Gluten Free Meal: Snapdragon Indonesian Peanut Rice Pasta Stir-Fry - Product Review #82

Snapdragon Indonesian Peanut Rice Pasta Stir-Fry

PRODUCT NAME:                     Indonesian Peanut Rice Pasta Stir-Fry

BRAND:                                    Snapdragon Pan-Asian Cusine

COST:                                      $6.78 (2-pack) $19.32 (6-pack)

SIZE:                                        6.7oz each box                 

COST PER OZ:                          $0.51/oz (2-pack) $0.48/oz (6-pack)  

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE:        NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:         N/A

ORGANIC:                                 NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:         N/A

VEGAN:                                     OPTIONAL

GLUTEN FREE FACILITY:           UNKNOWN

LOCATION OF FACILITY:           Thailand

*These statements are based on the information printed on the product packaging.  We cannot verify the accuracy of this information.  For verification of the statements above, please contact the manufacturer.            

REVIEW:
We already know that Snapdragon Pan-Asian Cuisine makes great crackers, but did you know they make a line of Rice Pasta Stir-Fry kits, some of which are gluten free?  They have Pad Thai Ginger, Hunan Sweet and Sour and of course the Indonesian Peanut Rice Pasta Stir-Fry that we are reviewing today. 
Pop open the box and you will find dry rice noodles and a sauce packet containing all the flavoring you will need to cook up this meal.  This meal in a box is very convenient and can be prepared in about 15 minutes.  All you need to do is place the dry noodles in hot water for a few minutes, heat vegetables and, if you want, meat in a pan and stir fry everything up together for a complete meal in about 15 minutes.  I will admit that I did not cook this up myself, but I was watching the whole time and know that just about anyone can cook this up. 

For our tasting, 2 boxes of the meal in a box were stir fried up with chicken, snow peas and green onions.  The good thing about this product is that you have full control over what you want to add to it.  You can add just vegetables for a nice vegetarian dish or, for us carnivores, you can add meat.  It came out great and I was surprised to see how much we ended up with.  The rice noodles are thin and flat and had a sticky, but firm texture which is sometimes tricky to get with rice noodles because once they are overcooked, they tend to become mushy.  This is where letting them sit in hot water to cook came in to play.

The sauce for these noodles is the main character of the dish.  It is a slightly salty, slightly sweet and slightly spicy peanut sauce.  Snapdragon says that this Indonesian Peanut sauce represents the five classic flavors: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami which is Japanese for “savory taste.”  The sauce brings tons of flavor and texture to the dish because there are actually little pieces of ground up peanuts in the sauce.  Needless to say, if you are allergic to peanuts, this is not the dish for you. 

Nutrition Facts

With box meals like this one, you always have to be a little more careful with them and read the labels.  While they are relatively cheap, they are not always the best, nutrition-wise because they often contain a lot of sodium.  This one does contain 740 milligrams of sodium which is a little high.  What surprised me was that it contains 250 calories, 2 grams of fat and no cholesterol which is actually pretty good if you compare it with similar products.

Taste: This rice pasta stir-fry packs a ton of flavor.  The sweet by the salty and spicy come together for the perfect blend of flavors. 

Labeling:  Snapdragon has great labeling.  We especially liked their logos on the bottom right corner of the box that showed that it was gluten free, cooks in 15 minutes, is vegan and has mild spiciness. 

Packaging:  Paperboard box with individually packaged ingredients

Reader’s Reviews: Please share with us your review of this company’s other products + where you purchased the product + how long you have been using this product. Please no review from the family + friends of the company producing the product…

RATING:

Texture:                 5             

Taste:                     5             

Value:                    3

OVERALL:              4.3

Reviewed 02/23/11 by Calvin C.

Gluten Free Sauce: Spicy Nothings Classic Curry Simmer Sauce - Product Review #76

Gluten Free Sauce: Spicy Nothings Classic Curry Simmer Sauce

PRODUCT NAME:                   Classic Curry Simmer Sauce

BRAND:                                  Spicy Nothings

COST:                                    $6.50

SIZE:                                       12oz

COST PER OZ:                        $0.54/oz

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE:      NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:       N/A

ORGANIC:                               NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:       N/A

VEGAN:                                  YES

GLUTEN FREE FACILITY:        UNKNOWN

LOCATION OF FACILITY:        California

*These statements are based on the information printed on the product packaging. We cannot verify the accuracy of this information. For verification of the statements above, please contact the manufacturer.

REVIEW:
Imagine coming home from a long day at work, exhausted and hungry. One of those frozen things just isn’t enough and you want something home cooked for dinner, but just don’t want to spend hours making it. The people over at Spicy Nothings have created just the thing for you. Imagine a home cooked curry dinner in about 30 minutes. It’s possible with Spicy Nothings’ line of curry sauces. They come in 5 varieties including: Lentil Curry, Coconut Curry, Spicy & Tangy Curry, Spinach and Cream Curry, and of course Classic Curry. These sauces are all gluten free, all natural, vegan and delicious.

