Product review: Aruna sauces

Photo: www.aruna.ie

Some of you may have seen Sarajit Chanda and his wife Sarah on Dragons’ Den earlier this year, a charming couple pitching, and winning investment for, their budding business, Aruna sauces. I’ve been wanting to try their sauces for a while, especially since I’m a spectacularly lazy curry cook and usually use one of the Patak’s pastes. The Aruna sauces are even easier than that, just cook your meat and/or veg and add the sauce.

I bought a pouch of the Tikka Masala curry sauce, €3.49, in Superquinn. Other stockists include Supervalus around the country, Donnybrook Fair and Fallon & Byrne in Dublin, Quay Co-op in Cork and McCambridges in Galway. One pouch is enough for two people. It’s a middle of the range price for an instant sauce, only €1 more than a jar of Uncle Bens curry range, which, if we’re being honest, is disgusting sludge.

Aruna sauces are made with minimal ingredients and have no additives which is definitely a plus, they’re also gluten free. I made my tikka masala with chicken, carrots, yellow peppers and onions, I also added some extra chili powder and chopped coriander and served it with brown rice. The sauce had a pleasant consistency and, while tasty, I felt it could have had more spices and less sugar; it was a bit too sweet for my liking. I’m interested to try out the hotter Rogan Josh and Madras sauces in the range and will definitely purchase this product again. It’s nice to support small Irish businesses and these pouches can be frozen so are handy to have for a mega-quick dinner.

www.aruna.ie