Trader Joe’s Lamb Vindaloo is a frozen meal that heats up in just a few minutes and, according to the packaging, is based on an authentic Indian recipe. The dish features large chunks of lamb, simmered in a spicy curry sauce, which are served over a bed of basmati rice.
Unfortunately this meal does not live up to expectations as this is the mildest vindaloo I have ever tasted.
Nutrition and Ingredients
Let’s take a closer look at what you get with this frozen meal.
Nutrition Facts
You get one tray of lamb vindaloo per 9.5 ounce package. The full tray is considered a single serving.
The nutrition facts for a single serving of lamb vindaloo are:
- Calories: 390
- Fat: 16g (25% DV)
- Cholesterol: 55mg (18% DV)
- Sodium: 490mg (20% DV)
- Carbohydrates: 39g (13% DV)
- Protein: 21g
From a nutrition standpoint the dish is moderately healthy. The calories and fat content are a little elevated but I am assuming that is because of the lamb.
Ingredient List
The lamb vindaloo has the following ingredients:
- Lamb
- Onions
- Water
- Tomatoes
- Coconut milk
- Vinegar
- Canoloa oil
- “Spices”
- Tomato puree
- Galic
- Salt
- Cane sugar
- Potato starch
- Mustard seeds
- Tamarinds
- Green peppers
- Turmeric
- Paprika
- Basmati rice
The big warning flag in this ingredient list is that no chilis are listed.
Heating and Serving
Here is how I heated the dish before it became my lunch 🙂
Heating Instructions
The heating instructions for this product are:
- Remove the tray from the box.
- Puncture both sides (Vindaloo and Rice) of the film with multiple holes for venting.
- Microwave on High for three minutes.
- Let the meal stand for 1-2 minutes.
- Remove the film.
- Serve.
Taste!
We first eat with out eyes and my eyes did not like the looks of this dish.
I am not going to fault this meal for looking grey and lumpy as this is lamb vindaloo and there isn’t a lot you can do about the color and texture. However, I was a little dismayed to see what looked like pools of grease on the surface of the vindaloo.
At first glance I wished I had chosen another meal to have for lunch today.
But then I mixed the rice with the lamb and took my first bite.
After the first bite my mouth agreed with my eyes. This dish was a disappointment.
The meal had some interesting flavors but this was nothing close to what I expect from a vindaloo.
Words used to describe vindaloo include “Spicy” and “Fiery”. Vindaloo is consistently rated as one of the hottest curries and the version from Trader Joe’s does not meet this standard.
By the time I finished the entire meal my mouth had a little tingle and there was a bead of sweat on my forehead. The flavor was okay but it did not live up to the billing of lamb in a spicy curry sauce.
I have enjoyed many of Trader Joe’s other Indian meals but I will not be buying the lamb vindaloo again.
