Bikano Ready To Eat Meals Review: Thumbs Down For These RTE Meals

Written by:

Team Mishry

We reviewed two variants from the Bikano ready to eat meals range – Rajma with Plain rice and Choley with Plain Rice. More details on our overall experience below.

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Mishry Ratings

Taste

1 / 5

Aroma

1 / 5

Overall Experience

1 / 5

Summary

Disappointing! Our entire experience of reviewing Bikano Ready To Eat Meals did not turn out to be great. The rice in both the variants lacks freshness. The choley lack the authentic taste. The flavor of rajma, when tasted separately, is decent.

From instant noodles to dal makhni and halwas, there are tons of options available that let you gorge on some delicious meals within a minute. RTE meals require you to just heat the contents of the pack and binge without putting in extra effort.

Bikano recently entered the RTE segment with its range of combo meals and gravies. For our current review, we picked two variants from Bikano Ready To Eat meals – Choley with Plain Rice and Rajma with Plain Rice. In our Bikano Ready To Eat Meals review, we discuss everything from price, packaging, taste, cooking time, texture and convenience offered.

We reviewed the Bikano Panjeeri Laddu and highly recommend trying the product for its delicious taste and perfect texture.

Table of Contents

Variants We Reviewed

Bikano Ready To Eat Meals Review – Everything You Need To Know

bikano ready to eat meals reviewed variants — The two variants of the Bikano Ready To Eat Meals we reviewed

Here we have listed everything you need to know about the Bikano Ready To Eat Meals. It covers the available variants, available quantities, price range and shelf life.

1. Available Variants

Bikano offers different ready to eat variants related to both combo meals and gravies. Here is a list of the available variants :

Combo Meals

Choley With Plain Rice
Dal Makhani With Plain Rice
Dal Tadka With Jeera Rice
Kadi Pakora With Jeera Rice
Matar Paneer With Jeera Rice
Rajma With Plain rice
Shahi Paneer With Jeera Rice
Veg Biryani

Gravies

Shahi Paneer
Choley
Dal Makhani
Kadhi Pakora
Dal Tadka
Pao Bhaji
Jeera Basmati Rice
Matar Paneer
Rajma
Palak Paneer
Plain Basmati Rice

2. Available Quantities

The combo meals ready to eat variants are available in 350 gm and 375 gm box packs. The gravy ready to eat variants comes in a standard quantity of 300 gm. The Jeera Basmati Rice and Plain Basmati Rice comes in a 250 gm pack.

3. Price Range

Bikano Ready To Eat Meals comes in the price range of INR 150- INR 180.

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4. Shelf Life

These ready to eat meals come with a shelf life of 6 months.

5. Main Ingredients

Does the Bikano Ready To Eat Meals contain any preservative? Are there any artificial flavors or enhancers used?

Ingredients for Rajma Rice :

Plain Basmati Rice :

Water, Rice (46%), and Refined Sunflower oil. Allergy Advice : May also contain Wheat, Oats, Peanuts, Nuts, Soya, Milk and Sesame.

Rajma :

Water, Red Kidney beans (20.8%), Tomato, Refined Palmolein oil, Onion, Iodized salt, Ginger, Mixed Spices, Green chilly, Garlic, and Red Chilli powder. Allergy Advice : May also contain Wheat, Oats, Peanuts, Nuts, Soya, Milk, and Sesame.

Ingredients for Choley Rice:

Plain Basmati Rice :

Water, Rice (46%), and Refined Sunflower oil. Allergy Advice : May also contain Wheat, Oats, Peanuts, Nuts, Soya, Milk and Sesame.

Choley :

Choley : Chickpea (33%), Water, Tomato, Onion, Refined Palmolein oil, Iodized salt, Ginger, Green chilly, Coriander powder, Red chilly powder, Mixed spices, Turmeric powder, Garlic, Carom seed, Fenugreek leaves, and Sodium bicarbonate [E 500 (ii)] as Raising agent. Allergy Advice : May also contain Wheat, Oats, Peanuts, Nuts, Soya, Milk and Sesame.

