I tried curries from Aldi, Sainsbury's and M&S and there was one the clear winner
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I decided to test taste three supermarkets’ range to see which came out victorious and was shocked by the result.
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Hide AdAs a spice lover, my usual go to is either a jalfrezi or a madras but, in the spirit of all things curry week, I decided to venture out of my comfort zone and opted for something I wouldn’t usually order.
First up on the curry trail was Aldi. I went for their Gastro Specially Selected range of butter chicken which serves two and is priced at a reasonable £3.65.
I then venture to M&S and am instantly drawn to their Indian range. After much deliberation I finally decide on their Keralan king prawn curry which also serves two and is described as a ‘coconut packed southern Indian curry’.
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Hide AdThis one is on the more expensive side at £7 so I am expecting good things!
Next up was Sainbury’s and, instead of buying a whole curry, my usual type gets the better of me and I buy some beef pieces and a fiery goan curry from the Spice Taylor range.
The sauce itself costs £3.75 with the beef aroud £3 - £5 mark depending on the size purchased.
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Hide AdArriving home and armed with all my ingredients I put my chef’s hat on and get to work.
First up I fry the beef and place it in the slow cooker on high for four hours with the fiery goan curry.
With half an hour left I place the other two curries in the oven alongside some garlic naan I also purchased from M&S.
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Hide AdThen microwaving the pilau and basmati rice I excitedly plate up all three curries.
On a side note, I do usually opt for bulgar wheat from Sainsbury’s instead of rice as I find it is less heavy than packet rice and also less calories so you don’t feel as guilty with the rest.
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The taste test
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Hide AdThis is where it got interesting for me as, judging a book by its cover, or rather its price, my mind automatically went to thinking that the M&S one would stand superior - this, however, was far from the case!
I was expecting so much more from the prawn curry from M&S but was left disappointed as I felt for the price it should have lent itself to restaurant quality taste.
I found the curry to be watery and not that much of a taste and didn’t finish it.
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Hide AdSecond up to sample was the fiery goan curry which I found was a medley of taste sensations. The beef was melt off the fork into your mouth tasty and the spice level -as Goldilocks would say, was ‘just right’.
Last but by no means least, was Aldi’s butter chicken. If I am being honest I didn’t expect much from this as it was a cheap, ready made meal, but boy do I stand corrected.
Described as tender marinated chicken in a rich cream and butter sauce blended with mild spices, finished with toasted almonds doesn’t even come close to doing this curry justice. It should have been called Aldi’s best curry ever or your money back.
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Hide AdIt was packed full of flavour and every mouthful was so good that I didn’t want to finish it (we’ve all been there with food).
The verdict
It was a case of winner winner, chicken dinner for Aldi which I am pleasantly surprised about as being the cheapest also gives it added bonus points.
I will be trying the store’s Specially Selected jalfresi next time I am in but for now have a week’s worth of curries to get through which is not a bad thing!
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