Indian food being what it is in Budapest (fairly mediocre and unpresuming) many foodies I know prefer to make their own. If you are too busy or lazy, it is still possible to enjoy a good Dal Palak (various pulses cooked with spinach) or Paneer Makhani (red bean and black lentil curry) without spending hours in the kitchen or shelling out for the often slow delivery offered by many local curry shops.

The Super Kohinoor brand sold at Szép Kís India, not to be confused with the new Kohinoor Restaurant, offers a variety of instant meals representing a wide range of Indian cooking in the Punjabi and Mughlai traditions, and at the price of Ft 530 a pop or three for Ft 1,060, makes them all that much harder to resist. But why would you want to? The meals, made from all natural ingredients are healthy, vegetarian and approved as kosher as well. That means no msg, artificial colors or preservatives. How many American TV dinners can claim that?

Over the past few months I have probably tried each of the approximately fifteen varieties of Super Kohinoor's Heat & Eat line, stocked at Szép Kís India, Budapest's premiere Indian and international delicacy market. I am quite taken by the Kashmiri Rajma (red bean curry), and have developed sudden cravings for the strange, rubbery cheese of the Mutter Paneer (spicy Indian cottage cheese with peas).

If there is an overall criticism to be levied, it would have to be that Heat & Eat dishes tend to be of the variety that is best served with rice, and for the truly lazy, rice is a chore that mitigates some of the convenience. Otherwise, expect the dishes to pull no punches or cater to western tastes. They are primarily made for an Indian market living abroad, which means, in the case of the Punjabi Kadhi Pakora, the kind of wincing spiciness that only the most maniacal and sadistic chef would dare inflict on an unsuspecting local.

Luckily, the level of spiciness is represented on the box by one, two or three red chilies. But a word of warning: even the mild dishes like Dal Palak can bring a sweat to the brow and the allegedly medium two-chili Palak Paneer (spinach with home-made cheese) was spicier than any dish I have had from Indian restaurants in either Budapest or back home.

If you want mild Indian cooking, almost any local restaurant will be glad to accommodate, but for an inexpensive taste of real Indian heat, you can do a lot worse than sitting down in front of the Travel Channel with a Super Kohinoor Heat & Eat dinner.