Taste Testing: Blue Dragon Sweet Chilli Chicken Flavour Noodles

I’ll try anything once. Look under the food tag for that one. And this is one of those moments. While shopping in one of the local supermarkets (don’t want to show favouritism after all :p) at the weekend, this just happened to be shouting at me (it of course had nothing to do with the fact that it was on offer at only £1)

 

I’m not going to lie. I may be a little very partial to the sweet chilli sauce produced by Blue Dragon so of course I wasn’t going to have any issue with trying this. After all, in my mind it was just a Pot Noodle produced by someone else, right?

Well, on opening you’re presented with 3 little packages:

From left to right we have dried vegetables, the flavouring and of course the noodles. Now it all very simple to make. Open the dried veg and flavourings and pour into the pot you’ve just taken them out of then add the noodles. Fill to the line shown on the packaging (apparently it’s about 200ml), pop lid back on for approx. 2.5 mins, stir separating the noodles, pop the lid back on and wait another 2.5 mins and then,  voila! Ready to eat.

Taste wise they were alright. It was just a nice balance that I think anyone would appreciate. And the portion size was just right too despite what you might think on initially opening the package. My only concern was that they did seem a little watery so probably the next time I’d fill it just below the line. Think getting the water level right, for me, is going to be like adding water to the tomato soup paste by heinz…but that’s another story. Might see what other flavours are available and give them a go.

Taste Testing: BirdsEye Lightly dusted Cod Fillets – Lemon & Black Pepper

Battered fish. Fish in batter. However you want to describe it, it seems that the UK may be having a little love affair with fish in it's various forms. But now it seems that there's a call for lighter options. And it's here that we find BirdsEye latest offering: Lightly Dusted Cod Fillets. They are currently available in three flavours: Lemon & black pepper, rosemary & sea salt and garlic & herb. If you haven't guessed by the title, this review focuses on the lemon & black pepper version.

Packaging

The fillets have more of a thin batter & lovely flaky cod. The fillet itself isn't too thick or too thin. Birdseye have found just the right fillet size for this 'lighter' option. The flavourings of lemon & black pepper complements the fish beautifully and aren't too overpowering.
Looking at this from a personal point of view, while enjoying it and it's lightness (I'm not a great fish lover to start with ), it's not something that I could have week in, week out. I think that it's more of a once in a while meal when you're wanting something a little different from the norm and definitely something for the warm summer months. Wonder if we could get a plain version of this for a try….

Fish with salad & mango. Yum!

In the kitchen: Making dog biscuits

I love baking! I find it particularly good for taking frustrations out as I beat the life out of the ingredients and of course there is the scent of the freshly made baking filling the house too…and usually, I do have the nanny aka, the dog, watching my every move. So, when a recipe for dog biscuits appeared in a recent mailing from Pets At Home’s VIP club, I couldn’t say no to making a homemade treat for the dog, could I?

 

I’m not going to lie. I hate the smell of peanut butter! And what was the main ingredient of the biscuits? Peanut butter! Not going to lie that the biscuits were quick and easy to make and didn’t take too long to bake either.

And the verdict? Well, we did have a wee nibble given that they did smell alright but the taste…it was bland! At least to us. To the dog, Meg…she absolutely loved them! As soon as she got one, she was gone in a trail of dust. Well that’s what it was like anyway. It’s probably something I’d consider making for her once in a while as a special treat. She’ll just have to make do with the usual inbetween.

Slowly cooking – Coca-Cola Barbeque Ribs

Over a year ago, we bought a slow cooker.Three words: BEST.BUY.EVER! I love the idea of being able to throw items into a pot and just cook it over several hours. One issue that I have found is that looking for recipes online under slow cooker can be difficult. But look under crockpot and you’re laughing.

I’ve got pulled barbeque chicken well a truly down to an art. I’ve tried making honey chicken wings (not so keen on) and lemon chicken (again, not keen on). We’ve even tried making a casserole in it (the results were not great for a first attempt!). The latest attempt was making coca-cola ribs!

Wish this was smellavision

I originally tried similar ribs in Clydebuilt, the restaurant within the SECC in Glasgow last year and thought I’d have a look for a recipe to try at home. The one I tried was found on TheFrugalGirls.com. This first time I’ve made them (the last time they were made for me) I’ve tweaked it slight by adding more cola as it didn’t seem to be enough. But they’re absolutely gorgeous and just drop off the bone (that makes it for fun trying to get them OUT the slow cooker).

Maybe next time I might even have a bash at making my own barbeque sauce…anyone got a recommended recipe?

Bon Appitite!

Quick & Simple: Sweet & Sour Battered Chicken By Blue Dragon

There’s always something that catches you eye when you’re out shopping that you think, ‘Hmmm, fancy that’. And that was the case with Blue Dragon Sweet & Sour Battered Chicken. This wasn’t the first time I’ve tried something similar. They also do a crispy chilli beef version that, when we tried it, went horribly wrong (though we now know why!)
So what do you get: the batter mixture & a sauce.

The batter is easy enough to make. Simply add water measured in the cap and mix until the consistency of double cream. The mixture is meant for 225g of chicken but we managed to cover 400g (just!) You’re suppose to cook the chicken in a pan but instead I used the deep fat fryer and it seemed to work. Cooked the chicken for a couple of minute before removing and drying the excess oil off.
The sauce is simply heated and served either separately or drizzled over the chicken. We served our with rice.
It’s the first time that they finished product actually looked like the the image on the front of the label

It’s relatively quick & simple to make with minimum effort and perfect is you want to try something a little different. Having had success with this one, I think we’ll be having another bash with the crispy chilli beef one!