NOON Chicken Tikka Masala and Rice

Whenever I do an opinion on a food product it usually has some kind of bitchy comment about the product itself no matter how tasty the product may be.
Not this time though, I am by most peoples standards very hard to please when it comes to packaged food.

However, I do occasionally find some little gem hiding in the corner of the food chain thats well worth giving a hickey to.
No not literally, I don't suck the the corners of a cardboard packet until it goes purple.
I just...Well, you know what I mean?..LOL

This time I thought I would do an op à la Phil (Lostwitness - AKA - Philroots) and try out one of those dodgy supermarket microwavable ready meals.

Noon (whoever they are) Chicken tikka masala with rice, originally £1.99 but reduced in Morrisons displaying a large yellow 99p special purchase sticker.

Once again, I didn’t actually make the purchase myself, I merely borrowed the meal from my granny’s freezer, (not that I’ll ever get round to replacing it you understand, but she knows I love her and that’s all that counts).

THE PACKAGE:

The meal comes in a microwave tray split into two halves, in one half of the tray is the chicken tikka masala and in the other half is the aromatic Jeera rice.
The tray is sealed with a plastic film and comes inside a black and gold cardboard sleeve displaying the delicious looking curry.

The sleeve doesn’t boast that the masala tastes anything like a real downtown restaurant curry, like some ready made meals try to do.
It simply gives you a description of what it actually is, marinated chicken in a tangy tomato cream sauce with rice.
There is also a small orange banner telling you that the curry is of medium strength.

The only gripe I have with the design is the fact that there is a small red elephant on the front, these are supposed to be bad luck (don’t want to accidentally frazzle off my tongue before consuming LOL).

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

To cook in the oven:

Pre heat the oven to 190oC / 375oF / gas mark 5, remove the sleeve and pierce the film on the tray (masala part only).
Place the tray onto a baking tray in the oven and cook for 40 minutes if the product is frozen or 25 minutes if the product has been defrosted.

To cook in the Microwave:

Remove the sleeve and pierce the film lid on the tray (masala part only). Microwave on full power for:

Microwave wattage:
650W
3 minutes (5 if cooked from frozen)
750W
3 minutes (5 if cooked from frozen)

Peel back the film lid and pour 2 tablespoons of water over the rice and then stir both compartments.
Then microwave on full power for a further,

650W
3 minutes (5 if cooked from frozen)

750W
2 minutes 30 seconds (4 minutes 30 seconds if cooked from frozen)

Remove and leave it to stand for 1 minute before serving.

This product will freeze for up to a month, never re freeze if it has been allowed to defrost.

INGREDIENTS:

Chicken tikka masala (55%):

Chicken (26%), water, onion puree, single cream (6%), onion, tomato puree (4%), vegetable oil, yogurt, cashew nut puree, fresh coriander, ginger, garlic, green chillies, salt, paprika, coriander power, garam masala, cumin seeds (wot?), turmeric, chilli powder, fenugreek, cardamom, cloves.

Jeera Rice (45%):

Cooked Basmati rice (91%), vegetable oil, onion (3%), cumin seeds, salt, cardamom, cloves, bay leaf.

NUTRITION INFORMATION:

Per Pack 400g:

640 Calories
28.8g of Protein
70g of Carbohydrate
27.6g of Fat
4.4 g of Dietary fibre
0.96g of Sodium

TASTE AND SMELL:

What can I say? This has to be the best, frozen curry that I have ever tasted (sorry Phil but I doubt that any of your Tesco efforts will even come close).
The masala sauce has a very creamy texture and houses a strong tomato taste.

Everyone here knows that I don’t like onions but you really cannot tell that this curry contains any. As for the chicken (No not the cheeky one) there is plenty of it and it is in large mouth sized chunks. It tastes as good as the chicken that is served in any curry or Balti house and the aromatic basmati rice smells like heaven itself.

I know I am sounding like I’m almost at the peak of an orgasm here but I really can’t say enough good things about this delicious curry.
It is spicy, without being too hot and so it will suit even the most delicate of palettes.

The only bad thing about it is that there is just not enough in one portion to feed big giants like me, although for most of you ladies out there, the portion size will be ample.

I have never heard of any of Noon’s products before let alone tried any until now.
I would however, have no problems in highly recommending it to anybody.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

If you have any questions, comments or complaints about any of Noon’s products, then you can drop them a line at,

Noon products LTD,
2 Collett way,
Great Western Industrial Park,
Southall,
Middlesex,
UB2 4SE

Sadly, they don’t have a contact telephone number or an up and running website but I doubt that after tasting one of their products, you will have any complaints.

Thanks for reading and enjoy.

DEANO!