May 2019 Staff Testing!

Rhys' Kolhapuri Chicken Night

Indian Restaurant Favourites Subscription

I got to test the Kolhapuri Curry with Lemon Rice easy kit. I love curry and wanted to learn how to cook. My brother showed me how to chop the chicken and onion before coating the chicken in yogurt and spices.

The curry smelt really nice as I cooked it, I smashed up the chillies because I love spicy food. The recipe was easy, and the taste was fantastic: 10/10.

I wanted to eat all of it but had to share some with my family.

Jess' Date Night in Valencia

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Taking us back to our first holiday together, the Date Night in Valencia was a winner!

I prepped most of the meal early on, alongside the granita so when it came to cooking, all that needed doing was adding the rice and saffron infused water to the paella base and waiting making this ideal for anyone wanting a special meal but has slight time restrictions.

The starter was gazpacho, which usually I would avoid after some fairly horrible cartoned versions from Spanish supermarkets. This one was fresh and mild however and perfect for al fresco dining on a warm evening.

Next was the main event - Paella with Allioli. As a pescetarian I avoided the chicken thighs but I don't think it deterred from the flavoursome and delicious meal. The allioli was a bit overwhelming in the hours afterwards but definitely worth the several teeth brushes! Maybe not the best choice for a 1st date but certainly no problem for a 200th!

The dessert was grilled, caramelised orange slices with a bitter orange granita and creme fraiche. This was one of those moments when you make something, realise how easy it is and then continue to make it daily! The oranges I bought were a bit insipid so I would recommend spending a bit more and getting the best oranges you can get your hands on but the granita was strong and sweet and a really refreshing end to a hearty paella main.

Robyn's K-Mex Quesadillas

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I was lucky enough to nab the K-Mex Quesadilla Food Truck recipe for staff testing this month (Food Truck recipes are the most popular amongst everyone here at Spicery HQ!). This recipe took me back to when i visited LA and was tasked with investigating the rise of K-MEX *a mash up of Korean and Mexican flavours).

Without doubt this recipe was the easiest spice box recipe i've EVER tested at home (mainly due to the fact nothing is deep fried!). The kimchi was a revelation, especially as it was so quick to do. The Korean beef quesadillas were the trickiest part of the meal, only due to the fact i had to do one at a time. Everything was served on time and my guests even went home with the recipe for the smoky chipotle Sriracha sauce! Superb 5/5

Alice's Sichuan Potstickers with Mapo Tofu

World Kitchen Explorer Subscription

After a mammoth ramen making session on Saturday I decided to hand the making of this month's staff testing over to my husband. Pleasingly he tackled all the veg prep and made the dough for the dumplings in about 20 mins and even had time for a quick clean up before the final cooking. I lent a hand with the dumpling folding but the beauty of these is even if you don't roll the dough into a perfect circle as long as they seal they'll be fine.

Sichuan food is some of our favourite to cook at home and this meal certainly didn't disappoint. Even if you don't like tofu I'd suggest you give this a try as we had a tofu hater for dinner and she ate every last scrap!

Maisie's Chermoula Baguettes

Food Truck Subscription

It's said a lot on these blogs, but the Food Truck subscription is definitely the staff favourite for home testing!

I was eager to test these Chermoula Chicken Baguettes after trying them from the Spicery Kitchen - especially the Ras El Hanout butter which blew my mind!

Being a vegetarian house, I used aubergine instead of chicken, which is absolutely delicious and charred up really nicely under the grill (If it had been slightly warmer I definitely would have used the BBQ to do this).

We invited some friends who are always keen to join in when we're testing these recipes, and sat out in the sun. The highlights of this EPIC sandwich were definitely the garlic lemon mayonnaise, the herby carrot salad and of course the ras el hanout butter did not disappoint!