Easy as 1, 2, 3, 4! (Ainsley Harriott Bengali Keema Masala Dinner Kit)

Member Name: Comperchris

Product:	Ainsley Harriott Bengali Keema Masala Dinner Kit
Date:	26/09/09 (70 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to make, filling, tasty

Disadvantages: Breadmaking instructions should be better

I normally cook things from scratch but, with it being on offer in Sainsburys for £1.50 at half price I thought I'd get it to use when I couldn't be bothered to cook. Yesterday was such a day.

Firstly I don't really eat lamb as I think it is a rather fatty meat so I substituted turkey mince for the suggested lamb mince. The only other ingredient you need to make the kit (other than water) is natural yogurt, I used Sainsburys basics natural low fat yogurt. As I got my meat when it was reduced and froze it the entire meal cost less than £4 for two of us.

The concept behind the kit is simple; the kit contains five sachets which need to be mixed with the above ingredients according to the instructions.

The first step and by far the quickest and easiest is to mix sachet 1 with the natural yogurt. This creates Raita, the herbs look horrible so I was at this stage expecting a trip down to the local takeaway. I did this stage in the morning, went to work and left the mixture to infuse through the course of the day, I think this actually improved the end product no end.

When I got home I browned the mince and, although not mentioned in the instructions drained the excess fat. You then have to mix the mince with the contents of sachets two and three. These are the spices and vegetables. It tells you to cook for a couple of minutes but I just ensured everything had a coating of spices. The vegetables which come out of the sachet are a mixture of peas and onion and look dry and revolting. The instructions tell you to simmer. You then add water to the mix and the instructions tell you to simmer for fifteen minutes. Like everybody else seems to have I actually simmered for more like twenty five until I felt the consistency was right.

Meanwhile while you're doing the curry you also have to do the rice, this is simple enough just empty sachet 4 (the spiced basmati rice) into a pan with 350ml water cover and simmer for 12 minutes. The rice came out perfectly cooked and fluffy by following these instructions.

The final stage is to make the Roti breads, according to the instructions this should also be quite simple, empty sachet 5 into a mixing bowl and mix with 150ml warm water. I did this and created a dough, I then spent a good five minutes kneading the dough to make it pliable. I then ran out of time as all the other stages were almost cooked so added the oil as directed and created four balls of dough which I then rolled flat. The dough was very good and did not stick to the work surface. I dry fried it as directed but instead of golden brown parts went black while other bits were barely cooked. I persevered and the bread came out ok, the middle was not as well cooked as I would have liked. I suspect I may not have flattened the dough as much as I should have and the mixture was too fat. The breads were still edible and were dare I say quite nice when served with the Raita.

The kit was actually fun to make and made preparing the meal a sociable affair.

The meal finished cooking at about the same time, and dished up it looked very appealing. Even the vegetables which gave me my initial reservations came out well and my partner and I enjoyed it thoroughly. The kit made two large portions and was tasty and very filling.

As I got the kit on offer it was good value for money but I would not pay full price for it.

Summary: Quick and relatively easy meal