That Food Guy
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
Seafood Paella from a Kit
Examining my new treasure, I found a box with the paella
makings nestled in an informational cardboard collar inside a 12-inch paella
pan; all of that secure in transparent shrink wrap. The box contained a bag of
rice, an envelope of dried paella stock and a small vial of olive oil. There is
a picture of a “suggested serving” on the printed materials but the shrimp,
clams and mussels are not included. The kit will make a pan of seafood flavored
paella rice. This was not unlike Pattie Sue’s Vigo paella. Where possible I
would make the rice according to the directions to see what the product was
truly like. I would also have additional
food items to make my own suggested serving photo.
The free paella pan is enameled steel. It could be used over
a campfire, on a barbecue grill on a camping trip. It is suitable for a gas
range as well as an electric element or ceramic-top stove. A steel pan, it is
also usable on an induction cooking unit. It feels to be about 16-gage steel with
a nice enamel finish. With care it should last a long time.
My plan to cook the basic dish to
the instructions and later add my items had a flaw. I needed to cook the
chicken bits, garlic, onion, Bell pepper bits, peas and carrots in with the
rice. As it worked out, the dish was pretty much a batch of yellow rice with a
few colorful items floating in the middle. It was augmented but it would give a
taste of the original product. The garnishing and finishing touches, the Bell
pepper rings, snow pea pods and the broccoli florets I would steam and add
later. The chicken tenderloins I grilled with the lemon lime chicken breasts.
The basic directions for making
the paella from the kit is to sauté
the rice in the provided olive oil, add the flavoring packet and the prescribed
water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer over medium high heat until the
liquid is absorbed. What I did was to sauté
the chicken, add the vegetables and cook for a few more minutes. I then added
the rice and cooked until it started to brown. Instead of water, I added an
equal amount of chicken broth. I brought that to a boil and then reduced the
heat to a slow simmer and cooked until all the liquid was absorbed, about 20
minutes. As a side note, in reading the ingredients list it was noted that
saffron was very near the bottom of the list; not too much there. I did add a
bit of my own saffron.
I took a sample for taste test.
The rice was cooked through, tender and there was a slight crust underneath. It
had a distinct seafood flavor but no particular sea food stood out as
predominate. It tasted very much as other seafood paellas I have tasted; good but not exceptional. I then smoothed out the surface and added my presentation
items. It was a colorful and attractive dish, very tasty and enjoyable for
dinner that night. The pairing with lemon-line and white pepper chicken was a
good one. The wife and I fully enjoyed the
paella prepared in our new pan.
Come the next day it was time for
some left overs for lunch. It was then I noticed I had apparently overlooked
the night before. For convenience I had used chicken as the meat in the dish
that was seasoned with a seafood mixture. Although it was unnoticed the night
before when it was fresh, it was very apparent when reheated that there was a
mismatch of flavors with the seafood portion winning out by a big margin.
Carmencita Paella Kit
Seafood Flavored Paella from a Kit
I surely did not need a paella pan. I have enough kitchen
gadgets as it is. The wife agrees with me on that issue too! In fact, I already
make a very tasty chicken paella in a cast-iron skillet. You can see that
recipe at:
It is a very tasty paella and I can vouch for that. That was
how it was and would have stayed until that fateful day I was walking the aisles
of the local Kroger’s supermarket. One of the end-of-aisle displays caught my
eye. There was a display by a Spanish company, Carmencita, makers of a
“kit” for making paella. Them kit is a small box of rice, a cute vial of olive
oil, and an envelope with dehydrated seasonings to make a seafood and saffron
flavored paella rice. As an introductory offer it was paired with a traditional
paella pan. On sale, the seafood paella kit and the paella pan cost what the
paella kit would cost all by its self-in other words the paella pan was free.
In a flash, I decided I needed a paella pan after all.
Later at home, reading the instructions on the kit box, it
put me in mind of a product evaluation my sister, Pattie Sue, did awhile back
for a Vigo Paella Valenciana kit. It too was an all-inclusive kit in
a box containing an envelope of rice, a seasoning packet and a small can of
bits and pieces of things that swim, float of crawl in the sea. Although it had
some pieces of sea food in it, the Vigo version was pretty much a pan of
seasoned rice with the yellow color of saffron and turmeric. Her finished dish
did look a bit barren so she added the finishing touches herself. You can see
her blog and serving solution here:
Examining my new treasure, I found a box with the paella
makings nestled in an informational cardboard collar inside a 12-inch paella
pan; all of that secure in transparent shrink wrap. The box contained a bag of
rice, an envelope of dried paella stock and a small vial of olive oil. There is
a picture of a “suggested serving” on the printed materials but the shrimp,
clams and mussels are not included. The kit will make a pan of seafood flavored
paella rice. This was not unlike Pattie Sue’s Vigo paella. Where possible I
would make the rice according to the directions to see what the product was
truly like. I would also have additional
food items to make my own suggested serving photo.
