Price: $3.99 ($3.50 on sale)
Serving: 1 Tray, 9 oz.
Calories: 480
Fat: 28%, 18g
Sodium: 38%, 920mg

Curry Classics says: Chicken breast and rice noodles prepared with spices, tamarind and ground peanuts.

Abi says: The microwave version of a food is never as good as the food would be in a restaurant. You know it won’t be very good. You accept this because it is so cheap. You make your peace with eating a mediocre lunch. You tell yourself ‘It was just $3.50 and I got airline miles on my credit card.’

Chicken Pad Thai from Curry Classics is one such lunch. It doesn’t live up to the vegetarian succulence of the meals from sister company Green Guru. Sure, the pad thai is fragrant and attracts coworkers with an aroma of tamarind, coriander, and lemon. In fact, the reaction I experienced today was opposite the dreaded soy noodle repellent of yesterday.

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Price: $3.99 ($3.50 on sale)
Serving: 1 Tray, 10 oz.
Calories: 360
Fat: 22%, 14g
Sodium: 35%, 840mg

Curry Classics says: Boneless chicken breast marinated, roasted and simmered in a robust creamy sauce, served with basmati rice.

Abi says: From the same family that brought you Green Guru Paneer Tikka Masala, a chicken version. This meal contains the perfect ratio of rice to chicken-in-sauce and is just spicy enough to tingle without offending midwesterners.

Ingredients:
Chicken in sauce: Chicken, tomatoes, onions, whole milk, cream, cashews, canola oil, bell peppers, spices, yogurt, butter, garlic, sea salt, lemon juice, milled cane sugar, vinegar, water, paprika, oleoresin of paprika, turmeric.
Rice: Water, basmati rice, butter, sea salt, cumin seeds.

You can read the list, right? You know what each word means (Oleoresin of paprika is a natural colorant derived from paprika*) and you can pronounce the ingredients.

*According to the FDA, solvents may be used to produce oleoresin of paprika. Don’t get your knickers in a twist. Solvents are also used to produce fats and oils, cereal grains, coffee, and tea.

Price: $3.29 ($2.79 on sale)
Serving: 1/2 Tray, 5 oz.
Calories: 160
Fat: 11%, 7g
Sodium: 10%, 250mg

Green Guru says: Chickpeas sauteed with onions, tomatoes, peppers & exotic spices.

Kate says: Delicious. It is just spicy enough to cause the lightest perspiration under my eyes. The chickpeas are firm and the sauce is flavorful. Green Guru’s Channa Masala would be good on rice, but it also holds up alone.

Price: $3.29 ($2.79 on sale)
Serving: 1 Tray, 10 oz.
Calories: 410
Fat: 34%, 22g
Sodium: 39%, 930mg

Green Guru says: Homemade style cheese marinated with tandoori spices, simmered with onions and bell peppers in an authentic richly spiced sauce, served with basmati rice.

Today, Kate and Abi both brought this meal for lunch. While this would seem a strange coincidence, it turns out that they both enjoy Indian cuisine, shop at Whole Foods, and like buying sale items.

Kate says:This is not the first time I have had Green Guru International Cuisine Paneer Tikka Masala. In fact, I purchase Green Guru products frequently and they rarely disappoint. The paneer tikka masala is perfectly spicy and delicious. I would not be disappointed to be served something with this flavor at an Indian restaurant, although I would be disappointed by the presentation. This brings me to my two complaints. First, when I see the picture I want my meal to be served in the same rustic hammered metal bowl and it is not. Second, the serving container separates the rice from the paneer tikka masala and there is no way to mix them without using a separate bowl. I solve this by using a separate bowl, but this is annoying and poor design.

Abi says: You know that little storefront down the street that sells every kind of take-out food imaginable and works for a quick snack but you hope that your friends from the vegan coffeeshop never catch you eating there?
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