Retort "butter chicken curry" sold at KALDI Coffee Farm and MUJI. What are the characteristics of each? I tried to compare them.
KALDI
"KALDI Original Indian Curry Butter Chicken" is a retort curry based on plenty of tomatoes and stir-fried onions, with richness added with cashew nut paste. It is flavored with a special Garam masala blended with cumin, coriander and cardamom. The price is 342 yen (tax included).
Before eating, put the retort pouch in boiling water and heat it for 5 to 7 minutes, or transfer it to a container and heat it in the microwave (500W for 2 minutes). This process is the same for MUJI curry.
Cream and coconut milk powder are used, and the overall impression is mellow. The umami of chicken and seafood extract, the acidity of tomatoes, and the aroma of nuts are blended into the richness. The spice flavor is not so strong, but the aftertaste is spicy. The spiciness remains on the tongue.
The chicken is soft and moist. When you put your teeth up, you can bite them off. The taste is pale, but each one has a large amount of roux, which contributes to improving the taste.
There is some variation in the size of the meat, but ...
MUJI
"Curry butter chicken that makes the best use of the ingredients" is a retort curry that is mellowly finished using ghee (butter oil). No chemical seasonings, artificial colors or fragrances are used. It seems that the scent of Kasurimeti and the richness of cashew nuts are utilized. The price is 350 yen (tax included).
I've never heard of Kasurimeti
Although it has a mellow richness, the tomato claim is stronger. You can feel the condensed umami, sourness, and sweetness like ketchup. The aftertaste spreads with the flavors of various spices such as cumin, turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon, and kasurimeti. It's not spicy, but it has a deep taste that you can't easily imitate at home.
Exactly "curry that makes the best use of the material"
The chicken is smaller than the KALDI, but the number is larger. You can enjoy not only roux but also the “feeling of ingredients” many times.
Summary
Both contain 180g (6.35oz) per bag, and there is no difference in volume or cost performance. In terms of taste, if you want to enjoy the mellow and spicy taste that you imagine when you hear "butter chicken curry", you should choose MUJI, and if you want to enjoy the complex flavor of spices that are not spicy, you should choose MUJI. However, the impression is that the tastes are likely to be divided at the top level among the products that I have eaten and compared. Which one you like, the final judge is your tongue!