Post by Darren Wogman
Okay, I wanted to start off on a good note and Kricket's Butter Chicken from Restaurant Kits is definitely a great place to begin.
First Impressions
First off, it's £30 for the 2-person kit, which is pretty reasonable as Meal Kits go. It's a very similar price to a takeaway, and it comes with accompaniments - black pepper papads (similar to popadom), chutney, lentil daal and rice.
In fact, the rice needs its own honourable mention because the rice comes with some ghee (a type of clarified butter used extensively in Indian cooking) and a range of whole spices. This isn't just a bag of plain rice, it really is elevated to something special. Too often in meal kits the rice feels like it's been added as an afterthought, and the cooking instructions lead to something rather sub-par and disappointing. Kricket is an example of when this is done really well!
Image credit: Restaurant Kits
On to the Cooking
The instructions for this classic butter chicken were really clear and easy to follow. The marinated chicken just needs to be laid out on a baking tray and put under the grill, meanwhile everything else gets heated up in saucepans and combined at the end.
The papads are also pretty fun to make, they need heating up in a dry pan. They begin to lighten in colour and puff up a bit.
After the pre-marinated chicken is cooked, it gets plopped into the simmering Makhani sauce for a few minutes. Meanwhile, the daal is heated through, the rice has been patiently waiting for you and papads popped up and ready to go.
The Proof of the Pudding is in the Eating
Simply put, this is one of the tastiest and well put together meal kit I've had the pleasure of enjoying. The portion sizes are good and with the extra sides it really is a full meal. No need to be rustling up something extra.
I would definitely buy this again and actually, when lockdown opens up, I'd definitely consider going to the restaurant- which I suppose is one of the aims of these kits.
The chicken is super soft and tender. The sauces are all delicious. The daal itself is well flavoured. The rice too is something a bit special and the whole meal just eats really well together. Oh, and the chutney is really flavourful and not too sweet, pairs perfectly with the deep strong flavour of the pan roasted black pepper papad!
Image credit: Restaurant Kits
Final Thoughts
Honestly, I'd put this at a 10/10 👍👍!
For the price, it's an absolute bargain and if you're wanting to try some Indian food at home, this is definitely something to seriously consider. I've cooked plenty before lockdown, I often used those packs you find in the supermarket where they have all the different sauces and ingredients assembled for you to add to your own choice of protein, but really this meal kit was just on another level.
I wish all meal kits could be this great. A Darren Wogman | Hungry Darren Top Pick!