Real Food, Real Fast: Spicemode Indian Sauces
By Melissa McEwen in Food on Mar 28, 2015 6:00PM
While Chicago has amazing Indian food, not every neighborhood is in the delivery zone of the best restaurants. Cooking the cuisine at home can allow you more control over the ingredients, but Indian recipes can seem intimidating and be time-consuming even for an experienced cook. With Spicemode Indian sauces you get the best of both worlds, turning your favorite proteins and vegetables into a delicious, almost homemade meal with the same ingredients you'd use if you made if from scratch.
The sauces were created by Chef Amar Singh, who ran the Curry Cruiser food truck until Chicago regulations made it too difficult. Yet fans were in luck when he decided to sell his sauces to use at home. There are three varieties available so far. Included are the mild Masala, a spicy bold Vindaloo and the tangy, sweet and spicy Madras.
I keep a few jars in my pantry so I can quickly turn boring ingredients into something a bit more interesting. The Madras works amazing with seafood. I like simmering my chicken and either fresh or frozen vegetables in the Masala, which takes usually around only 10-20 minutes to fully cook. If I have a bit more time, lamb stew meat is awesome with the Vindaloo. Of course you can make a great vegetarian meal with the sauces too, such as beans or paneer simmered with Masala and some spinach. More recipe ideas are available on the Spicemode website.
Spicemode sauces are sold at a variety of retailers across Chicagoland, from Whole Foods to River Valley Farmers Table. View a full list here.
Real Food, Real Fast highlights local products that that contain the same ingredients your would use when cooking real food from scratch, but save you some time for those hectic nights when you're hungry.