Turning premade curried veggies into a meal

May 23, 2018 3:32 PM

I really like Trader Joe's Indian Fare pouches and their similar Channa Masala and Saag Paneer freezer items. I want to turn these into full meals, which means adding both calories and fresh flavors. Tell me your secrets to make this happen.

The goal is to make a one-bowl lunch that's around 700-800 calories. The Trader Joe's items are around 250-300 calories each. So far I've been adding a cup of full-fat Greek yogurt and a sausage, which brings me up to about 650 calories. I want to spice up this routine (literally and figuratively).

What else can I add, either for calories or for deliciousness? Today I tried adding yogurt as usual, spinach leaves (just ok, texture kind of clashes), and pecans (yum, nice crunch as a counterpoint to the soft veggies). In the winter I frequently added both cheese and yogurt for extra calories, but now that it's warmer I'm not drawn to cheese as much. Maybe avocado? Premade sauces seem like a good idea flavor-wise, like Sriracha except I prefer not-spicy sauces. Strong flavors would be good - I'm the type of person who doubles the spices in most recipes, which is one reason why I'm drawn to the many-spice curries.

I want to keep starchy carbs to a minimum, so a bit of rice is okay but not the whole solution.

Bonus points if you know where else I can get more cheap premade flavorful veggies. I know Costco has the Tasty Bite brand, which is perfect but I'm not a Costco member.

posted by danceswithlight to Food & Drink (17 answers total)

Brown rice and barley have a lot more fiber and a lot less simple carbs than white rice, I use a mix of those instead of white rice, it’s great. Millet is another option along those lines.

TVP is stupid cheap and easy, it will soak up all the flavor and add only protein.
posted by SaltySalticid at 3:50 PM on May 23, 2018 [2 favorites]

A Middle Eastern/Indian market near me regularly carries frozen Deep/Udupi-brand Masala Dosas and they are just. so. good. They're these South Indian savory lentil pancake things stuffed with spices and a little potato, I think; in the slideshow on that web page they're the things that are folded in half and look a bit like tacos.

They're normally a breakfast food as I understand it but I eat them at any time. I often actually have exactly the meals you describe there: dosas and Channa Masala or dosas and Saag Paneer. It's that brand specifically, though—when the store runs out and temporarily brings in another brand I am sorely disappointed because the other guys just can't get the combination of texture and flavor right.

(Perhaps an essential note: you need a toaster oven or, slightly more perilously, a pop-up toaster to get these to the proper crispiness.)
posted by XMLicious at 3:56 PM on May 23, 2018 [4 favorites]

Cost Plus/World Market has additional Tasty Bite options. Yum!
posted by annaramma at 4:01 PM on May 23, 2018 [1 favorite]

Make raita. Peel and thinly slice cucumbers, chop up a tomato, red onion, chilis, and cilantro if you like it (I don't), then add salt and black pepper, plus raita spices to taste (you can buy a spice mix at just about any Indian grocery store, which is probably the quickest solution if you don't already have a well-stocked spice cabinet). There are a bunch of different recipes here, and it'll keep 3-4 days in the fridge. It helps if you salt the cucumber first and let it sit to draw some water out, but you don't have to.
posted by tapir-whorf at 4:01 PM on May 23, 2018

I’ve fallen in love with roasted chickpeas, which would add protein, calories, flavor, and crunch. You can spice them in lots of different ways. My recipe is from the Oh She Glows cookbook, but there are many online.
posted by FencingGal at 4:08 PM on May 23, 2018 [6 favorites]

I’d make up a big bunch of steamed greens and portion that out for a week of lunches.
posted by bq at 4:16 PM on May 23, 2018

I use these a lot too, for quick dinners. I always have tamarind chutney around, and I add frozen spinach to the non-spinach dishes (in turn, you can add precooked lentils to the spinach dishes), and frozen green beans go in either. I often add quinoa instead of rice, and/or cauliflower (riced or not). I mostly put leftover chicken in them, but meatballs work fine if you keep them on hand frozen. My regular grocery store has paneer, though I can make it myself if I spend the time on it on the weekend. There's also tofu, especially if you want to bake up a batch with additional seasonings.

I have not ever added avocado, but my favorite Thai place makes a pumpkin and avocado curry I love so go for it. (Ready-to-cook butternut squash is another thing you might like.)

My best source of the actual packets are dollar stores, Big Lots, Everything's .99, and similar. I just bought a bunch at Big Lots this weekend.
posted by Lyn Never at 4:38 PM on May 23, 2018 [2 favorites]

In Nepal, rice+curry/dal would be accompanied by pickled and/or curried veggies like cauliflower.
posted by lunasol at 4:59 PM on May 23, 2018 [3 favorites]

I use pickles to add flavor, and paneer to add calories. Leftover naan or rice if I have it.
posted by The Toad at 5:18 PM on May 23, 2018

I smoke a 7lb pork shoulder every month or so. After pigging out on the fresh stuff, a few days later I add the rest to any Indian pouch meal thing for super tasty lunches. Add a little rice and you're done.
posted by sanka at 6:07 PM on May 23, 2018

This might be a bit pedestrian compared to the other suggestions, but I just add frozen peas for contrast in texture, color, and flavor.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 6:22 PM on May 23, 2018 [3 favorites]

Hard boiled egg? Can mush it up with a fork in your bowl if chopping seems like work.

Baked chickpeas might be good for a little bit of crunch, you can spice them if you want, lots of recipes online.

Some kind of snack crisps, like the lentil or pea ones? Ala pappadum?
posted by momus_window at 6:47 PM on May 23, 2018 [1 favorite]

What you have is one chickpea dish and one spinach + cheese dish. So you could double up on whatever the core vegetable is, or add any other vege or even starches (E.g. potatoes).

Meat can be good - I'd imagine the saag works well with beef but you can experiment.
posted by divabat at 1:58 AM on May 24, 2018

Chana masala is often garnished with some fresh sliced onion, cilantro, and a bit of lemon.

Is there an Indian grocery store near you? They usually carry a variety of frozen rotis and parathas, and you can try getting something whole-grain.
posted by redlines at 5:11 AM on May 24, 2018

The Trader Joe's Palak Paneer is actually 440 calories as is, because it contains two servings. So that's a point of reference for you. I have been bulking it out with frozen spinach (adds texture). I had it for breakfast today! I added some (cold) fresh mozzarella to it after microwaving the spinach portion. It warmed up on contact and was pretty tasty that way.
posted by Stewriffic at 11:13 AM on May 24, 2018 [1 favorite]

Tahini-lemon sauce is very easy to make (couple of tablespoons of tahini, juice of one lemon, enough water to get to the right texture) and adds flavor, micronutrients, and calories.
posted by Lexica at 1:49 PM on May 24, 2018

I really like adding Trader Joe Harissa to frozen Trader Joe Indian Entrees. I just pile it on and it adds a whole extra, smoky depth.

A few other thoughts to add bulk:
- Cauliflower/cauliflower rice
- Kidney beans
- Cooked mung beans or sprouts
- Steamed broccoli
- Eat it with a thick filling bread, like bunny chow
- Yogurt is a very good addition to add more substance. I agree with tapir-whorf's idea to make Raita though for more flavor.
posted by watrlily at 8:55 PM on May 24, 2018