The Cumin Club Review

Reviews

January 5, 2025

The Cumin Club Review: Indian Home-Style Cooking For People with Zero Time

by Umama Kibria

Assorted Indian instant meal packets displayed against a white brick wall.

Balancing the demands of a hectic professional life is a daily struggle, and the best antidote for it at the end of the day is a warm, home-cooked meal.

For me, that’s usually good Indian food. I grew up in a South Asian household, so I get nostalgic for the aroma of spices and the smell of home-cooking, but my standards are really high. Indian cooking is complex, and I rarely have the time or energy to make those dishes myself. It’s honestly a lot of chopping, and after a long day of work, the last thing I want to do is dice an onion.

That’s when The Cumin Club entered my life.

Not only was it affordable and preservative-free, it promised those authentic Indian flavors I wanted in just a matter of minutes.

There was only one way to find out, so I put The Cumin Club to the test.

A hand touching a box labeled 'Cumin Club' on a kitchen counter.

Signing up for The Cumin Club

Before getting into the meals, let’s talk about the sign up experience. It’s a clean, straightforward process with a lot of mouthwatering visuals of delicious food. Building my plan and choosing my meals from their enticing menu was a breeze. It’s definitely a site built by Indians - they feature so many regional dishes from my home state and others that usually aren’t on the menu in the US. I was pretty surprised that there wasn’t more information about the dishes and their ingredients for curious foodies and people who aren’t as familiar with Indian food as I am.

First Impressions

Once I signed up and placed my order, they arrived within the week. Unboxing was both a delight and a surprise! Honestly, I hadn’t known what to expect and had thought it would be similar to Tasty Bite or Factor with their ready-to-eat microwaveable meals. Instead, I got a set of small beautiful packets in an array of warm colors that looked lovely on my pantry shelf (because they don’t need refrigeration!). Inside, the meals were in the form of freeze-dried powders. They didn’t look like the meals I knew just yet, but the aroma was magnificent and very familiar.

I couldn’t wait to dive in!

My Cumin Club Meals

I had ordered two each of Paneer Butter Masala, Pav Bhaji, Sambar Idly, Palak Paneer, and Dal Makhani. Cooking the meal was, as promised, a five minute affair and an absolute breeze. I just added hot water to the contents of my Paneer Butter Masala packet, stirred, and let it sit for a couple minutes.

No complicated steps and minimal number of dishes to clean. Within seconds, my kitchen was filled with the smells of delicious Indian cooking.

Best part? I actually cooked it, so it qualifies as a home-cooked meal!

A pot of thick, orange-brown curry being stirred with a wooden spoon.

Taste Test

Now for the moment of truth! The Cumin Club’s meal did not only meet, but exceeded my expectations. This was a high-quality Paneer Butter Masala; not just delicious, but astonishingly authentic. It tasted like something my mom would prepare, or a dish I would eat in a dhaba with my cousins in India. The flavors were spot on, the texture was perfect, and the spice level was perfectly balanced.

Honestly, it tasted so good that I couldn’t help but marvel that I had actually made this in my own kitchen in minutes.

Final Thoughts

These meals are a game changer. While I still hold a place in my heart for microwaved Tasty Bite and my local Indian restaurant, The Cumin Club provides a fresh and tantalizing alternative for those looking for a convenient and quick Indian food fix. Their commitment to quality and flavor shine through in their dishes, and it’s evident that they’ve put in the effort to ensure that their meals stay true to their Indian roots.

For busy individuals craving a real taste of India without the hassle of a million ingredients and complex cooking, this is your solution. So give it a try and prepare to be pleasantly surprised!

Enjoy delicious easy Indian food with The Cumin Club today.