PRiMA Toast

The market I went to last weekend sold primarily Filipino goods and most featured English labels. It made choosing easier, but slightly less interesting.

These toasty bits are sugared and definitely not for mopping up vegetable soup. I took these to work and enjoy them with tea. Low in calories and high in crunch, it is a perfect snack for a midday sweet-tooth attack.

Hopia Baboy

These winter melon cakes are delicious, and would not be found in Little Debbie's pantry. Four of these four-bite cakes come in a package. They are dense and moist with a slightly sweet aftertaste. Of the cakes and cookies I've tried so far, these are my favorite.

I visited a Filipino market today. Props to: Tindahang Pinoy Variety on 49th St N in Pinellas Park. The store is small, but packed with items to try. I received excellent service, along with suggestions for next time, and will definitely go back.

Vegetarian Mushroom Flavored Sauce

I found this in the Sauces/Flavors aisle. The mushroom adds an earthy flavor that I usually prefer instead of sweet teriyaki or spicy panang. For an easy meal, I stir-fried snow peas, broccoli, and water chestnuts in this sauce and served the vegetables over brown rice. It was missing something. Next time I might add tofu cubes or seitan to add some heft and give the sauce something to stick to. This bottle will last a while, and I don't know if I'll buy another when it's empty.

Roasted Young Coconut Juice

Odd picture. I held the bottle up to the light so you can get a better idea of what's going on inside. This drink tempts you to "TASTE NIRVANA" with floating strips of coconut meat. Imagine prying the cap off of your old lava lamp and drinking/chewing the contents. The taste wasn't what I expected; it's not tooth-rottingly sweet. Two sips was all I needed to be bored.

Strategy for use: Put the lime with the coconut and mix it all up with plenty of rum.

French Mushroom Soup

So the packaging was a little midleading... There are mushrooms in the foil packets, but they certainly don't come out looking like that. Also, I was expecting the food to be yellowish, otherwise I wouldn't have chosen a white bowl to showcase thin white soup. If I didn't know what this stuff was, it might look like soggy cereal in dirty milk. Despite the visual disappointment, this stuff isn't bad. It smells good, even if it does taste a little bland.

Go for a mug - you definitely won't need a spoon. Except maybe to stir the boiling water into the pile of powder.

Braised Gluten (Seitan Tidbits)

When I first looked into the can, I was reminded of the one time I gave my cat wet food. Appearances and first sniffs are deceiving. There are no directions or serving suggestions, and I'm too something to Google a recipe, so I relied on the mad skillz I've acquired via Top Chef. I squeezed the liquid out of the tidbits and used a paper towel to dry them off. I tossed them in cornstarch and then into a hot pan with sesame oil. They were sizzling over medium heat for a few minutes before I noticed that they appeared to be beating like tiny hearts. That was nauseating. After the tidbits were evenly crunchy, I added a splash of teriyaki and sprinkled some sesame seeds in the pan to get a nice glaze. Padma and Tom would be proud.

Blueberry Cake

The only two English words on the packaging are "blueberry cake" and that's precisely what in contained therein. These are three-bite bits reminiscent of Fig Newtons, but not as moist. I dipped them in tea to cut some of the sweetness and deal with the dryness. They're a sweet treat to finish a meal, or something small to keep in your desk at work.

Fresh Noodle Udon

Noodles aren't very exciting, but the cooking can be.

picture of boiling water + non-English + recognizable numerals 2-3

picture of sizzling pan + more non-English + those same numbers 2-3

After I boiled the udon, I threw them in a hot pan with a little sesame oil until lightly coated, then added some Vegetarian Mushroom Flavored Sauce. On the plate, the noodles looked like worms or really thick spaghetti. Udon make a great side dish and I'll probably always keep a few packages on hand.

Rice Crackers - Coconut Milk Flavor

Why a scarecrow on the label? I don't care. These things are fabulous. They come two to a pack, which is just enough to satisfy a sweet tooth, though according to the package (written partially in English), one serving is four packs. More food for the feasting!

They crumbled to bits in the bottom of a backpack, but were neatly contained in their plastic package.

Mixed Congee

This brand of mixed congee contains glutinous rice, longons (fruit), oatmeal, beans, peanuts, and barley. The label instructs "COLD OR HOT SERVE ALL DELICIOUS," but the chunky, viscous food bits looked pretty terrible straight out of the can. I mixed it with a little water and heated it, drained off most of the liquid, and ended up with something like porridge mixed with fruit. And beans.

I closed my eyes, envisioned Goldilocks feasting at the panda bears' table with her chopsticks, and dug in. Mixed congee turned out to be quite delightful. It's a little sweet and very hearty. This could be a good alternative for people who enjoy warm breakfast cereals. The little foldy spoon that was included in the lid made an excellent cat toy.