Category: Groceries

Categories
Chinese Groceries

Ruyee Steamed Bun with Shepherd’s Purse and Egg 如意纸皮包子 荠菜鸡蛋味 – Grocery Review

These shepherd’s purse and egg buns came recommended by a reader, though I actually already had them in my freezer by the time the comment came through.

They are part of the ‘paper skin’ line, which is an accurate description given the superb filling to skin ratio as seen on the cross-sectional image provided. The skin, despite its thinness, was extremely strong, bouncy, and held up well to steaming.

My wife and I were less impressed by the filling, however, and felt that the taste was a bit bland. This was easily corrected with a bit of chilli crisp and vinegar, but having to add flavour to a prepackaged frozen bun isn’t exactly my dream.

I wouldn’t get these again, but I do like some of Ruyee’s other offerings.

Ruyee Steamed Bun with Shepherd’s Purse and Egg 如意纸皮包子 荠菜鸡蛋味
EAN 9309000476008

Categories
Chinese Groceries

Xianjiuji Sichuan Braised Pork with Pickles 香九记四川扣肉 – Grocery Review

I picked this up from the freezer aisle of a local Asian grocery store. The picture on the label promised juicy, fatty, braised pork with pickles. I expected the pickles to not be a major ingredient, firstly because they were left out of the picture, but also because of the text that said “meat only goodness”.

The pickles were, in fact, a major component. The bowl, heated up via a combination effort of steaming and microwaving, was probably 50/50 pork and mustard greens.

The flavour of the food was quite strong and salty, though we ate it by itself rather than accompanied by rice, which I assume is how it was designed. The mustard greens and sichuan pepper contributed the majority of the flavour, in addition to an enthusiastic quantity of soy sauce.

The pork was a combination of fatty pork belly as well as pieces of lean meat. The pork belly bits were delicious, fatty, and delivered the characteristic melt-in-your-mouth quality despite having been frozen and reheated two ways. The lean bits of pork were in my opinion too lean to be enjoyable.

Overall thoughts: Promising, but way too salty for me to buy again to eat without rice.

Xianjiuji Sichuan Braised Pork with Pickles 香九记四川扣肉
EAN 9301168240064

Categories
Snacks

Bestore Braised Pork Jerky  良品铺子 醇香老卤肉干 – Grocery Review

I’m posting this outside of the usual posting order because I have nothing particularly meaningful to say about this pork jerky.

I remember eating it, and I remember thinking that I wouldn’t want to eat it again. I’m simply posting to remind future me of this.

Why does my local Asian grocery store not stock Kirbat?

Bestore Braised Pork Jerky  良品铺子 醇香老卤肉干
EAN 6936001307821

Categories
Chinese Groceries

Synear Pork & Crab Meat Soup Dumpling 思念 冷凍鮮美蟹肉小籠包 – Grocery Review

I went a little off script and bought us xiao long bao from a brand that isn’t the one that we have for years established that my wife loves. These are the pork & crab meat soup dumpling 冷凍鮮美蟹肉小籠包 from Synear 思念, which was obviously always going to be a problem because it’s rare for her to have a seafood and enjoy it.

The instructions on the box were clearly written in English. I scalded my right forearm as I was placing them into the steamer and had to run my arm under water for 15 minutes – the perfect time to cook these XLBs and then let them cool a little before eating.

I did not have any particular adverse feelings about these xiao long bao, though my wife had one and immediately did not want to have any more. They didn’t taste extremely crabby to me, though I did think there was some particulate matter inside them, kind of in the texture of a thin prawn shell (though it must have been something else, as this is not in the ingredients list).

Would I buy again? As a single man, maybe. But as a husband of a woman who hates them, no.

Synear Pork & Crab Meat Soup Dumpling (思念 冷凍鮮美蟹肉小籠包)

UPC 9309002168093

Categories
Chinese Groceries

Xibei Crispy Spiced Pork Roujiamo 西贝 放心早餐 酥皮腊汁肉夹馍 – Grocery Review

Whilst Xibei (西贝餐饮), one of China’s largest restaurant chains is embroiled in a nationwide scandal involving the overreliance of pre-packaged, frozen, and parcooked ingredients in their restaurants, I have no problem enjoying their deeply and obviously and intentionally pre-prepared roujiamo.

I found this microwave, airfry, and eat roujiamou at a local Chinese grocery store a couple of months ago, before all the controversy. It is made by Xibei’s 西贝 放心早餐 divison, focused on heat-and-eat breakfast foods. This particular roujiamo (酥皮腊汁肉夹馍), purchased for around $6, was really good.

The filling is advertised as having greater than 50% meat by mass, and encompassing a mixture of 30% fatty and 70% lean meat. Both these claims appear likely to be true, as I found the filling to be both meaty and tasty, with the other 50% made up of spices, capsicum, chillies, and other vegetables.

The mixture of the fatty and lean pork was excellent, producing a melt-in-your-mouth texture whilst retaining a degree of bite and chewiness.

The pastry, cooked in the prescribed method of microwave then airfry, was thin, crispy, and not at all too bready – more than can be said for some of the lesser restaurant roujiamos I’ve had and reviewed on this blog.

I honestly think this $6 roujiamo is superior to a good number of restaurant alternatives, and would not be that offended if it were served in one.

Sadly on a subsequent return to the grocery store this was nowhere to be found.

Until we meet again.

Xibei Spiced Pork Crispy Roujiamo (西贝 放心早餐 酥皮腊汁肉夹馍)

UPC: 6978181690362