6. Nutritional Facts

Here are the details related to the nutritional facts of Bikano Ready To Eat Meals :

Nutritional Facts (per 100 gm)	Choley With Plain Rice	Rajma With Plain Rice
Calories	786 kJ or 188 kcal	635 kJ or 152 kcal
Protein	5.2 gm	3.0 gm
Total Fat	5.8 gm	5.4 gm
Carbohydrate	28.7 gm	22.8 gm

Also Read : Best Ready To Eat Instant Sambar Mix

Bikano Ready To Eat Meals – Our Review Factors

Our review factors include –

1. Packaging

Packaging plays a crucial role especially when it comes to any ready to eat meal. We checked here how well packed these meals are? Do they include any cutlery? Are the rice and gravy packed separately? How sturdy is the packaging?

2. Taste

Apart from the convenience offered by ready to eat meals, taste is a crucial parameter that can make or break the overall experience. How fresh do these meals taste? Is the seasoning well balanced? Do they taste spicy? Being a packaged ready to eat meal does the gravy lend an industrial aftertaste?

3. Aroma

Food that is highly aromatic is sure to drive anyone’s attention towards it. We gauged here how aromatic the chole and rajma turn out? The brand claims the use of Basmati rice. Do they have the authentic Basmati rice aroma?

4. Freshness

Here we gauged whether these meals are fresh tasting? Is there any stale taste or an undesirable aftertaste?

6. Grain Size

In general, the characteristic feature of Basmati rice is its long grain and distinct aroma. Are the grains of rice used in these ready to eat meals Basmati? How long or short is the grain size?

7. Price Range

Does the price tag justify the taste and convenience they offer? Are these ready to eat meals priced competitively or are they overpriced?

Bikano Ready To Eat Meals – Detailed Review

Here is a tabular comparison of both the reviewed variants of the Bikano Ready To Eat Meals.

Bikano Ready To Eat Meals	Choley With Plain Rice	Rajma With Plain Rice
Price	INR 150	INR 150
Shelf Life	6 months	6 months
Net Quantity	375 gm	375 gm
Calories (per 100 gm)	786 kJ	635 kJ

Before we begin the product review, let us discuss packaging which was the same for both meals. Both the variants of the Bikano Ready To Eat Meals come in a vibrant colored box pack. The rice and the gravy are packed in separate bags. The box also includes a spoon and tissue paper.

1. Choley with Plain Rice

Taste - 1/5

Aroma - 1/5

Overall Experience - 1/5

bikano choley with plain rice on a table — The outer packaging of the Bikano Choley With Plain Rice

The Bikano Choley With Plain Rice variant comes in an attractive maroon color outer packaging. There is a disposable spoon and tissue paper included in the pack. The 375 gm quantity is priced at INR 150.

The nutritional information and nutrition facts are mentioned behind the back of the pack. For consuming this meal, the pack mentions to heat the contents in the microwave and then serve it hot. However, a detailed instruction is not mentioned. Since heating in plastic is not advisable, we heated the rice and gravy in separate glass bowls. We kept stirring in between to make sure that the rice and gravy heat evenly.

Here are the details of our overall experience while reviewing this variant :

Plain Rice :

The characteristic trait of basmati rice being cooked is the distinctive aroma that it releases. These rice lack the authentic basmati rice aroma. The grains of the rice are a mix of long and short sized grains.

Texture-wise, the rice is not sticky and is relatively khila-khila. The salt level is well balanced. The rice appears to be extremely dry post cooking. It fails to deliver the signature basmati rice taste or aroma. Sadly, the rice does not taste fresh at all.

Choley :

These choley post heating result in a smooth and dark brown color gravy. It includes whole sized choleys. These are well seasoned and tangy, and not spicy. These cholas are not oily.

We did not like the taste of these choleys. It has a slight industrial flavor and lacks an authentic taste. Texture-wise, the chola cooked well. It has a nice bite to it and is not hard to chew.

The proportion of the choley to that of the rice is less.

bikano choley with plain rice packaging — The gravy and the rice are packed in a plastic box

inside look at choley with plain rice packaging — The plastic box comes with a secure lid

a closer look at choley with plain rice packet from inside — A closer look at the Choley gravy inside the pack

bikano choley and rice packaging — The rice and gravy come in separate poly bags

closer look at bikano plain rice packaging — A close look at the plain rice inside the pack

bikano choley and rice in bowls — The overall preparation of our review process

bikano plain rice in a bowl — The plain rice after heating placed in a bowl

closer look at bikano choley in a bowl — The gravy of the Choley was well seasoned!

