Every now and then, a housedad needs a break from cooking. And so this week, Ive decided to take a break from my cooking duties and let my wife take the reins.
However, shes a busy working woman, with little time to throw a meal together from scratch, but fear ye not, dear reader, we wont starve for I have drafted the help of Hello Fresh, an ingredients delivery company that sends you everything you need for inspiring meals to cook at home in super-quick time.
Heres what they do, in their own words:
1. We create amazing recipes. Every week our chefs create amazing recipes for you that are easy to prepare. Our meals are interesting yet simple. And we ensure that your diet is balanced and varied.
2. We go shopping for you. Sit back and relax while we do all the work. We source only the highest-quality and freshest produce. Well also introduce you to ingredients that you wont find in your local supermarket.
3. We deliver to you for free. We deliver your recipes and ingredients to your door every week on Tuesday or Thursday. Its happiness in a box.
4. You cook amazing meals in your own home. We take easy cooking to a new level. Recipes typically take only 30 minutes or less and dont require fancy equipment. Anyone can cook with Hello Fresh. Our mission is to get more people to cook and our beautiful step-by-step photo instructions will change the way you think about cooking!
Back to me: It all sounds good and ideal for busy people. And so, we took delivery of Hello Freshs Classic Box containing ingredients for three meals: Sri Lankan Mahi Mahi Coconut Curry with Fine Green Beans; Sichuan Chicken with Orange Pepper and Roasted Peanuts; and Italian Polpetti Soup with Conchiglie.
The menus change weekly, so check out the Hello Fresh website for whats next on the menu.
In the meantime, Ill hand you over to my wife while I relax. Heres her Hello Fresh Sichuan Chicken with Orange Pepper and Roasted Peanuts.
What it says on the recipe card: Often called œThe Heavenly Country, the Sichuan province of China is down in the south west and theyre famed for their bold, spicy flavours. One of the key ingredients in their food is the famous Sichuan pepper. Its a spicy little number with an almost citrussy flavour that leaves a little tingle on your tongue as you eat it. Add it but by bit to the dish until youve got the flavour just right.
Serves 2; ready in 30 minutes
Ingredients
2 chicken breasts
150g brown rice
1 tsp Peppermongers Sichuan peppercorns
1 tbsp Kecap Manis soy sauce
2 tbsp dry roasted peanuts
1 orange pepper
3 spring onions
1 tbsp ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic
1 chicken stock pot
1. Boil a large pan of water for your rice. Once boiling, add the stock cube. Thoroughly rinse the rice under water for one minute. Boil the rice for 20-25 mins, until soft enough to eat, then drain and cover with a cloth.
2. Slice the chicken lengthways into long 1cm-wide strips. Now cut the strips widthways to make 1cm cubes. Peel and finely dice the garlic and chop the pepper into roughly 2cm cubes. Finely slice the spring onion and separate the white and green parts.
3. Crush the peppercorns to a rough powder using a pestle and mortar.
4. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a non-stick frying pan on a high heat. One almost smoking, carefully add the chicken. Stir it around for a few mins.
5. Once the chicken pieces have separated, add in the ginger and garlic. Add in the orange pepper. Add in the white of the spring onions and stir everything together. Add a pinch of the peppercorns.
6. After a few more mins, add in the Kecap Manis soy sauce. Add 2-3 tbsps or the water from the boiling rice to loosen up the sauce a bit.
7. After a couple of mins, taste the sauce and add more sichuan chicken if needed. Stir in the green parts of the spring onions together with the roasted peanuts.
8. Serve on your brown rice.
The Verdict: The time saved comes from not having to shop for the ingredients everythings there in the box, and in the correct quantities, which is ideal. The meal itself was very tasty, though take great care with the Sichuan peppercorns they really arent for the faint-hearted, and if you go overboard, the whole dish can be overwhelmed, leaving you with a mouth as numb as a visit to the dentist.
¢ Hello Fresh has three different types of boxes to choose from: Classic (including meat and fish) at 4.90 per meal, including transport; Veggie, at 4.75 per meal; and Family, at 4.00 per meal. You can choose three or five days worth of meals, and for two or four people.
¢ We have not been paid for this review, but were sent the Classic Box with three meals and for two people free of charge. It would have cost us 39.
¢ Fancy giving Hello Fresh a try? Get 10 off by going to the website and using this voucher code: HELLOKEITH
