Gits Ready Meals Dal Tadka & Jeera Rice, 13.20 oz

The taste of this dal tadka is pretty authentic. This is the staple every day meal in North India, although every state in India and every household has its own special method of making dal. Nothing can beat mom's cooking or even my fresh cooked dal tadka but this is great for a quick meal. The flavor are on point and it tastes homemade. The quantity is substantial for one person meal or it can be used as a side dish for two persons.The instructions that come with it recommend heating the pouches for a few minutes in boiling water and then cutting them open. The other preparation method is to empty the contents in a microwave bowl and nuke it for a few minutes. I knew that I should have used the first method to prepare this dish but I chose to microwave it to spend me the hassle of boiling water.However getting the dal out of the pouch was difficult and I had to pour in some hot water to get out all the contents and use a rubber spatula so in retrospect I should've use the boiling water method. I also have to add on a few more minutes in the microwave in addition to the suggested time as it was still cold and hard.The dal and the rice are in separate aluminum pouches. The serving suggestion on the pack says to serve each item separately but I chose to mix it in before microwaving it as that is how I like to eat it. You can see in the picture what the contents look like before and after microwaving. I garnished the dish with some cilantro as suggested on the package. The jeera rice should be soft and fluffy when done, and the dal should be bubbling slightly.This dish has 480 cal and is a full meal with carbs and proteins. It is also vegetarian but not vegan as it has ghee (clarified butter) in the ingredients. I find these pouches easy to take for camping or cabin stays as they don't have to be refrigerated. It's a nice change from hot dogs every night!I recommend this item but I think the price is a little too high. I see a five pack of similar Gits product available for $25 which makes it five dollars per pack. That seems like a better price point for this pack.[Received a free product sample for evaluation and review]

I love Indian food, and was interested to try these Gits Ready Meals. I have a few of them, and went with this Jeera Rice & Dal Tadka as my first. It looks delicious, and has amazingly good ingredients for processed food. It's all ... food. Like, actual food. No unpronounceable chemicals or bizarre preservatives. Just the same things I would put together in a pot if I was going to make the same dish. Garlic. Ghee. Salt. Green Chili. Ginger. Cumin. Turmeric. All the good things.The rice and dal come in two separate bags, and you can either microwave them or heat them up in boiling water. I went with the water method for my first try. They recommend 3-5 minutes so I went for the whole range of 5. I am glad I did, and probably should have left them in for even longer. They came out lukewarm, and the rice was still hard and stuck together. I would probably recommend 5-7 minutes instead of 3-5, and will definitely go longer for the next round.The flavor was good. It wasn't amazing, and I wish had been a lot stronger. This is "mild," which I'm not a huge fan of. I would have preferred spicing it up quite a bit more. Overall it was bland. That's personal preference, I know, and it is always easier to spice something up to a higher level than bring it down. Still, I had to eat this with the salt shaker and hot sauce bottle nearby.All in all it was pretty good. Definitely a level above standard processed food, and the ingredients list can't be beat!Sample provided for review.