Rip, Pour, Cook, and Go!
When I first came across Tasty Bite’s Packets of Indian Channa Masala, I had never had Indian food in my life before. So my expectations going in were mixed, I was hoping for the best. Just as the instructions say all I had to do was tear the pouch, pour it into a pan, cook it on low for four minutes, and boom, ready! When I took the first bite I immediately fell in love. Although I am not vegan myself, I found the masala to still be creamy and it had an explosion of flavors and texture. But after finishing my packet I felt as if I could add more to it. After experimenting with a few common foods around my pantry, here’s my list of 4 things you can add to or with your Tasty Bites Channa Masala!
Rice!
As listed on the packet Tasty Bite recommended it to be served with rice! The perfect partner to the perfect meal, the rice, and the Masala beautifully came together the rice helping to balance the flavors in the packet. It was easy to make and only added 10 more minutes to my prep time. If you’re vegan this add-on is the perfect addition to give you that full satisfied feeling!
Onions and Garlic!
When tasting the packet for the first time, I also thought to myself: “I love the onion flavor, but where’s the crunch?” Another fantastic option to preserve the veganism of the food is to add onions and garlic to the mix! It took me several minutes to chop, dice, and cook the onions and it made the Masala 100x better! It gave the Masala more of a unique texture while adding a stronger garlic flavor as well.
Bread!
Although Tasty Bite recommended it with flatbread as well, not everyone has access to flatbread or naan so I tried to experiment with regular white bread! Let me just say it did not disappoint! The white bread soaks up the Masala extremely well and if toasted adds another unparalleled texture almost at the level of adding onions and garlic as mentioned earlier! Of course, feel free to still use flatbread or naan bread if you have it but for those in a rush, regular white bread works too!
Chicken!
Not a vegan and want to add some meat into the mix? Try some seasoned chicken! Chicken mixed with Masala is a match made in heaven. Adding some chicken would turn your Channa Masala into a Chicken Channa Masala! The meat adds another unique flavor in the mix and adding some chicken to the lentils will help you get some more protein out of your packet!
Conclusion
Whether you’re a vegan or not, Tasty Bite’s Channa Masala is definitely worth a try! If one packet isn’t enough for you, you can always be “Real Bold” and try to pair things with your packet. Small, fast, healthy, and affordable — perfect for us college students! Go out and grab them while you can before they fly off the shelves!