Taste of India Mango Chicken Sauce product reviews

I love mango chicken it's my go to dish if I feel like Indian but don't want anything too spicy, I was very pleased to get a pouch of the taste of India Mango chicken to try.

Once again the packaging was very attractive and the instructions were very clear. I like the fact theres pictures instructions as they are easy to glance at when your busy. Cooking the dish couldn't of been any easier simply dice up some chicken, heat some oil and then start throwing things in.
I really like the different packets of spices and being able to add the last packet to suit your taste. As the dish simmered I made wraps into bowls and cooked up some rice to serve it with. Right throughout the cooking process the smell was divine, I couldn't wait to tuck into it.

Once it was done I wasn't disappointed it tasted as good as it smelt. The mix of spice and sweetness was perfect, it reminded me of the one from my favourite Indian takeaway but making it myself was a lot cheaper and more than likely more healthy because theres no preservatives, artificial colours or flavours. It even got the seal of approval from my husband who can be very fussy when it comes to trying new things.

I will be adding this to my shopping list as it will be great to keep in the pantry for those nights when you need a quick and easy meal. I have already recommended it to a number of friends and I can't wait to try more of the range!

I jumped at the chance to review Taste of India Mango Chicken Sauce and am so glad I got the opportunity! My family and I eat mango chicken from our local Indian shop quite a lot, often having a debate whether to have this or butter chicken. Sometimes when we can't decide we even have both at the same time so I think its fair to say Mango Chicken is a family favourite (even our 18month old eats it). The primary reason that it always comes from the shop instead of my frying pan is because I can't for the life of me make it anywhere near as good! I have tried other brands of mango chicken sauces but still had no luck. I can confidently say that my life has now changed since I have tried this sauce - it was super yummy and will now be a regular on our shopping list (no more takeaway Indian for us)!

When I first read the packet I loved that this sauce contains no preservatives, artificial colours or flavours. Also the ingredients list is all everyday foods and spices that I can find in my pantry - no numbers or weird sounding things I don't know what are. These were huge points for me as it meant I knew exactly what I was eating and feeding my family, currently pregnant I am even more aware of these things at the moment. I also loved the packaging, its bright and looks different to other brands so I know I'll remember it and be able to find it when I'm next in the supermarket. Lastly I thought the lid of this packet was simply great. So often I am left squeezing sauce out of a packet trying to get every last drop out and I end up making a huge mess. However the lid design on this packet meant I just poured it all straight out - brilliant!

During the weekly shopping I grabbed a packet of chicken for this recipe and figured it might need cream to go with it (as most curry sauces I've used do) but opted not to buy it as I always have a container of natural yoghurt in the fridge which I knew would work just as well. I would rather this than buying cream I didn't actually need (I couldn't find anything except for the amount of chicken needed on the packet). For this reason I think the instructions printed on the actual packet instead of the little booklet in a zip lock bag on the back could be a better option. Apart from this however I actually really liked the spices and cooking instructions being in a zip lock and thought it was a wonderful idea. The fact that this came with spices (including the required bay leaves) again spoke volumes and made me feel like I really was making "real" food. The instructions included were clear and easy to follow which I really appreciated as I wanted to get this right - I wanted it to taste just like the shop's version.

When I added the spices I was a little nervous as in our household we generally enjoy what would be termed "mild" curries. I added half the packet and let it simmer a little before trying it, then decided it wasn't at all spicy and I needed to brave up - I added the rest and hoped for the best. The outcome was totally delicious! Not at all too spicy but still had a little bit of heat like a good curry should. I also loved that I could actually taste mango and in general this sauce tasted just like the dish does from the shop. My husband did comment that this possibly wasn't as sweet as the version we buy from the Indian shop but that's not a bad thing. A definite winner all round, my husband and I as well as our daughter ate a plate full each for dinner. I then froze the leftovers and a week later we had the same all over again! This sauce was great to freeze and reheat with no separation happening at all. A total winner in our house, I recommend this to everyone to try, we certainly don't regret it and will be purchasing this product time and time again.

My family and I eat curries regularly and have our favourites. Mango Chicken has never been one that I have tried or jumped out at me before, but thought with two young kids in the family I would give it a go as it was only mild in flavour.

Once again it came as a shock to me that the instructions could only be found on the little book in the sealed little pouch attached to the main pouch. Although it did say in vey little print on outside of pouch that you needed 500g of meat or vegetables, it said nothing about the cream or coriander that it recommended. I would love to see the recipe printed on the pouch so that it could be read in the supermarket.

The pouch itself is an easy open and also sauce pours very easily from the packet. The little pouch on the outside that has a resealable seal however I feel it an extra waste of packaging. If the recipe was printed on the pouch then their would be no need to have the added cost of having a resealale packet on the outside.

The dish itself was very easy to make with all the spices needed included and also very quick. THE instructions read add as much/little of the spice as you like - This is very hard to judge as you have no idea how much is in the packet as it is in a white packet - this would be better in a clear packet.

The taste of this dish was very sweet (I am use to more spicy dishes). On saying that though I did find it quite pleasant in flavour. It was still a curry without the heat. Both boys cleared their plates so that is always a good sign.

Would I buy this again? Well there are the positives - easy and quick to make, nice taste enjoyed by all and palm oil free, however the negative would be that there is too much packaging which is not good for the environment.

