Awhile back on Twitter I lamented that Whole Foods in Los Angeles had ready-made vegan Indian food while the WFs up here in NorCal had nada. Reading Quarrygirl.com’s blog about the new addition down there made this dude crazy with vegan food envy. I could smell the heady scent of masala all the way up here in NorCal.
Lucky for me, I had the opportunity to experience the rich flavors firsthand when I was offered a taste test from Basu’s Homestyle Indian Cuisine. When the package from Basu’s arrived, it included enough sauces and ingredients to make several Indian-inspired meals. Inside the box were Saffron Rice, Chana Dal, Vindaloo Sauce with Basil, Tamarind Chutney and two types of Masala Sauce – one of which was infused with peanutty goodness.
Before preparing anything, Katy and I decided to warm up and sample a bit of the saffron rice. WOW… happy dance! If this was any indication of what was to come, we were in for an awesome feast.
We opted to try the Vindaloo and Peanut Masala sauces for our first meal. For the Peanut Masala, our recipe included red potatoes, onions, previously frozen tofu (to improve texture), and raisins. The concoction we whipped up to go with the Vindaloo sauce included zucchini, crimini mushrooms, and peas. Prep simply consisted of slicing and dicing the ingredients. We quickly sautéed everything in a skillet with a hint of olive oil, then added Basu’s sauces ‘til everything was cooked through.
Everything looked and smelled great. Now, it was time to CHOW! First up was the Peanut Masala dish. Basu’s combination of peanut and masala was unique and tasted awesome — the flavors blended together perfectly. When we dove into the vindaloo dish, we knew this was no ordinary run-of-the-mill-Indian-inspired sauce. This stuff came from the heart. It was obvious that these sauces were time-tested, over and over, with the final product being nothing short of extraordinary. The spices were exquisitely balanced, with just a hint of basil. And when we drizzled some of Basu’s Tamarind Chutney on the dishes — our taste buds were transported to culinary nirvana.
Living in the San Francisco Bay Area, there’s no shortage of Indian markets and restaurants. Both frozen and prepared Indian meals are readily available in markets like Whole Foods. We’ve sampled our share of Indian food over the years, but after this meal, Katy and I agreed that this was one of the best we’d ever had. Rivaling and exceeding the Indian meals we’ve had in restaurants. The flavors were memorable and it was amazing that such tasty goodness could come from something prepackaged — and the leftovers tasted yummy too.
Over the next few days, we tried out the other ingredients and sauces with equally delicious results. We decided to go basic with the Chana Dal, and simply heated it and poured it over the saffron rice. We even used the Dal as a base for a simple pita bread pizza with a little sliced zucchini, fresh onions and basil sprinkled with the Tamarind Chutney. Happy mouths, happy stomachs!
For another meal, we sautéed the masala sauce mixed with red potatoes, vegan beef strips from Trader Joe’s, and fresh broccoli. HELLA good! Leftovers the following day turned into a tasty filling for Indian-inspired tacos.
Basu and Robin Ghosh, the father and son team of Basu’s Homestyle, have set the bar extremely high for ready-made Indian food and sauces. Their goal, in their own words, is to “bust the popular myth that vegan and vegetarian food cannot be great-tasting”. Well, they have more than succeeded. Every Indian meal from now on will be compared to the high quality and deliciousness of Basu’s.
Currently Basu’s products and prepared meals are available at selected Whole Foods Markets in Southern California, Nevada, Arizona and Hawaii. If you’re lucky enough to live in those locales, do your taste buds and stomach a favor and try their stuff — pronto!
Hopefully, Basu’s line of Indian products will be available SOON up here in Northern California. Are you listening Whole Foods?
Go to Basu’s Homestyle Indian Cuisine site for more info about their tasty products.
tofu riot 