04 Jul Disaster Bay Chillies: Exotic Masala Curry Sauce
Review by Greg Wagenmakers
Product: Disaster Bay Exotic Masala
Location of Manufacture: Eden, NSW
Ingredients: chillies (Big Jim, Cayenne and Jalapeño), fresh carrots, onions, garlic, ginger, vinegar, vegetable oil, cane sugar, water, Indian spices and salt.
Review: When I received this bottle to review, I was under the impression that I needed to pour some of this exotic masala in with my chicken and cook it, let it reduce, etc. When I tasted it, I realised that this clearly wasn’t the way to do it. The punchy flavour had gone into the nether… I then grabbed the bottle and chugged it directly onto my chicken and rice and hit restart and the flavour was simply bliss.
It had been some time since my last review and the flavour of this exotic masala, very closely resembled a Spicy Kasoundi that I had review a while back. Not surprisingly, when I looked at the manufacturer, It was no surprise to see ‘Disaster Bay’. It is the producer of both condiments and consequently this product will receive a similar review. This curry sauce is just delicious. Really, it is amazing. I had this sauce with chicken and rice as mentioned above, but I could also see it being used as a dip, accompanied by crackers and cheese (as opposed to a salsa) and a sauce to compliment a lamb dish. Every ingredient has a purpose and works together. Nothing competes for dominance and therefore, I didn’t tire of one single flavour.
Disaster Bay has created a perfect suite of niche products, which don’t seem to have much competition. As a result, they are able to reap the positive praise of those who revel in what chillies offer and those who enjoy exotic flavours and push their culinary experiences beyond the typical water, chilli, vinegar, sugar and salt realm. With their brilliant mix of spices and flavours, it is no wonder they placed 1st in the ‘Masala’ category in 2016, 2nd in the ‘Curry’ category in 2015 and 3rd in the ‘Gourmet’ category in 2014.
Heat wise, I give this product a 2. It is not hot by any means. You know that chilli is present, but in a product like this, flavour is everything and having too much heat would simply detract from its enjoyment. For flavour I give Exotic Masala Curry Sauce a 9.5. I’d have given it a 10, but I had to take points away from something, and that was the size of the bottle. It somehow became empty after 2 meals.