Features

The 375 gm pack is priced at INR 150.
Shelf Life : 6 months.
It comes in a box pack.
It contains no added preservatives.
The rice and the gravy come in separate polybags.

Likes

The choley cooked well.
The gravy is well seasoned.

Dislikes

It does not have a signature basmati rice aroma.
The rice lacks freshness.
Post-heating the rice becomes dry.
The choley tastes industrial. It lacks the authentic flavor.
The quantity of choley in comparison to the amount of rice is insufficient.

2. Rajma with Plain Rice

Taste - 1/5

Aroma - 1/5

Overall Experience - 1/5

Rajma with Plain rice was the second variant that we reviewed in our kitchen. It comes in a purple color outer packaging. The inside packing of this variant is similar to that of the earlier one. We heated this ready meal in the same way as the above variant. Here is a detailed overview of our review process :

Plain Rice :

The quality of the rice used is not good. The overall taste, aroma and texture turned out to be the same as it did in the above variant.

Rajma :

The rajma has a prominent aroma of tomatoes, ginger and garlic. All the kidney beans cooked uniformly and retained a nice bite. The gravy is well seasoned and has a thick consistency. It is not oily. The rajma appears to be homestyle. We loved the taste of the rajma. The presence of coriander, ginger garlic and tangy tomato adds to the delicious flavor.

We noticed small bits of the coriander which tasted fresh. However, the quantity of the rajma in comparison to that of rice is less.

bikano rajma with plain rice packaging — The overall contents after opening the pack

inside look at bikano rajma with plain rice packaging — The outer box and the inside plastic box of the Bikano Rajma variant

bikano rajma with plain rice packets on a table — The plain rice and Rajma in separate poly bags

closer look at bikano rajma packaging — The rajma gravy packed in a polybag

bikano rajma in a bowl — The rajma after heating placed in a bowl

bikano rajma and plain rice in bowls — The heated rice and rajma placed in separate bowls for our review

Features

Price of the 375 gm pack is INR 150.
Shelf Life : 6 months.
The box pack includes disposable spoons and tissue paper.
Both the gravy and rice come in individual poly bags.

Likes

The rajma tasted delicious. It is well seasoned.
The gravy has a thick consistency. It is very homestyle.
The kidney beans have a nice bite to them.
The coriander, tomatoes, and ginger garlic adds to the delicious flavor.

Dislikes

The ratio of the rajma to the rice is less.
The taste, texture and aroma of the rice was a big let down.

Our Top Picks & Recommendations

Overall our entire experience of reviewing the above variants of the Bikano Ready To Eat meals was a let down. We liked the taste and aroma of rajma more as compared to the choley. But when tested with rice, the rajma was also a let down. This eventually killed the entire purpose of an RTE meal.

Despite the choley being cooked well, it has an industrial taste. The plain rice in both these variants does not have that authentic Basmati rice aroma. They turn dry post heating and lack freshness.

In the end, we would not recommend trying any of the above variants.

Final Words

bikano ready to eat meals review — Our review process of the above two variants of Bikano Ready To Eat Meals was not positive

No matter, these ready to eat meals require mere heating, nothing compares to a homemade meal that is fresh. Bikano’s RTE meals were a letdown. From the lack of freshness in the taste and aroma of basmati rice to the curries – we do not recommend these. Although the rajma tasted nice by itself, the rice ruined the overall experience.

Have you tried the Bikano Ready To Eat Meals? Was your experience the same? Let us know in the comments below.

Related Reading

Best Ready To Eat Upma For A Quick Breakfast

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some interesting FAQs on Bikano Ready To Eat Meals.

1. Are these ready to eat meals fresh and healthy?

The freshness of a homemade rajma chawal or choley chawal cannot be compared to these ready to eat meals.

2. One pack of Bikano ready to eat meals serves how many?

One pack of Bikano Ready To Eat meals is ideal for single serving only.

3. Do these ready to eat meals contain preservatives?

Bikano Ready To Eat Meals is free from added preservatives.

4. How to maintain the freshness of these ready to eat meals after unpacking?

Since these are ready to eat meals it is best to consume them immediately after unpacking. The brand has not mentioned anything specific related to the storage instructions post opening these meals. It mentions to avoid the consumption if these are puffed up.

5. Are these ready to eat meals very spicy?

These ready to eat are mildly spiced.

More RTE Food Reviews

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