Garlic is essential for many Indian dishes. In fact, traditional gravy-based dishes are unthinkable without the addition of garlic and ginger paste. We reviewed 3 popular Garlic paste brands in the market to find the one that was closest to natural, freshly prepared garlic paste. We were looking for one that would be most apt for Indian homestyle cooking as, most often, that is where these pastes come to use. We cooked with the 3 most commonly available brands and observed them for aroma and texture too. Our review concluded with Dabur Hommade Garlic Paste being declared the Best Garlic Paste For Indian Cooking.
Table of Contents
Mishry Reviews: Best Garlic Paste For Indian Cooking
Mishry Top Pick: Dabur Hommade Garlic Paste
Dabur Hommade Ginger Garlic Paste, 200g
Adds an appetizing aroma and fresh garlicky flavors to any dish it is added to. It is thick and grainy texture is especially useful in making mouthwatering marinades and curries.
MRP: Rs 46*
*Price at the time of review
Why is Dabur Hommade Garlic Paste our Top Pick:
Dabur Hommade Garlic Paste has a strong, fresh garlicky, bhuna-hua aroma which adds to the overall flavor of the dishes cooked.
Appearance-wise, Dabur Hommade Garlic Paste is not brown or dark in color. It is not a fine-paste either. You can see the garlic fibers, just like you would in a homemade garlic paste. Texture-wise, it is coarse and we felt this adds a nice touch to homestyle gravies and marinades.
From the list of ingredients, it was evident that Dabur Hommade Garlic Paste has the maximum amount of garlic used per 100gms.
Taste-wise, the garlic chicken dish we made using Dabur Hommade Garlic Paste had the maximum and tastiest garlic essence, which lifted the overall flavor of the dish. It does not have a pungent sourness that most packaged garlic pastes have.
Lastly, it helps that Dabur Hommade Garlic Paste comes in an easy-to-use squeeze sachet, making it convenient to store and keeping the freshness intact.
Our Review Process:
Garlic paste is a convenient and handy addition to your kitchen pantry. Especially when you suddenly run out of garlic or don’t have the time to make the paste from scratch. While nothing beats the deliciousness of Indian cooking, it can be long drawn and some tasks such as peeling garlic pods can seem tedious at times. This is where good quality pastes can come handy. Our review process involved getting the most commonly available garlic paste brands to our test kitchen and cooking with them a simple homestyle dish where garlic flavors play a crucial role.
We picked a Garlic Chicken recipe, where pieces of boneless chicken were marinated and then sautéd in a simple onion and cumin mix. We want to check all brands for freshness and also the quality of garlic flavor they would impart to the dish.
The Brands We Picked
There are not too many brands in this category, we picked those that are widely available and would be easy to source for anyone.
Dabur Hommade Garlic Paste (Buy Now On BigBasket)
Mother’s Recipe Garlic Paste (Buy Now On BigBasket)
Urban Platter Garlic Paste
How We Picked Our Brands
Our philosophy for choosing brands in our review is simple, first, we look for the ones that are trustworthy in providing their consumers with a quality product. The second criterion is the availability of the brand. Brands such as Dabur are extensively popular throughout the country, and as for other brands, well, both of them are known brands that so many households use extensively.
Who Is It For?
Garlic paste is an essential cooking ingredient that is added to a majority of Indian dishes for its flavor and aroma. It enhances the overall taste of the dish by providing it with a zesty garlicky twist. If you are thinking of preparing a dish made out of meat, then our winner ( Dabur Hommade Garlic Paste ) which distinct bhuna flavors should be a perfect ingredient.
If you have to pick between ordering meal after meal from outside, and making simple food at home with a little help from pre-made pastes, we would suggest you pick the second option. Often we get bored making the same simple and bland food at home, but there’s never enough time to cook complete meals from scratch at home. This is often true for young working professionals, who may not have the luxury of Mummy-made food every day! We believe this review may be of help to those who would like to cook a bit more often and are looking for time-saving tips.
Apart from that, garlic is often cited for its various health benefits that also include its work as a digestive aid. So if you are looking for a flavoring agent that can enhance the taste, aroma, as well as the health quotient of your dish, then this review is for you.
Tasting Process – Our Parameters
The tasting process for our garlic paste competitive review was done in two different parts. The first part involved taking note of the appearance and aroma. Though the appearance of the paste may or may not add to the final taste, it still acts as a distinguishable factor for different sample of products. Mother’s Recipe’s garlic paste appeared to be the darkest among the bunch, whereas Dabur’s homemade paste was relatively light with garlic fibers and roasted aroma, Urban Platter’s paste was completely white with the thinnest consistency.
Mishry Secret Sauce
Mishry secret sauce was the second part of our test in which we used some chunks of boneless chicken and marinated them in the paste for 20-25 minutes. After that, we sautéed them in a pan along with a combination of spices that included cumin powder, bay leaves, and onions. In other words, we chose a simple recipe where the garlicky flavor of the chicken would be most distinguishable. Thus, after allowing it to cook for a few minutes, we tasted each batch marinated in the paste from different brands.
The Result Of Our Test
As per our side by side tasting session, Dubur’s homemade garlic paste emerged victorious for the roasted and fresh garlicky flavors it added to the dish. In addition to that, it had no acetic acid type sourness associated with its taste, and also had the highest concentration of garlic as compared to other brands.
Dabur Hommade Ginger Garlic Paste, 200g
Adds an appetizing aroma and fresh garlicky flavors to any dish it is added to. It is thick and grainy texture is especially useful in making mouthwatering marinades and curries.
MRP: Rs 46*
*Price at the time of review