Dr. Gourmet's Food Reviews

Amy’s Indian Mattar Paneer

I like that we review Amy's products. They are widely available, somewhat reasonably priced and don't contain any ingredients that I don't recognize. Their products can be a bit hit or miss but they are usually tasty.

This is true for the Indian Vegetable Korma which is pretty darn good. This gluten free, non-dairy all vegetable dish is proof positive that eating healthy is eating well. There's brown rice that's not overdone mixed with peas (that are a little bit overdone but that's the only real problem). These are accompanied by curried vegetables with cauliflower, carrots, onions and cashews. The side dish is black lentils lightly spiced. A good frozen meal all around.

All of this adds up well too with only 300 calories, 12 grams fat and 6 grams fiber. As with most of Amy's foods it is pretty high in sodium, however, at almost 700 mg. There's more than enough flavor that this dish doesn't need that much but this is typical for their foods. It remains beyond my understanding why companies insist on putting so much salt in their food (especially when it's not needed)

The Indian Palak Paneer is pretty darn good as well. I love Indian food but this dish is not one of my favorites. That said, the folks at Amy's do a pretty good job with their version.

A creamed spinach is served with white Indian Paneer cheese and is mildly flavored complementing the basmati rice quite well. The side dish is kidney beans in light tomato sauce. Like the Vegetable Korma it is low in calories and fat with a fair amount of fiber. It has the same amount of sodium at 680 mg and in this dish the flavor is a bit salty.

The Indian Mattar Paneer is proof that Amy's doesn't need all that salt. This comes in at only 390 mg of sodium and is more flavorful than either of the other choices. They have “LIGHT IN SODIUM” emblazoned (in a hideous orange banner) across the box. They should simply get rid of all that salt (and the orange banner) with all of their dishes.

The Mattar Paneer comes with curried peas and paneer that's mildly spicy (most folks with GERD will likely find any of these three meals too spicy). Served with basmati rice and chana (chickpea) masala this is a well balanced meal at 320 calories, 8 grams of fat and 6 grams of fiber.

All three of these are good, but the Mattar Paneer is by far the best of the three, not just because it's low in sodium, but the dish is really tasty.

Reviewed: January 2, 2009