Lay’s Kettle Cooked Indian Tikka Masala Chips – ‘Hai’ or ‘Nai’?

This year, in honor of the 2016 Olympic Games, the company decided to create its own international flavor combinations as part of its “Passport to Flavor” lineup.

Potato chip giant Lay’s is well known for its annual “Do Us A Flavor” contest in which anyone can submit a creative idea for a new potato chip flavor. During this promotion, four flavors are selected for production and distribution to supermarkets across the country. Consumers vote for their favorite flavor, and the winner walks away with a check for $1 million dollars.

This year, in honor of the 2016 Olympic Games, the company decided to create its own international flavor combinations as part of its “Passport to Flavor” lineup.

The “exotic” offerings give a nod to India, Brazil, China, and Greece with the following flavors: Indian Tikka Masala, Brazilian Picanha, Chinese Szechuan Chicken, and Greek Tzatziki.

I was especially curious about the Indian chips because having tikka masala be a part of the Lay’s lineup signaled to me that Indian masalas are now a part of American lexicon of flavor profiles. Or, at the very least, America’s codification of Indian masalas is now mainstream, which always provides a lot of fodder for a food writer.

Tikka Masala, in particular, is a tricky masala to hold accountable as a country’s flavor ambassador, as its origins are often disputed by food historians and foodies alike. I am, thus, conveniently resigning such debates for a later article.

For now, I am holding Lay’s tikka masala chips as needing to meet two very important requirements: the ability to mimic tikka masala and great taste.

I had mixed feelings about these chips. (It should be noted, though, that these mixed feelings did not preclude my commitment in polished off the bag.)

Were the chips delicious? Yes. Are they reminiscent of tikka masala of meals past? Yes and no, depending on what you hold as a reference point.

They taste of the chicken tikka masala you would get from the cheap, formulaic Indian lunch buffets where the tomato-creaminess is spiced, but uncomplicatedly so. That’s what these chips capture at best—a chip with a hint of spiced tomato. In that sense then, yes, Lay’s delivers. If you favor Americanized Indian tikka flavors, this chip will transport you—perhaps not to India, but to some of the hurried curried joints along, say, Jackson Heights or Manhattan’s “Curry Hill.”

What the chip lacks is a deep umami flavor that is found in chicken tikka dishes where masalas such as cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, ginger, and garlic shine through. Lay’s renditions of tikka masala do not hit those specifics; you don’t taste the nuances of real tikka masala. (By real, I don’t mean to bring in the debate of origin or authenticity. Rather by real, I mean properly blending spices to bring about a very nuanced and deep mixture.) There was nothing about Lay’s Indian chip that made me feel like I was eating something flavored with Indian spices. On the spectrum, it—at best—captures the most muted American version of Indian tikka masala.

Interestingly enough, Lay’s has a version of Indian chips called Magic Masala chips, available in India and a few Indian shops in Canada and United States. It is unabashedly Indian and unapologetically spiced. Perhaps having had that first, I was holding Lay’s tikka version to the same standard—hence my disappointment.

Part of the reason for the disconnect between the two is the fact that most food companies, including Lay’s, tend to alter specific recipes, heat levels, and flavor combinations to make the product more palatable to the intended audience. For example, some popular Lay’s flavors in India that are not available here include Tomato Tango, Mastana Mango, and India Lime and Masala.

Although new to U.S. consumers, Indian Tikka Masala is not Lay’s first attempt at an Indian-flavored chip for the North American market. The company has previously offered a butter chicken-inspired chip in Canada.

If you’re looking for a chip which captures authentic Indian masalas, stick to Lay’s chips intended for Indian markets. If you’re looking for a tasty chip that offers Indian dishes reimagined by American palates, then this chip is for you.