Tandoor Chef Review: Can You Really Get Good Indian Food From the Freezer?

I love me a good Indian meal. The spices! The flavors! The creative vegetarian dishes! I love it all. And while I’ve tried to make Indian food at home, I’ve found that it’s almost always tastier when I order it out. So when some Tandoor Chef free entree coupons arrived on our doorstep, encouraging us to try their frozen Indian dishes, I was curious — but a touch skeptical. Could Indian food from the freezer aisle really be good? Really?
I decided to give two of their gluten-free options — and two of my favorite Indian dishes, period — a go. Palak Paneer…

And Vegetable Pad Thai (also vegan!).

A quick look at the nutritionals of each, and I was pleasantly surprised. The ingredients in the Palak Paneer can’t really be beat. (I even spied ghee!) It’s a little tricky that the serving size is two and the sodium is high, but the protein, vitamin A, calcium and iron were serious pluses.

The Vegetable Pad Thai had a serving size of one (hooray—like you’re really going to split these), and another relatively clean ingredient list for a convenience food. Most of the fats are healthy, there’s good protein and fiber, and, again, good amounts of key vitamins and minerals.

And “cooking” these was quick and easy. The Palak Paneer took about five minutes total to get this:

And I was pleasantly surprised with the flavor. It was pretty darn good. Okay, a lot good! My husband and I gobbled it up — the spinach was rich and creamy without being too creamy, and the paneer was nice and spongy. It really didn’t taste like it came from the microwave. I was pretty impressed.
The Vegetable Pad Thai took just four minutes in the microwave and came out looking pretty good, too.

While it’s not the best pad thai I’ve ever had (that award goes to this place), it was pretty impressive for a frozen meal. There are quite a few big veggies (love that!), and it had good flavor. The noodles were a bit sticky, but that’s really my only extremely minor complaint.

I’ve never been a frozen-meal kinda gal, but these Tandoor Chef entrees are giving me a reason to re-think that. Plus, they have so many Indian food options: from naan to curry to korma — and they have its vegetarian, vegan and g-free options clearly labeled on its site and on the packaging.
These are a fantastic option to keep in your freezer for those nights when take-out is calling, but you want to keep your portions down or don’t feel like leaving the house. With a clean ingredient list and nutritionals that aren’t too shabby, pair it with a piece of fruit or a side salad, and you are golden.
Do you ever eat frozen meals? —Jenn