Stewart Carr tries ready meals from Sainsbury’s, Iceland, Waitrose and M&S(Image: Stewart Carr)
I have a small confession to make… I’m not bothered about going to visit the Taj Mahal. Yes, I know it’s disgraceful. It’s on the bucket lists of so many people, bussing their way across the Indian subcontinent, gleefully ignoring vast tracts of Agra’s land so they can have that one gasping moment – when the sheer awe of the ivory-white marble mausoleum arrests their eyeballs – right until the next busload of tourists comes along to shove them out the way.
No, I content myself with the Mughal Dynasty’s second-greatest contribution to mankind – the biryani. A staple of Indian restaurants and beloved across the South Asian diaspora, the biryani is thought to have originated in the Mughal emperors’ court, a Persian-inspired dish of fragrant rice, mixed with meat of chicken, lamb or goat marinated in yoghurt.
As ever with dishes that originated hundreds of years ago, there are various schools of thought on = what makes the perfect biryani and variations exist across our high street Indian restaurants, not to mention our supermarkets. This week, I’ll sample the biryani dishes of Sainsbury’s, Iceland, Waitrose and M&S to see which lit my boat.
Sainsbury’s Chicken Tikka Biryani (£3.50)
Sainsbury’s Chicken Tikka Biryani has a sweetness and a squidgy consistency(Image: Stewart Carr)
Sainsbury’s Chicken Tikka Biryani is a strange little dish of “aromatic” basmati rice, with chicken breast and fried onions. There’s a good serving of chicken with a subtle curried sauce, but I struggled to detect even the faintest iota of fragrance in the rice. I doubt it’s any different to Sainsbury’s other curried ready meals. The onions give a sweetness and squidgy consistency which seems at odds with what a biryani is all about, as does the random sprinkle of garden peas. Not one I’ll be trying again. Rating: 2/5.
Iceland Takeaway Chicken Biryani (£2.50)
Iceland’s takeaway biryani has strong flavours of tomato, garlic and ginger(Image: Stewart Carr)
I rarely associate Iceland with anything of gastro excellence, so it’s with a pert smugness I try out their Takeaway Chicken Biryani, the cheapest of today’s offerings at £2.50 – although strictly a serving-for-one at 375g. To my surprise, this is really good. The chicken is indeed marinated and has a nice reddish lustre, while strong flavours of tomato, garlic and ginger shore up the rice. There’s no runny sauce, as one would expect with a biryani, and it has just enough of a spicy kick. Iceland knows how to do freezer food and this ready meal is up there with the best of them. Rating: 4/5.
Waitrose Chicken Biryani (£5.30)
Waitrose biryani has a dreamy tomato and paprika sauce with a strong kick(Image: Stewart Carr)
Who can say what Waitrose will come up with, but whatever it is, you know it’s going to be good. Their Chicken Biryani is no exception. It has a dreamy tomato and paprika sauce with as strong a pinch of spice as you’re going to get in a supermarket ready meal, while lashings of mint, garlic and ginger give the rice a real depth. The chicken is marinated red, just as I expect, and it’s with a sort of sadness that I realise I’ve finished the dish. This might be the closest I’ll get to my Mughal Emperor experience. All hail! Rating: 5/5.
M&S Royal Lamb Biryani (£8)
M&S royal lamb biryani is all good on the eyes but bland on the stomach(Image: Stewart Carr)
M&S is not messing about with their Royal Lamb Biryani. This 650g cylindrical mass draped in royal purple feels like one of the gifts of the Three Kings, perhaps one of them was a Mughal. At £8, it’s also pretty expensive – a dinner for two I’d say. I follow the instructions, bake it in the oven and voila! It looks about as beautiful as a ready meal can look! I can smell the fragrance of the rice, and digging into it, the lamb is beautiful and tender – falling apart with my fork. But back to the rice, yes it smells fragrant but the taste… well, I can’t really taste anything. There’s a lack of a discernible sauce here and a dryness – failing to live up to its dazzling good looks. Rating: 3/5.
And the winner is…
Sigh… Waitrose claims the crown for this battle with a charming ready meal that give the high street Indian restaurant a run for its money, a real Imperial delight. But it’s not all bad, as dark horse Iceland certainly comes in as a worthy second with its delicious takeway Biryani – slightly at only 375g – but a good option for those lunching on the go.
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