Who knew cooking a delicious curry dish could be so easy. All you need to do is sauté up some meat and/or vegetables, add in the Spicy Nothings Curry Sauce and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Serve your creation with some rice or bread and you’re set…a delicious meal in under 30 minutes.

Inspired by India and made in USA is one of Spicy Nothings’ mottos and they’ve done their homework too. They have all the spice and flavor you would expect from an Indian curry, but without all the heat. The Classic Curry sauce is labeled medium. Coming from a family where curry makes an appearance on the dinner table at least a few times a week, I thought this sauce was great. A tip when using this sauce, you will not need to season your meat or vegetables when you use this sauce. It has tons of flavor on its own and is actually just a tad salty on its own. When mixed with rice, you get a very nice balance of flavor. Another thing I liked about this sauce was that it wasn’t grainy like many other curry sauces. It has a nice smooth yet chunky texture which is perfect.

Overall, we thought this sauce was great. We had it with chicken and we had it with eggplant and it worked well both times. Cooking in under 30 minutes was a plus in our busy work day. It doesn’t take much of this sauce to add some flavor into your meal so split it into 2 cooking sessions. Just remember to refrigerate. At $6.50 per 12oz bottle, it’s quite expensive, but if you figure in the time you will save, it makes it makes a little more sense.

Taste: This sauce packs a great authentic curry flavor with just the right amount of heat. It tastes the best when it is served over rice.

Labeling: The labeling on this sauce is very simple and easy to read. It is all natural, gluten free and vegan.

Packaging: The packaging is your usual glass bottle. It’s the perfect size to reuse for some curry powder after you finish off delicious sauce in it.

Reader’s Reviews: Please share with us your review of this company’s other products + where you purchased the product + how long you have been using this product. Please no review from the family + friends of the company producing the product…

RATING: 
Texture:         5
Taste:             4
Value:            2
OVERALL:      3.7

Reviewed 022211 by Calvin C.

Gluten Free Sauces: Premier Japan Teriyaki Sauce - Product Review #56

Gluten Free Sauce: Premier Japan Teriyaki Sauce

PRODUCT NAME:                         Gluten Free Teriyaki Sauce

BRAND:                                        Premier Japan

COST:                                           $4.69

SIZE:                                             8.5oz

COST PER OZ:                              $0.55/oz

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE:            NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:             N/A

ORGANIC:                                     YES

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:             QAI

VEGAN:                                         YES

GLUTEN FREE FACILITY:               UNKNOWN

LOCATION OF FACILITY:               USA

*These statements are based on the information printed on the product packaging. We cannot verify the accuracy of this information. For verification of the statements above, please contact the manufacturer.

REVIEW:
When I asked Rody, who is the gluten intolerant one in our studio, what he missed most since finding out he was gluten intolerant, he mentioned teriyaki sauce. Most teriyaki sauces are made with regular soy sauce, which as you probably know, has gluten in it. While I was at the 2011 Fancy Food Show at the San Francisco Moscone Center last week, I was happy to see that someone had made gluten free teriyaki sauce. That someone is Premier Japan has made a gluten free version of soy sauce using gluten free tamari soy sauce instead of regular soy sauce. The brand might sound familiar because it is the same company that makes the wheat-free hoisin sauce I reviewed last week.

Teriyaki sauce is used a lot in Asian cooking, especially Japanese. It is used in stir fry, it is used to glaze when barbequing, and it is also used over barbecued meat and fish. Teriyaki sauce is traditionally sweet. Premier Japan’s version of the sauce is pretty good. It is sweet like your traditional teriyaki sauce, but there is a kick of tanginess and spiciness as well. I think the tanginess comes from the use of apple cider vinegar and the spiciness comes from the black pepper used in the sauce. It’s not your traditional sweet teriyaki sauce, but it is definitely a good one.

Like I said with the hoisin sauce from this brand, you are going to want to watch the amount you use. This sauce actually has more sodium than the hoisin sauce we reviewed last week. Each tablespoon of this sauce has 15 calories and 250mg of sodium. That’s 10% of your recommended daily sodium intake. Just think about…if you were to have 10 table spoons of this sauce, you’d have hit your sodium limit for the day.
We used this sauce to flavor our vegetable stir fry and it added just the right amount of flavor. A tip though, the sauce is pretty concentrated with flavor so add a little water when you cook with it. This will help you keep your portions under control. Overall, we think this sauce tastes pretty good despite the fact that it isn’t your traditional teriyaki sauce. If you’re looking for something that will add a little sweetness and kick, this is the sauce for you.

Taste: Good tangy taste with a hint of spiciness from the black pepper. It isn’t your traditional sweet teriyaki sauce, but with the addition of the tanginess and spiciness, it is still a great sauce.

Labeling: Identical labeling to the hoisin sauce we reviewed last week. This sauce is also wheat-free, gluten free, vegan, and organic.

Packaging: Regular twist top bottle filled with 8.5 fl. Oz of sauce.