The free paella pan is enameled steel. It could be used over
a campfire, on a barbecue grill on a camping trip. It is suitable for a gas
range as well as an electric element or ceramic-top stove. A steel pan, it is
also usable on an induction cooking unit. It feels to be about 16-gage steel with
a nice enamel finish. With care it should last a long time.
Traditional paella is an all-encompassing term; it is more of a cooking style.
Coastal regions will frequently be seafood paellas
with the local catch determining the ingredients. Inland, chicken and other
meats may be found as well as vegetarian versions. There is a variety of paella for just about everyone.
As much as possible… according to
package directions… Traditional paella is finished over a high heat and that
makes the socarrat, the caramelized layer
on the bottom of the pan that adds so much to the flavor of the dish. The socarrat has also become a benchmark of
traditional paella perfection. If I am making a batch for lovers of traditional
paella, I finish over high heat and usually get a semblance of the socarrat. Americans, mostly on the other
hand (and that includes me), like fluffy rice and often view the socarrat as the burned bottom. When cooking
for them I finish the dish over low heat and make fluffy rice.
My plan to cook the basic dish to
the instructions and later add my items had a flaw. I needed to cook the
chicken bits, garlic, onion, Bell pepper bits, peas and carrots in with the
rice. As it worked out, the dish was pretty much a batch of yellow rice with a
few colorful items floating in the middle. It was augmented but it would give a
taste of the original product. The garnishing and finishing touches, the Bell
pepper rings, snow pea pods and the broccoli florets I would steam and add
later. The chicken tenderloins I grilled with the lemon lime chicken breasts.
The basic directions for making
the paella from the kit is to sauté
the rice in the provided olive oil, add the flavoring packet and the prescribed
water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer over medium high heat until the
liquid is absorbed. What I did was to sauté
the chicken, add the vegetables and cook for a few more minutes. I then added
the rice and cooked until it started to brown. Instead of water, I added an
equal amount of chicken broth. I brought that to a boil and then reduced the
heat to a slow simmer and cooked until all the liquid was absorbed, about 20
minutes. As a side note, in reading the ingredients list it was noted that
saffron was very near the bottom of the list; not too much there. I did add a
bit of my own saffron.
I took a sample for taste test.
The rice was cooked through, tender and there was a slight crust underneath. It
had a distinct seafood flavor but no particular sea food stood out as
predominate. It tasted very much as other seafood paellas I have tasted; good but not exceptional. I then smoothed out the surface and added my presentation
items. It was a colorful and attractive dish, very tasty and enjoyable for
dinner that night. The pairing with lemon-line and white pepper chicken was a
good one. The wife and I fully enjoyed the
paella prepared in our new pan.
Come the next day it was time for
some left overs for lunch. It was then I noticed I had apparently overlooked
the night before. For convenience I had used chicken as the meat in the dish
that was seasoned with a seafood mixture. Although it was unnoticed the night
before when it was fresh, it was very apparent when reheated that there was a
mismatch of flavors with the seafood portion winning out by a big margin.
I tasted a bit of the paella without any added food items and
pondered what I had. Here is what I concluded… When freshly made it has good
flavor, has lots seafood overtones, and it cooks up nicely and a socarrat crust easily obtained on a
stove top. With a bit of added garnish it can serve as a main dish. On the
second day things are a bit different. The seafood flavor seems to have
intensified and is a bit overpowering the seafood becomes just “fishy.” Without
things to pair the flavor to, clams, mussels, squid and the like, the fishy
taste of the rice becomes rapidly less appealing.
In conclusion, I love my new paella pan. I like chicken paella and will use it often. The Carmencita Paella Kit makes a nice rice
with seafood flavor and very handy if you require a paella in short order. As
prepared from the package it would be more suitable as a side dish rather than
a main dish. It would require additional items, shrimp, squid, clams and mussel
for example, to serve as a suitable main dish. Without any seafood in the dish to pair with the
taste from the seasoning when reheated the fishy rice can quickly become unpalatable.
