed to do was add the meat and I could create delicious, authentic dishes quickly.

There were instructions on each pack and Desi Cooks also provided some recipes on their website to give some guidance and ideas on how to prepare each dish. We all liked that the curry bombs were totally customise, making them suitable for all of us to enjoy. The lack of hidden nasties through the use of all natural ingredients was a massive plus point too and with my Son's dairy intolerance made things so much easier (I've found a lot of similar products & sauces contain milk or cream).

It's pretty safe to say that we all loved the Desi Cooks range of 'curry bombs' and found them flavoursome and wonderful to cook with. I'd highly recommend them and you can find them in the following stockists.


Disclaimer : I was sent a variety of products from the 'curry bomb' range by Desi Cooks in exchange for an honest review. All words, opinions and images are my own.

2 comments:

  1. These look like such a great idea and something I haven't heard of before. Always love finding new ways to cook x

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    1. They are brilliant! So easy to use and they make perfect Indian dishes everytime :) x

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