I've tried many brands of palak paneer over the years. Most of them have a metallic taste in them from the iron. I was really pleased when I gave the Ashoka brand a try. You get delicious flavors, a nice medley of spices, and no metallic tang!
The box comes frozen so it's really easy to pop it in the microwave for six minutes and VOILA you're all set. There's no trans fats. 4g of protein. there are only 6g of carbs - and one of those is fiber!
Even better, you're getting 20% of your iron in this serving. Iron is really important to get in a healthy way, and spinach is definitely high on that list. You also get 10% of your calcium and 12% of your vitamin C.
The taste is great. Sometimes palak paneer is watery, and sometimes it is too thick. They have just the right balance here. It's not blended into a puree. It has a good texture. The chunks of cheese are a good size to eat along with the palak without being overwhelming.
I do want to comment on something here. They assume you're going to be eating the palak paneer with other food items, as part of a complete meal. So they have the serving size for the box at three. I'm sure some people could sit down and - eating only the palak paneer - eat the entire box. I ate it half and half - half one night with some samosas and pakoras and naan, and then half the next night with those same side dishes again. Even if you have it in "larger portions" like this, it's still not bad at all. At only 5g per serving, the carb count is really low. Plus you're getting a lot of important vitamins plus fiber in each serving. So for me this is very much a health food.
I should also caveat that it is a little spicy. My mouth tingles after I eat it. So if you're really sensitive to spices, make sure you eat it with lots of water to drink, until you see just how it falls in your personal spice scale.
Highly recommended!
Lisa Shea's Library of Low Carb Books