Additional information about this kit and other Carmencita products, check out:
Labels: Bell pepper, Carmencita, chicken, garlic, kit, lemon line chicken, paella, paella pan, red onion, seafood, snow pea pods
¶ 2:17 PM 0 Comments
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Product Evaluation - Wanchai Ferry Cashew Chicken
Product Evaluation
Wanchai Ferry Cashew Chicken
A Chinese Dinner Kit in a box
Ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you that I like Chinese food. Anyone who has read my food critic blogs has probably noted a high percentage of Chinese food establishments critiqued. It was only a matter of time, apparently, before Wanchai Ferry would catch my attention. Actually, I have noted the television commercials for Wanchai Ferry Orange Chicken that have aired for quite some time. I already make a lemon lime chicken and an orange glazed chicken at home so there was no great interest in the orange chicken. While shopping the other day I came across this new offering from Wanchai Ferry, Cashew Chicken.
In reading the box I noted that it was a breaded chicken, coated with a spiced cornstarch mixture and served with a savory sauce. We frequently enjoy sweet and sour chicken, sesame chicken and kung pao chicken. The cashew chicken offering from Wanchai Ferry seemed to be similar but with one of our favorite nutmeats, cashews. I d
ropped a box in the shopping cart with the intent of trying it out soon. We are always looking for new items to stock the larder, both in the house and the RV.
On the box it says to add chicken. I put two skinless, boneless chicken breasts out to thaw. I opened the box to take inventory of the other ingredients. Half the weight of the box is the rice. The rice is cooked as white rice and serves as the serving bed for the chicken mixture. There is an envelope of spiced cornstarch to dredge the chicken pieces, a packet of cashew sauce concentrate, and a small bag of roasted cashews.
The directions on the back of the box are short, easy to follow. The rice takes the longest to cook and is started first. One and one-half cups of water and the rice are added to a 2-qurt sauce pan, heated to a boil, the heat reduced and the mixture simmered, covered, for 20 minutes. I did vary from the directions here. I used chicken broth instead of water and I added a bit of minced garlic and some dried ground ginger to give the rice some flavor.
The directions call for 1-inch pieces. Cut the chicken into the larger chunks and set aside. The directions offer two choices for coating the chicken. T
he classic cornstarch in a bowl and dredging, or the chicken pieces and the cornstarch mixture in a plastic bag and shake; I chose the plastic bag approach and I wisely followed the instructions to pat the chicken pieces dry with a paper towel. If the chicken is wet, the cornstarch and spice mixture will clump.
Heat a medium size frying pan and add oil. Carefully add the chicken pieces and fry, turning as needed until the chicken pieces are a nice golden brown, about 7 to 10 minutes. Add the cashew sauce mix and ½ cup of water. Heat to a bare boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens. The package directions call for about 2 minutes but I n
eeded about 5 minutes for the sauce to thicken nicely. Sprinkle in the cashews, stir to coat.
Serving suggestion is to make a bed of rice on a serving plate and ladle the chicken mixture over the top. You can also serve from the stove, ladling the chicken and sauce over a bowl of rice.
The Wanchai Cashew Chicken Dinner can comfortably be made in about 30 minutes. Made with two chicken breasts, the meal as served is sufficient for two and a snack for four. Paired with additional foods, such as fried rice and egg rolls, it can feed many more people.
Provided you have thawed chicken available, the Wanchai Ferry Cashew Chicken kit will make a tasty dinner for two in just a half hour. I certainly will keep a box in the pantry for that time I want something fairly quickly but don’t want to cook from scratch.
The chicken and sauce have good flavor. From the ingredients it looks like a bit of wine reduction, cashew butter, oyster sauce and hoisin sauce are the main flavor contributors. Although it is not listed n the ingredients, I think I taste a bit of sesame oil in the mix.
With the exception of the chicken broth in the rice, the rest of the directions were followed closely with good results except for a bit longer simmer to thicken the sauce. The box also makes several suggestions, “In place of chicken, try making with pork tenderloin or shrimp. You can also add 2 cups of cut-up vegetables, such as carrots, red or green Bell peppers, or snow peas…”
On the negative side, half of the weight of the kit is the rice and you are providing the chicken. That makes the cost per serving higher than you might expect. On the positive side it is a quick and easy meal to prepare. The completed dish looks good, has good flavor and compares very favorably with similar dishes from the store-front Chinese take-out shops.