Butter Chicken is really the only Indian meal I eat (and only very occasionally). I rarely try other flavours, so it was quite exciting to have some different options presented to me for review. Out of the selection of Taste of India sauces, The Mango Chicken Sauce was my preferred option as I found I preferred the slightly sweeter flavour than the ones with a spicier taste to them. My children were also willing to have some of this one too. My husband, however, wasn't at all fond of the Mango Chicken sauce and was more of a fan of the more familiar curry flavour he got from the Korma.

The packets for the Taste of India products are bright and attractive. There is a nozzle which can be opened and resealed. I thought this was a great idea as it would allow you to use some of the sauce one night and some another night. The spices and are in separate little packets in a zip lock bag at the back of the main packet. It would be possible to use half of the sauce, powdered spices and even bay leaves at a time so that the product could be divided into two meals for two on different nights. Personally, I think that this would just be a bit too fiddly as it would then involve cooking the chicken fresh each time. The option I opted for was to cook the whole lot in one evening and then freeze the portion that we didn't use for another night. This made me wonder if people would actually use the resealable nozzle or if was just for show. I think that if all the spices were included in the sauce, then it would be more likely that people would pour the amount that they needed for each meal in with the meat. Once opened, the contents last 7 days - if one was to share the sauce out over 2-3 meals, they might find that they were eating a few too many curries in one week! I did think that it was a great idea to include the bay leaves with the kit as it means that I didn't have to buy a whole pack of them to create the meal with just a couple of bay leaves.

I found that in order to work out how much chicken (and other ingredients I needed for that matter), I had to open the zip locked bag at the back of the main pack. This worked ok as I already had the packs at home. However, it would have been very difficult for me to work out the required ingredients if I was just buying the sauce and other ingredients at the same time in the shop. I would have expected to find a list of items required on the back of the pack (visible without opening the separate bag). This sort of sauce could work in my family as a quick meal as an alternative to takeaways. That would mean a single trip to the shop and the need to know what other items I needed to buy. UPDATE TO THIS AS I TYPE! - As I am checking the review, I have only JUST noticed that in gold writing at the top right hand corner of the back of the pack, it says that the sauce it suitable for 500g of meat or vegetables. It obviously didn't stand out as neither my husband or I noticed it on this pack (or any of the other packs) until now.

It is great that Taste of India use real ingredients and it wouldn't be too hard to make the same sauce out of pantry items at home. I certainly look for this when I am deciding on packet options for my family. I don't like the idea of us eating numbers and colours! The Mango sauce has a bit over 75% food ingredients and that only leaves about 25% water. This seems to be quite a bit better than some of the other sauces. I am not too keen on paying for water in sauces - it is really easy to add it from my own kitchen tap!

I found that the instruction sheet would have been helpful to young cooks or people who were new to cooking, however, personally I found that the photos were unnecessary and made the paperwork I had to deal with on my kitchen bench a little over the top. I actually made up three curries at the same time as we wanted to have a little banquet so that we all had some choice over the meal we ate. This led to the possibility of confusion with one sauce packet, one spice mix, one whole spice pack and an instruction sheet per sauce. In this case, it was a serious positive that the spices were all clearly labelled to show which meal they were for.

I used the Mango Chicken over two nights - the first was served as part of our banquet and the second was served in filo pastry (after freezing the chicken meal). I think that I enjoyed it in the filo pastry the best. This was quite different to how I would usually serve it.

On the whole, our family thought that the Mango Chicken meal was ok, not amazing, but ok. Probably not something that we would use again as it wasn't an absolute hit.

I haven't had a huge amount of experience with Mango Chicken, I usually opt for Butter Chicken instead so when this product came up for review I put my hand up to give it a try and see if it's as enjoyable as the name sounds.

The packet is very similar to the Butter Chicken packet which I tried first. It has a picture of the meal on the front and a recipe book and spices in a pouch on the back. The recipe book is very easy to follow and includes pictures just like the Butter Chicken pack.

We followed the recipe exactly and added in the optional cream and served it with a bowl of rice.

After being slightly disappointed with the Butter Chicken I wasn't expecting great things but I was pleasantly surprised and quite enjoyed the flavour. There was a very faint taste of sweet mango and a lovely creamy sauce. It made enough for dinner and lunch for my husband and I. It is just as good reheated in the microwave the next day too, no loss of flavour at all. Unfortunately my husband and I enjoyed it so much that there wasn't any left for our kids to try but I'm pretty sure they would have loved it too.

I will be keeping an eye out for this packet in the supermarket to try and again. I think it would taste quite nice in a wrap too so might have to give that a go next time.

I'll be honest here. I had no idea what to expect with this specific product. I have tried many varieties of Indian meals before, but have never been game enough to try Mango Chicken at a restaurant. But as a free review item, I was more than happy to give it a go.

And to put it bluntly, I am not a huge fan of it. You can taste the sweetness in the sauce, but it is only barely distinguishable as mango. The more prominent flavor is that of aniseed of cardamon, like a subtle hint of black liquorice. The flavour becomes smoother as it simmers. Thinking about the complex flavours, it really would be nice to know what spices are actually present in the spice packets, even if quantities aren't known.

But the flavour is too different for me. The spices combined with the sweetness of the mango is too unconventional for my taste buds. It required a fair amount of cream to dilute and block some of the flavour, and a chili to change the overall flavour mix. Without the aniseed/cardamon flavour, I would have enjoyed it more. It would have been more comparable to sweet and sour pork.

But following the recipe as it requires created something I didn't like.
It was okay with the changes, but nothing special.