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Food On The Go – A Vegetarian Travelers Dilemma
We are travelers of the vegetarian kind. But being vegetarians has in no way restricted our travels. Over the years, we have worked out our own game plan and survival secrets to traveling around the world without compromising on our vegetarianism.
Today, the World is becoming more and more Vegetarian-friendly and one can find vegetarian options almost anywhere, but of course, this may come at a price in many places and logistics may also not be practical. We remember traveling miles together to get that one vegetarian meal in Zurich, Switzerland.
Another aspect of our gastronomic preferences is that as Indians, spice and salt is a way of life for us. Sometimes we crave for that pinch of salt or spice in the midst of food which we usually find to be bland in some places.
One of the things that we always ensure to pack on longer travels out of India is a supply of Instant or Ready To Eat Food. Considering this, we are always on the lookout for new products in the Ready To Eat range to add to our vegetarian arsenal.
We recently came across a new brand of Ready To Eat Food called Freshway and had the opportunity to try a few of their offerings. Here is what we thought about Freshway Ready To Eat Food products based on the products that we tried out at our home.
Review of Freshway Ready To Eat Food
Our Experience
We tried out three of the Freshway ready to eat products at home, namely – Dal Makhani, Palak Paneer, and Veg Biriyani and here is what we felt about each of them.
Dal Makhani
Dal Makhani is a traditional and very popular dish that originates from the Punjab region of India. The main ingredients of this dish are black lentils ( Kali daal), red kidney beans known in India as Rajma cooked with dollops of butter and cream. Of course, a generous dose of spices that include cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and others are a mandatory addition. Onions and tomatoes too add their flavor to the tempting and hot Dal Makhani. The Dal Makhani is a gravy that is normally eaten with Rotis (Indian Bread) or with steamed white rice.
The normal cooking time of Dal Makhani is about 1 hour and the preparation time 8 hours which includes the overnight soaking of the kidney beans and the lentils.
We were really keen to see how the Dal Makhani from Freshway ready to eat would taste as it was “Ready to Eat”. It required no cooking, all we had to do was pour the contents of the packet into a bowl and pour boiled water over it. We were then required to mix the contents in the water by gentle stirring. The next step was to cover the bowl and keep it aside for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes when we uncovered the bowl, voila! hot and steaming Dal Makhani was ready. It looked good and in fact, had a restaurant kind quality about the aroma that emanated from it as well. But of course, the taste of the pudding is in it its eating and so too in the case of Dal Makhani.
We tasted the Dal Makhani along with rotis ( Indian flatbread) as well as with rice and were genuinely surprised at the fresh and authentic taste that we experienced. What really amazed us was the fact the completely natural taste as if the dish had been just cooked with fresh ingredients at home or at a restaurant. Our earlier experience with most Ready To Eat products was that they used to have a slightly chemical taste probably because of the preservatives used. But the Freshways Dal Makhani was devoid of this and tasted completely natural.
Palak Paneer
Palak Paneer is also an Indian curry that is made with pureed spinach and Paneer (Cheese). The curry is of coursed seasoned with the mandatory sprinkling of spices and garlic. Palak Paneer is normally eaten with Rotis (Indian flatbread) or with steamed white rice.
The process for heating and serving the Freshway ready to eat Palak Paneer was the same as that for the Freshway ready to eat Dal Makhani. So we replicated the same process and within 7 minutes (2 minutes for boiling water and 5 minutes for the mix to be ready), the Palak Paneer was ready to be served. The Palak Paneer looked tantalizingly tempting, with pieces of white paneer bobbing in the green sea of the pureed spinach. But yes, the taste of the Palak Paneer lies in its eating, so we ate the Palak Paneer along with steaming hot white rice and found the taste awesome. We found the taste and flavors extremely natural and the amount of spice and salt just right.
Veg Biryani
Veg Biryani is a rice dish which is popular throughout the Indian subcontinent. It consists of rice, vegetables and spiced cooked together. Veg Biryani is a dish rich in the exotic flavors and aromas of spice and fragrant rice cooked over a slow fire. The Freshway ready to eat Veg Biryani pack promised to unleash these flavors and aromas within 7 minutes. Our expectations ran high based on our experience with the Freshway ready to eat Dal Makhani and Freshway ready to eat Palak Paneer, as we got ready for the kill. However, in a sort of an anticlimax, the Freshway ready to eat Veg Biryani turned out to be not as great as the Freshway ready to eat Dal Makhani and Palak Paneer.
Observations of Freshway Ready To Eat based on our Experience
Convenience and Ease
We found Freshway Ready to Eat products extremely easy to use and convenient too. The fact that all you need is boiled water and the dish is ready within 5 minutes makes this a very attractive proposition.
Packaging
The Freshway Ready to Eat products come in handy, sealed, and rugged packs with a quantity that can serve two people. This makes it very convenient to pack and carry on our travels. The fact that the products have a shelf life of 9 months is really helpful. Another feature that we found really helpful for travelers is that the Freshway ready to eat products do not need any refrigeration.
Natural Ingredients
One of the features of the Freshway Ready to Eat products that really appealed to us was its natural and homely taste. There are no added preservatives, color, or flavor additives. The natural flavors and aroma are sealed in the packs using the unique freeze-dry technology. Freeze-dry technology has been accepted worldwide as the best process for food preservation process. It preserves the natural freshness, flavors, and aroma of the food without in any way affecting its nutritional value.
