Price: Free from Gits*
Serving: 1/2 pouch, 5.3oz.
Calories: 234 per serving
Fat: 19.4%, 12.6g
Cholesterol: 0%, 0mg
Sodium: 23.1%, 554mg
Protein: 8.6g
Carbohydrates: 7.2%, 21.5g
Fiber: 2.8%, 0.7g
Sugar: 0g
Weight Watchers Points: 6 Per Serving, 12 Per Pouch

Gits says: During the days of British rule in India, Dal Makhani found favor with the connoisseurs of food — the Mughals and the Nawabs. A blend of black gram, Bengal gram and red kidney beans are cooked on a slow charcoal fire for up to 16 hours and then delicately tempered and seasoned with exotic spices and light cream.

Andrew says: I love lentil soups and I love kidney beans and I love Indian food. So here’s an Indian lentil soup with kidney beans. Is there any chance I won’t love this?

Well, if there was a chance, it was a tiny one. This is a fantastic dish executed excellently by Gits. It’s like regular lentil soup if lentil soup had a lot more spice and life to it. There are little strands of ginger, onions, a touch of garlic, chilies, coriander, cumin and Fenugreek leaves all dancing together in a dark reddish, creamy ballroom of flavor.

And it really is surprisingly creamy. The third ingredient listed is cream and it really provides a nice, smooth, almost cheesy base for the spice and beans. It helps bring all the flavors together on the palate rather than having them hit at different times. I really enjoy that effect. The packaging says Dal Makhani is India’s favorite lentil dish and I must say it’s already mine as well.

But because I’m white, I rarely have flatbread on hand to enjoy a soup like this with (not that it NEEDS the bread, but it always helps), so I got out my bag of Santitos white corn tortilla chips and dunked away. It was delightful! The fusion of Mexican and Indian cuisine … sounds like a recipe for a long stay on the toilet, but I think this works anyway. Wait until they hear about this in Mumbai!

*When I sent Andrew food he did not know which items were free from producers and which were ones I’d purchased. -Ed.

Price: Provided by Gits Foods
Serving: 1/2 pouch, 5.3oz.
Calories: 224 per serving
Fat: 25.4%, 16.5g
Cholesterol: 0%, 0mg
Sodium: 22.2%, 534mg
Protein: 6.9g
Carbohydrates: 4%, 12g
Fiber: 4.8%, 1.2g
Sugar: 0g
Weight Watchers Points: 5 Per Serving, 10 Per Pouch

Gits says: A very popular vegetable curry made of a combination of fenugreek leaves, green peas & fresh cream. And much liked by connoisseurs. Along with the aromatic taste of the fenugreek leaves and the green peas, the natural delicate flavors of Methi Matar are enhanced by a subtle aroma of spices and seasonings. Its slightly chewing consistency creating a dish which is as tasy as it is wholesome.

Andrew says: A few weeks ago, if you would have told me I could eat delicious Indian food out of a non-refrigerated silver pouch, I’d have told you to take your lies elsewhere. Now, though, I know this is no lie.

I’d never had Methi Matar before I ate this, but I feel well-versed enough in the Indian spice set to tell you this is a very authentic tasting dish. I get the feeling, due to its simplicity, that this is a dish meant as a side, or as one in a series of savory, soupy concoctions to greedily sop up with flat bread, but even alone, it’s wonderful.

The fenugreek leaves (the methi) add kind of a bitterness, but the peas (the matar) are sweet. There’s cumin and cinnamon, there’s clove and nutmeg. It’s a cornucopia of wonderful flavors. And I can read all the ingredients on the back of the box. Oh yeah, it’s all natural, kids! All in a space-age silver pouch.

The peas make up the bulk of the body here, and they’re just fine. I happen to love peas, so, you know, this is a good deal. The whole dish is a deeper green than pea green, but the flavor is somewhat orange, if you get my meaning. It’s spicy and warm and it warms you up with its flavor. You could eat it straight with a spoon (as I was part of the time, for scientific purposes), but it really cries out for some kind of bread medium. I had the last bit of it with some crusty, locally made artisan bread due to a lack of naan in my home and it was good even with that.

If you can find this in the imported food/ethnic cuisine section of your local market and you’re down with tasty Indian dishes, give it a shot. You don’t even need freezer space!

As of this review, these products are only available at Amazon.com Gits Store in 10-packs, though it appears that this particular product is out of stock. The price comes to $2.13 a pouch and the products are all eligible for Super Saver Shipping. So, you could buy a whole lot of Indian food and a book and get your shipping for free!