Channa Masala: Chickpea in a delightful, modestly spicy sauce. You can serve it with rice and salad as a vegetarian meal, or as a side.

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October 2007

Product Reviews / Main Nibbles / International Foods

Devya Indian Gourmet

Organic Cooking Sauces

CAPSULE REPORT: Devya Indian Gourmet products offer quick-and-easy preparation of Indian favorites at a spice level that is authentic but appealing to Westerners. Devya is currently the only organic Indian sauce line on the market, and is also gluten-free. If you’ve wanted to do some Indian cooking but were intimidated at the thought of Indian sauce recipes, these sauces are easy recipe solutions for tasty home cooking—as good as you’d get at the home of company founder Anita Saini and her mother, whose recipes provided inspiration for the Butter Chicken, Channa Masala, Tandoori Chicken and Vegetable Curry.

• Overview
• Devya’s Gourmet Indian Sauces
• Shopping Information

You might like to enjoy Indian dishes at home more often. But if you’re not a specialist in the cuisine, the only way to do so effectively is to purchase prepared sauces. We’ve tried a variety: Some are too spicy, some are too mundane. Devya Indian Gourmet succeeds with sauces that merit the word “gourmet,” and let you simply pour over vegetables or chicken, simmer and serve. We were quite enthusiastic to find such a nice solution in a bottle.

Gourmet Indian Sauces

Basmati rice is the ideal accompaniment (see our article on the different types of rice and  organic rice to go with these organic sauces); and pick up some naan bread.

• Butter Chicken Simmer Sauce. The disk known as murgh makhni is believed to have originated in Delhi in the time of the Mughal Empire in Central and Southern Asia (16th to the mid-19th centuries). Devya’s murgh makhni sauce is made with tomatoes and various spices including cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, fenugreek and pepper. This special seasoning makes a charming chicken—not particularly spicy, but very pleasant.
• Channa Masala Simmer Sauce. Channa Masala is a classic North Indian chickpea dish. Those who only eat chickpeas in the form of hummus will find a new way to enjoy this legume! Just buy a can of chickpeas, simmer and serve with basmati rice and a side salad for a vegetarian dinner; or as a side with chicken, lamb or pork. Devya’s sauce is mild, but by adding fresh or dried chiles or other spices, you can ratchet up the heat.
• Tandoori Chicken Marinade. This is not a simmer sauce but a marinade prior to baking the chicken. Tandoori Chicken is a dish that dates back to the Mughal Empire, and is served with rice and chutney. The chicken is marinated in yogurt that is seasoned with garam masala, a blend of ground spices common in the Indian and Pakistani cuisine–its literal meaning is hot or warm (garam) spice (masala). The blend typically includes cayenne pepper, cumin, garlic and ginger, among other spices. While traditionally a hot and spicy dish, Devya’s Tandoori is a milder version. We cooked ours in the oven rather than on a grill, which creates a chicken with an orange sauce. Because the skin is not rubbed with cayenne or other spices, it is not the familiar red color of restaurant tandoori chicken. But, as one taster commented, the sauce, as is, is mild enough that children would eat it; and you can add more spices to your own comfort level.
• Vegetable Curry Simmer Sauce. The word “curry” is derived from kari, which means sauce in the Tamil language of southern India. Traditional curry is made with vegetables or meat and eaten with rice. Add your favorite vegetables to Devya’s simmer sauce to create a dish that will make anyone love vegetables (suggested: cauliflower, red and/or green peppers, peas, carrots, mushrooms and potatoes). This is a mild curry, but those who like it hot can add cayenne pepper.

Whether you serve just one dish with a regular meal, or make them all together, now you’ll be able to add Indian food to your repertoire of ethnic dishes.