One of our favorite Indian frozen food brands, Deep Kitchen, just released new Thai frozen meals under the name “Tem Toa.” Which means Deep is expanding into other cuisines… and we’re some of the first to review them. Go us. The four new meals from this “Tem Toa” line include Chicken Pad Thai, Vegetable Pad Thai, Red Curry Chicken, and Green Curry Chicken.
Now, a couple things before I tell you whether these taste any good. First, my roommate found these in our freezer, and she was pretty let down to see they weren’t gluten-free. She’s Celiac, and the Deep brand is usually pretty good about making GF friendly meals when possible. Since Thai cuisine sometimes uses tamari or fish sauce instead of soy sauce, she didn’t love the idea that they went with a wheat-based soy sauce in these… and I have to agree. That is, in retrospect, my biggest con for all of these new frozen meals. And with that in mind, let’s get into them.
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New Frozen Meal
- Tem Toa Chicken Pad Thai
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Pros: Unfortunately for my roommate (sorry, Alix), this is the best frozen pad thai I’ve ever had in my life. (We’ll be updating our ranking to include it ASAP.) It’s so peanutty and tangy, with just the right amount of heat. The sauce has little crunchy bits of nuts (and what I think could be dehydrated garlic). Even the chicken tastes like it was marinaded. It has a fresh lemongrass flavor to it—never in my life have I enjoyed eating chicken in a frozen stir fry before.
Cons: Half the tray is veggies, which I personally like but might not be for everyone. They’re colorful, crunchy, and fresh-tasting, but the noodles are the real star of the show.
Verdict: I’m sorry to my gluten-free babes and beaus out there. It’s delicious.
Credit: Liv Averett / Target
New Frozen Meal
- Tem Toa Vegetable Pad Thai
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Pros: Take every good thing I said about the chicken pad thai and put it here. I went into this one thinking the sauce might not be as savory or nuanced, but you get every flavor: peanuts, soy sauce, lemon, cilantro, garlic. The only thing missing is that lemongrass chicken, but I can’t complain too much about that.
Cons: The tofu isn’t as good as the chicken, but it’s totally passable. (And there’s no lemongrass in this one, either. Sad.)
Verdict: Frozen vegetable pad thai can sometimes taste watered down compared to chicken pad thai, and that is not the case here. It’s just as good!
Credit: Liv Averett / Target
New Frozen Meal
- Tem Toa Red Curry Chicken
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Pros: I guess I shouldn’t have been so surprised by the chicken quality in the pad thai; we love Deep’s chicken Indian meals for a reason, and their Thai chicken curries reminded me exactly of why. The meat here is juicy and tender, but obviously the curry sauce is the real showstopper. It’s fabulously lemongrassy. A sentence I never thought I’d write, but there it is. The lime and bitey galagal root works so well with the coconut and red chilis.
Cons: The curry sauce is a little loose, but I hesitate to put this in the cons, because I appreciate that the ingredients aren’t adding cheap emulsifiers or other BS that’s just not needed here. I also wouldn’t call this “medium” spice—it’s barely spicy. (My preference, though, to be honest.)
Verdict: If you put this and Deep’s Chicken Tikka Masala in front of me, I wouldn’t know which one I’d want to eat more. And that’s saying something.
Credit: Liv Averett / Target
New Frozen Meal
- Tem Toa Green Curry Chicken
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Pros: I mean, we’re four for four here. The green curry is just as delicious as the red curry. The sauce has a very similar flavor (most red and green curry sauces do taste pretty similar), but this one leans a little more mild, cilantro-forward, and sweet.
Cons: Again, medium is a pretty false advertisement. It has a touch of heat—but that’s really all it needs!
Verdict: All of these seem to be around $6 at Target, and honestly? For a good lunch, they’re worth it. I’m excited to see what Deep will cook up next.
Credit: Liv Averett / Target
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