Trader Joe’s Indian Fare Punjab Choley (10.5 oz.)
Item Purchased: Trader Joe’s Indian Fare Punjab Choley (10.5 oz.)
Location Purchased: Trader Joe’s / 1840 N. Clybourn Ave. / Chicago, IL
Price: $1.99 + tax
Purchased on: 03/27/07
Review: Choley means “chickpea” and that is exactly what this Trader Joe’s boil-in-bag Indian meal is. Chickpeas in a spicy ginger tomato sauce that would taste fantastic if the chickpeas were a bit more tender. It seemed that no matter how long I boiled the foil bag this dish came packaged in, the chickpeas stayed too firm to be considered pleasantly edible.
A shame. Everything else about this dish is as good as can be expected from a shelf dinner. Oh well, Trader Joe’s… You can’t win them all!
Rating: 2.25 / 5
Posted by consumatron on April 21st, 2007 filed in
July 2nd, 2007 at 10:20 am
I microwaved this product as directed, and the chickpeas were perfect for my taste. Over basmati rice, this makes one delicious dinner.
September 25th, 2007 at 2:37 pm
I agree — you need to follow the directions and microwave it, not boil it.
November 7th, 2007 at 8:35 pm
I also microwaved and served with basmati rice, butternut squash, turnip, and fresh sliced apples on the side. It was a tasty and exotic!
December 11th, 2007 at 6:05 pm
Love it, makes my nose run!
December 17th, 2007 at 8:22 pm
I put it over some warm jasmine or basmati rice and I have a complete filling meal!
January 12th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
We followed the boil instructions, and the chickpeas were a little too firm and underdone. Will follow the microwave instructions next time. But we loved the flavor and spices.
January 30th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
I tried this product about 2 weeks ago. I was making chicken for dinner and decided it would make a great side
dish. I microwaved the choley and served it with cooked
white rice. My husband and I were not disappointed-he
raved about it. This was similar to something I had at
a place called Cafe Spice at Roosevelt Field Mall. I will de-
finitely buy more the next time I go to Trader Joe’s. It’s
a keeper!
May 13th, 2008 at 10:46 am
I made this last night for dinner, didn’t notice the firmness of the chickpeas - did the boil-in-bag method. As it was boiling, I stir fried some chicken, mushrooms, green onions, broccoli, and green peppers. WHen the pouch was hot, I added its contents to my stir fry, and put it all over some jasmine rice. Add a piece of Naan…Yum!
October 5th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
[...] when we cook, its all about 4-minute rice and Punjab Choley in a fucking pouch. Kids don’t even wait for water to boil [...]
January 7th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
Its very chilly …try some other brand…not good for your stomach..:(
April 10th, 2009 at 8:47 pm
Great food and I am a big fan of all the indian food at TJ’s but its a sad affair that its made in india and shipped half way round the world. The frozen naan breads are also great but its a bit of an environmental crime to eat all this stuff thats been shipped so far. Surely someone could make it all locally???? Once you start rading the labels there you will be shocked about how much of a carbon footprint you have when you shop there.