Extensive Choice of Dishes
Freshway Ready To Eat offers a wide range of options. These are from some of the best dishes from the wide range of Indian cuisine that spans the length and breadth of the country. Some of the dishes are Khichdi Kadhi Mix, Dal Bhaat (Gujarati), Pav Bhaji, Daal Chawal, Daal Fry, Kadhi Chawal, Paneer Bhurji and Moong Dal Sheera.
Availability
Freshway Ready To Eat food products can be bought online through their website www.freshwayfoods.in and these Ready To Eat food products also available on Amazon.
Our Recommendation
Overall, based on the products that we tried out, we found the Freshway Ready To Eat products extremely convenient to use, tasty, and above all full of naturalness. We would not hesitate in recommending the Freshway Ready to eat products to travelers like us looking for healthy, natural, and tasty vegetarian food options while traveling. The Freshway Ready To Eat food products are also ideal for the single men and women who are staying away from home. This is a great and convenient option for experiencing the flavors and aroma of home cooking away from home. The Freshway Ready to Eat products is also a great option for working men or women who need to whip up a meal in a jiffy for themselves or for an unexpected guest.
About Freshway
The Freshway Ready to Eat food products are manufactured in a state of the art facility in Vadodara, Gujarat, India. Bhavin Sanghvi & Mona Sanghvi the couple from Vadodara, Gujarat, India are the brainchild behind Freshway Ready to Eat food products. The company was started in the year 2014.
A team of chefs experiments with the flavors, tastes, and aromas from across India to bring the taste of India into the Freshway Ready To Eat range of products. The products are manufactured using the globally accepted process of Freeze-drying for preservation and the products are 100% natural without any additives for preservation, color, or flavor. The
We now have a new food companion on our travels. How about you? Do you carry ready to eat foods on your travels? Do share your experiences.
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The husband and I travel often too, with a toddler in tow. Considering that all of us are vegetarian, food is sometimes an issue. That is one reason we aren’t contemplating an international trip at the moment. Stuff like this does make a traveller’s life easier, but they are usually loaded with preservatives and chemicals. If Freshway is really zero-preservative and zero-additive as it claims to be, I’d love to carry them with us with on our travels henceforth! I’ll take your word about the deliciousness of the products! 🙂
Yes, Priya, the Dal Makhani, and the Palak Paneer were yummy and we plan to carry them henceforth in our Intl. travels and also try out some more of their products.
My sister in law is a vegan and she definitely struggles with food options when she travels. This sounds like a great option for people with dietary restrictions when they go away.
Yum, these meals sound tasty! I’m not a vegetarian so I eat most things. I can imagine it can be tricky if you are though!
I don’t usually carry ready-to-eat foods on my travels. I’m too lazy, but Freshway looks so good and I’d love to have a few of those ready-to-eat foods along with me the next time I travel. I want to try them all!
We never have any problems finding the food we need or like to eat while traveling. If that is what you enjoy doing looks like some good food to have around.
I’m a vegetarian too and I’ve not had too much trouble finding decent veggie food when I am travelling. I also love Indian food and spicy food. I never thought of bringing food with me when I travel but this is a good idea especially when on the road to more remote areas.
I am a big fan of biryani so I am a bit disappointed that the biryani wasn’t as good as the others. That just means I will try the others, first.
I have never seen these before but need them! My daughter that just turned 10 has been a vegetarian by choice since she was 8 and she eats really healthy naturally. When we travel it can be frustrating for her, the only options are often grilled cheese or a salad. I will have to check these out to take along, thank you!
They have a lot of varieties to choose from which is pretty awesome if you ask me! I think this is a must try.
It sounds like these are pretty great options for vegetarians on the go. There are a lot of different choices.
I’m not Vegan, but I imagine it would be pretty difficult to eat out some times with very little options to choose from besides salad. These sound great though!
I’ve never heard of Freshway before. It’s always good to find some convenient to prepare foods that taste good, no matter what your dietary needs or preferences are.
Those do look pretty good – glad you enjoyed them! We don’t often bring portable food with us, but we sometimes do have some almonds or pistachios. Vegetarian food made us think of the amazing all vegetarian buffet we had while in Sri Lanka. That was better than any of the meat dishes we had there!
I can definitely see how those food packs would be very useful and convenient!
I never thought about how challenging it could be to find a place that suits your dietary needs. Traveling around the world can get complicated. Thankfully we are evolving and it is becoming easier.
This looks super cool product for ready to eat veg options and also convenient
It’s nice that you can find this kind of food that caters to your diet. I have never heard of this brand till now though, looks really nice.
Ooh I like this option. I too know how difficulty it can be a vegetarian on the road.
It is so great that the world is now providing healthier options for those who choose a vegetarian life style. Freshway looks like a great line of delicious products.
No one in my family is a vegan but I have a friend who is. She travels back and forth between her kids states and I’ll have to tell her about this. She prefers food with natural ingredients only.
I am not a vegan but my partner in crime is and I have passed on this product information to her to see if it suits her needs. Great idea this.