Thursday, August 23, 2007
Review: Trader Joe's Lemongrass Chix Stix and Thai Shrimp Red Curry Rice Bowl
I'm going to be on a bit of an on-and-off Trader Joe's product review kick for a few weeks just because we did a run at one of their stores and purchased a number of things. Let's start with the Lemongrass Chix Stix. These are a marvelous appetizer item so long as you like a strong taste of lemongrass. They are like miniature fried spring rolls, only very thin and filled with some sort of chicken mixture that's on the dry side. (We served it with Chef Myron's ginger lemon sauce - from the same people who make the 20 Gauge Sauce that I liked.) Even better, you can heat these frozen items in a hot oven rather than frying them in oil, so you minimize the grease while still getting a crisp bite.
Less impressive to me was the Thai Shrimp Red Curry Rice Bowl. It's not that it was bad, but it seemed a little skimpy on the sauce. Also, you're only supposed to poke a small hole in the center of the film covering the microwaveable bowl, but the material easily tears, which can lead, as I found, to too much steam escaping and a subsequently longer cooking time. (I knew it had too little heat when a couple of the shrimp still looked raw, though a minute more took care of things.) So, a decent enough quick meal, but not something I'd go out of my way to get again.
Less impressive to me was the Thai Shrimp Red Curry Rice Bowl. It's not that it was bad, but it seemed a little skimpy on the sauce. Also, you're only supposed to poke a small hole in the center of the film covering the microwaveable bowl, but the material easily tears, which can lead, as I found, to too much steam escaping and a subsequently longer cooking time. (I knew it had too little heat when a couple of the shrimp still looked raw, though a minute more took care of things.) So, a decent enough quick meal, but not something I'd go out of my way to get again.
Labels: Chef Myron, chix stix, opinion, review, rice bowl, spring roll, Trader Joe's