Reader’s Reviews: Please share with us your review of this company’s other products + where you purchased the product + how long you have been using this product. Please no review from the family + friends of the company producing the product…

RATING:
Texture:         4
Taste:             4
Value:            3
OVERALL:      3.7

Reviewed 012511 by Calvin C.

Gluten Free Noodles: Ka Me Bean Thread - Product Review #45

Gluten Free Noodles:Ka Me Bean Thread

PRODUCT NAME:                               Bean Thread

BRAND:                                              Ka Me

COST:                                                $2.49

SIZE:                                                  3.75oz

COST PER OZ:                                   $0.65/oz

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE:                 NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:                  N/A

ORGANIC:                                          NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:                  N/A

VEGAN:                                             YES

GLUTEN FREE FACILITY:                   UNKNOWN

LOCATION OF FACILITY:                   Taiwan



*These statements are based on the information printed on the product packaging. We cannot verify the accuracy of this information. For verification of the statements above, please contact the manufacturer.

REVIEW:

Looking at our library of reviews, you will see a lot of Asian style noodles mixed in there. With such a large Asian community in our area, it’s no surprise. We are accustomed to the Asian brands, which are a great affordable option. So what happens when an American brand markets and sells these Asian noodles? Do they taste better/worse? Is it as good a value as the Asian brands? These are some of the questions that popped into our heads when we saw the Ka Me Bean Thread Sai Fun.

Take a look at these 3.75oz packages of Ka Me Bean Threads or Sai Fun and you will immediately notice that the packages are pretty small. We are used to the Asian Brand varieties which are triple the size of this package. This package only contains 2 servings while most of the Asian brands contain 6 or more servings per package. So what about price? They have 1/3 the amount of noodles in them, do they cost 1/3 the price? You would think that, but they are actually close to double or triple the price. For value, these noodles get a pretty low rating.

Taste and texture-wise, these noodles are pretty good. They are a little sticky when you fry them up, but that’s a good thing. They have texture similar to silver noodles that you would find in a Korean or Thai restaurant. They are really good at absorbing the flavor of whatever sauce you fry them up in.

I think these noodles taste great and have great texture, but the price is a little on the higher side. It isn’t outrageously priced compared, but there are a lot of alternatives out there that are a better bang for the buck. Don’t be too discouraged by the price though because these noodles are very good.

Taste: The bean thread has great texture and is great at absorbing flavor. Stir fry them up with some vegetables, meat, and a little gluten free soy sauce and you have the perfect gluten free meal.

Labeling: You will find very simple labeling on this package. It isn’t marketed as gluten free, but just take a look at the ingredients and all you will see is mung bean starch and water so not only is it gluten free, it is also vegan.

Packaging: Air sealed package that will keep your noodles good for a long time. Our package had a use by date of Jan 12, 2013.

Reader’s Reviews: Please share with us your review of this company’s other products + where you purchased the product + how long you have been using this product. Please no review from the family + friends of the company producing the product…

RATING:

Texture:         5
Taste:             5
Value:            2
OVERALL:      4



Reviewed 010611 by CC

Gluten Free Noodles: Five Grain Brand Mung Bean Thread - Product Review #25

Gluten Free Noodles: Five Grain Brand Mung Bean Thread

PRODUCT NAME:                       Mung Bean Thread

BRAND:                                      Five Grain Brand

COST:                                        $0.99

SIZE:                                           5.3oz

COST PER OZ:                            $0.19/oz

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE:          NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:           N/A

ORGANIC:                                    NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:            N/A

VEGAN:                                        UNKNOWN

WHEAT FREE FACILITY:               UNKNOWN

LOCATION OF FACILITY:             China

*These statements are based on the information printed on the product packaging. We cannot verify the accuracy of this information. For verification of the statements above, please contact the manufacturer.

REVIEW:

Being in San Francisco has its perks; one of them being the large Asian community which gives us the privilege of cheap Asian food.  As we have said before, Asian rice noodles are a good cheap gluten free alternative.  Asian rice noodles usually only contain rice and water.  Today, we had mung bean thread, which looks a lot like rice noodles.  And much like rice noodles, the ingredients were very simple… mung bean, broad bean and water are the only ingredients in these noodles.  Being that they are from Chinatown…these were extremely affordable.  $0.99 for the 5.3oz pack, which calculates out to just $0.19 an ounce. 

Many of these noodles are best when served in hot soup.  These particular noodles  are very firm and would do great in soup.  If you plan to serve them dry, cook them a little longer so they aren’t as tough to chew.  I undercooked them a little and found them very firm and springy. 

Taste: Taste-wise…there isn’t too much to these noodles.  Not much flavor, but really good texture.  Fry them up with some stir fried vegetables and meat or serve them up in some piping on noodles…they will be perfect. 

Labeling: These noodles are pretty simple and there isn’t much too them so there really isn’t too much to be said about the labeling. 

Packaging: Non recyclable packaging. 

Reader’s Reviews: Please share with us your review of this company’s other products + where you purchased the product + how long you have been using this product. Please no review from the family + friends of the company producing the product..

RATING:

Texture:                 5             

Taste:                     3

Value:                    5

OVERALL:              4.3