Earth Grown Chickpea & Veggie Korma

Indian food is a favorite of my family’s, and we’ve recently started trying more vegetarian Indian recipes. So when I spotted some newer Indian-themed meatless pouch meals in a mixed case at Aldi not long ago, I had to try them. They were available in tikka, korma, and butter chicken varieties.

Today, I’m specifically looking at a chickpea & veggie korma.

This is sold under the Earth Grown brand. That’s not a company. Instead, it’s the name Aldi puts on some of its vegetarian or vegan products.

Earth Grown Chickpea & Veggie Korma looks to be a Regular Buy. That means you should be able to buy this year round at Aldi.

We buy Aldi products with our own money. I paid $2.85 for a 10.05-ounce package at my local store in 2024. That’s around 28 cents per ounce.

This is a product of India. It’s kosher and is certified vegetarian by the American Vegetarian Association. The package indicates this has a mild spice level. The pouch is BPA free.

If you’re watching out for allergens, this contains coconut. It may contain traces of peanuts, other tree nuts, soy, and milk.

The full ingredients list includes water, coconut milk, chickpeas, onion, desiccated coconut, green peas, potato, carrot, green beans, cauliflower, sunflower oil, and 2% or less tomato paste, red kidney beans, ginger paste, garlic paste, spices, salt, and cilantro leaves. It would be helpful if Aldi specified what “spices” are in this.

This is not low in fat or sodium. One pouch is one serving, which will net you 300 calories, 16 grams of total fat (20% DV), 11 grams of saturated fat (55% DV), 930 mg of sodium (40% DV), 31 grams of total carbohydrates (11% DV), 7 grams of dietary fiber (25% DV), 5 grams of total sugars, 1 gram of added sugars (2% DV), and 9 grams of protein.

The package has directions for microwaving this or heating it on the stovetop.

To microwave, tear the pouch 2 inches to vent. Heat the pouch on high for 90 seconds. Carefully remove the pouch from the microwave and let stand for 1 minute. Pour the contents into a serving dish and enjoy.

To heat on the stovetop, empty the contents of the pouch into a saucepan. Gently heat, stirring frequently, for 3-5 minutes. Serve in a bowl and enjoy.

The directions state you can serve this on its own, or with naan, rice, or a protein of your choice.

I microwaved this and served it with some rice. After having previously been disappointed by the tikka masala pouch from the same mixed case, I didn’t have high hopes for this korma option. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how flavorful this korma was. It’s mild and really not spicy at all. The various veggies, spices, and coconut milk blend to make a nice combination. It was good enough that I finished the whole pouch, which I didn’t do with the tikka masala version I tried earlier.

The Verdict:

Earth Grown Chickpea & Veggie Korma features chickpeas, green beans, cauliflower, potato, carrot, kidney beans, and spices including ginger and garlic, all in a creamy coconut milk-based sauce. It’s flavorful and not spicy. It goes well with rice or naan and makes a good, quick, easy lunch. Our only caveat is that this has a fair amount of sodium.