How do think a home prepared meal compares with the serving suggestion on the box?
That Food Guy December 2010
Product Evaluation
Wanchai Ferry Cashew Chicken
A Chinese Dinner Kit in a box
Ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you that I like Chinese food. Anyone who has read my food critic blogs has probably noted a high percentage of Chinese food establishments critiqued. It was only a matter of time, apparently, before Wanchai Ferry would catch my attention. Actually, I have noted the television commercials for Wanchai Ferry Orange Chicken that have aired for quite some time. I already make a lemon lime chicken and an orange glazed chicken at home so there was no great interest in the orange chicken. While shopping the other day I came across this new offering from Wanchai Ferry, Cashew Chicken.
In reading the box I noted that it was a breaded chicken, coated with a spiced cornstarch mixture and served with a savory sauce. We frequently enjoy sweet and sour chicken, sesame chicken and kung pao chicken. The cashew chicken offering from Wanchai Ferry seemed to be similar but with one of our favorite nutmeats, cashews. I d
ropped a box in the shopping cart with the intent of trying it out soon. We are always looking for new items to stock the larder, both in the house and the RV.On the box it says to add chicken. I put two skinless, boneless chicken breasts out to thaw. I opened the box to take inventory of the other ingredients. Half the weight of the box is the rice. The rice is cooked as white rice and serves as the serving bed for the chicken mixture. There is an envelope of spiced cornstarch to dredge the chicken pieces, a packet of cashew sauce concentrate, and a small bag of roasted cashews.
The directions on the back of the box are short, easy to follow. The rice takes the longest to cook and is started first. One and one-half cups of water and the rice are added to a 2-qurt sauce pan, heated to a boil, the heat reduced and the mixture simmered, covered, for 20 minutes. I did vary from the directions here. I used chicken broth instead of water and I added a bit of minced garlic and some dried ground ginger to give the rice some flavor.The directions call for 1-inch pieces. Cut the chicken into the larger chunks and set aside. The directions offer two choices for coating the chicken. T
he classic cornstarch in a bowl and dredging, or the chicken pieces and the cornstarch mixture in a plastic bag and shake; I chose the plastic bag approach and I wisely followed the instructions to pat the chicken pieces dry with a paper towel. If the chicken is wet, the cornstarch and spice mixture will clump.Heat a medium size frying pan and add oil. Carefully add the chicken pieces and fry, turning as needed until the chicken pieces are a nice golden brown, about 7 to 10 minutes. Add the cashew sauce mix and ½ cup of water. Heat to a bare boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens. The package directions call for about 2 minutes but I n
eeded about 5 minutes for the sauce to thicken nicely. Sprinkle in the cashews, stir to coat.Serving suggestion is to make a bed of rice on a serving plate and ladle the chicken mixture over the top. You can also serve from the stove, ladling the chicken and sauce over a bowl of rice.
The Wanchai Cashew Chicken Dinner can comfortably be made in about 30 minutes. Made with two chicken breasts, the meal as served is sufficient for two and a snack for four. Paired with additional foods, such as fried rice and egg rolls, it can feed many more people.
Provided you have thawed chicken available, the Wanchai Ferry Cashew Chicken kit will make a tasty dinner for two in just a half hour. I certainly will keep a box in the pantry for that time I want something fairly quickly but don’t want to cook from scratch.
The chicken and sauce have good flavor. From the ingredients it looks like a bit of wine reduction, cashew butter, oyster sauce and hoisin sauce are the main flavor contributors. Although it is not listed n the ingredients, I think I taste a bit of sesame oil in the mix.
With the exception of the chicken broth in the rice, the rest of the directions were followed closely with good results except for a bit longer simmer to thicken the sauce. The box also makes several suggestions, “In place of chicken, try making with pork tenderloin or shrimp. You can also add 2 cups of cut-up vegetables, such as carrots, red or green Bell peppers, or snow peas…”
On the negative side, half of the weight of the kit is the rice and you are providing the chicken. That makes the cost per serving higher than you might expect. On the positive side it is a quick and easy meal to prepare. The completed dish looks good, has good flavor and compares very favorably with similar dishes from the store-front Chinese take-out shops.
How do think a home prepared meal compares with the serving suggestion on the box?
That Food Guy December 2010
Labels: cashew, chicken, Chinese, dinner, evaluation, ferry, kit, wanchai
¶ 4:05 PM 0 Comments
