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I Paid: $3.95 for a 12.3–ounce meal (prices may vary by region)
As the name strongly implies, each meal includes a quantity of curry and a quantity of rice, sitting side by side in a two-compartment, microwave-safe plastic tray. Two minutes on high, and both sides of your meal, once stirred, are uniformly and satisfactorily heated up. Beyond that: They're pretty dang good.
Here's a critical disclaimer: I haven't been to India, so I can't claim to understand what real Indian street food tastes like. That said, I've eaten casual Indian food all over Chicago and Boston at places ranging from Westernized chic to first generation, and the nuke-and-eat rice and curry meals by Kohinoor stand up credibly to humble but well-prepared buffet fare. The Pindi Chana Masala with Zeera Rice had a real spice depth to the curry. The rice was pleasantly toothsome, and the chickpeas were tender but not mushy. The Mughlai Kofta Curry with Peas Pulao was equally good—the cheese fritters in the gravy had a fresh, clean flavor, and there was a beautiful level of heat to the curry, a gentle, lingering burn that was a great complement to the other spices in the dish. While these curries are no substitute for passionate home cooking, Kohinoor presents a nice simulation.
You know, it just occurred to me that for a little bandwidth and time... Pictures of what the product actually looks like would be a great addition to this feature.
DCpizza: i've seen both frozen and non-refrigerated varieties. i agree with the other commenter - i prefer the frozen ones as well. i also prefer heating them on the stove, so i can reduce the sauces slightly. cooked any other way i find them too watery. i also add extra paneer (easy to find if you're getting these items from an indian grocer) and a chopped up chili pepper or two, as well as some...+READ
DCpizza: i've seen both frozen and non-refrigerated varieties. i agree with the other commenter - i prefer the frozen ones as well. i also prefer heating them on the stove, so i can reduce the sauces slightly. cooked any other way i find them too watery. i also add extra paneer (easy to find if you're getting these items from an indian grocer) and a chopped up chili pepper or two, as well as some diced red onion on top. the bagged frozen breads that my local indian grocer sells aren't bad, either. i especially love the garlic naan and the baturas. i can't remember the brand, they come in a bright red resealable bag. i also love one particular brand of the frozen pre-fried pakoras; those heat up quite nicely in the toaster oven. i have not found a good frozen samosa yet. and making them totally from scratch (including dough) proved to be an 8-hour task last time! eek!
i read the ingredient lists of these frozen items when i first started buying them, and was surprised at the total lack of preservatives. the ones i buy, at least, are made from fresh, whole ingredients. i do love cooking from scratch whenever possible, but i work in a restaurant and when getting home at 1am after a 12-hour shift, yeah, i'm probably going to go the pre-made route. :)
my own opinions on authenticity - i've traveled india fairly extensively and the major differences i noticed between them and us (taking into account both restaurant food and the pre-made food) are:
- anything involving eggs or dairy, which are treated differently and therefore taste very differently. i suppose it's the refrigeration that alters the taste in a negative way?
- i rarely find street cart food - pani puri, bhel puri, hard-boiled eggs coated in salt and spices, etc - in america...
- train station food... maybe it's my imagination, but i love the banana leaf many of these dishes are served on, i swear it enhances the taste of the food. some of the food i found on station platforms is stuff i'd never seen before - for example i remember an indian rendition of a chile relleno served up in a banana leaf somewhere in karnataka - never found out its name, nor have i found it anywhere else since. or the hard-boiled eggs served in newspaper and doused in a spicy dark red sauce... weird weird stuff.
- breakfast... oh breakfast. sour curds & lemon pickle w/ aloo paratha. masala omelette. nescafe. i even miss those stupid perfect-square white bread toast slices (the bread there seems to lack the rise). i wish there were an indian restaurant in my town that served breakfast!
... sorry, i can get sidetracked on my favorite topics :) but my point is - the standard, stew-like stuff - dal makhani, paneer tikka masala, fish/shrimp vindaloo, aloo gobhi, what have you - i've had bad renditions in india, i've had bad renditions outside of india. but i tend to think the frozen grocery store entrees (at least the ones that the indian grocer sells - i haven't tried trader joe's) are pretty darn good, and not just in a pinch. that was my point, sorry for the side story! :)-COLLAPSE
The vacuum sealed packs have a weird aftertaste. The frozen entrees are much better.
These aren't bad options for 'emergency rations' :-).
Your local IndoPak market and Trader Joes sell similar products that are vacuum sealed - no refrigeration necessary. They are the appropriate companion to that tasteless precooked rice.
Like any prepared food, pay close attention to the salt and fat content on the label.
Sounds terrible. Yes I am a hater. Make your own and freeze it
Sounds like a great option to keep in the office for lunch. Do they need to be refrigerated? Where are these available? Only found them on Amazon (not yet available) and Wegman's (mostly in NY/NJ).