REVIEW: Trader Joe's Tom Yam Soup

This is a new product in the frozen section.
It's not only Thai style, but also made in Thailand.
It costs $2.29. It features spinach mushroom wontons
in a spicy broth.

The only positive thing I can say about this soup
is that it has the flavors I would associate with
authentic Thai cooking, which is not hard to do
when you're in Thailand. There's recognizable notes
of coconut milk, Thai chili, lemon grass, etc.
The spices are in a separate packet, so you are
free to add as little or as much as you want,
for example if you don't want chili.

On the minus side, you don't get much for your money.
It would only fill a soup bowl if you have very small
soup bowls. And yet, it's got 1000 mg salt. That's
a lot of salt for such a small portion. Also, the
wontons have very little flavor or texture.

I can't imagine ever buying this again, and I recommend
you don't. At $2.29, it's a poor value, even if it
were good, which it isn't.
 
Andy wrote:

Hardly unique. Don't you remember my review
of the aptly-named Trader Joe's Aracini Bites?
Awful, awful stuff. I actually saw someone
pick up a box of those at Trader Joe's, and
I talked her out of buying it.
 
Andy wrote:

Or for that matter, Trader Joe's canned clams.
Those were merely mediocre and not much different
from anyone else's water-packed canned clams.
I suppose I only have myself to blame for being
suckered in by the prose on the label. Whoever
wrote that must have kissed the Blarney stone.

Though Sqwertz then claimed that good canned
clams do exist. These ones.

http://www.sea-world.com/midatlantic/mafi_chesaclassics.html

He was referring to the cocktail clams, steamer size.
 
On Sun, 13 Mar 2011 16:58:42 -0800, Mark Thorson
wrote:


I think people's tastes change over time, Mark. I remember when I
loved them and ordered them a lot. Then I ordered one and it just
wasn't the same to me. I didn't order them for years and retried it
on a combination plate - still didn't appeal. It's fried and that's
probably why I don't like it anymore.


--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.
 
Andy wrote:

And then there was that so-called chili relleno.
I felt so cheated on that one. I haven't had
a real chili relleno in years. If I could pick up
a frozen one at Trader Joe's, that would be so cool!
No such luck. That thing was unsuccessful chili
relleno components drowning in a cheap tomato sauce.
 
sf wrote:




Not only are they fried; they are fried, refrigerated, then reheaten
in a microwave. Only at really high-end Mexican restaurants are
they freshly deep-fried anymore. Chili rellenos are a pale shadow
of their former self.



S.
 
On Mon, 14 Mar 2011 01:28:37 +0000 (UTC), [email protected]
(Steve Pope) wrote:

Maybe so, but I thought I remembered it being the kind of place that
has a tiny kitchen out in the open where you can see them cooking.
Just a hole in the wall in the Mission.

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.
 
On Sun, 13 Mar 2011 16:58:42 -0800, Mark Thorson
wrote:


Hi Mark, chili relleno can be such a wide variety of fillings and
cheeses and even different peppers, that you can make one that is
custom made to your preferences.

The preparation is pretty straight forward, and I'd be glad to help
you learn how if you like.

What cheeses would you like as filling and topping for yours?

I've put so many things in mine that I think you may be surprised. One
of my favorites is using dressing like you would stuff a bird with. A
mild cheese topping with some sliced jalapeno over it and its really
good!

Let me know if you would like me to post the A-Z preparation for them
and I'll do so.
 
sf wrote:
I am coming to the sad conclusion that one reason why my old
recipes are not as divine as they used to be is because my sense
of taste is changing.

Perhaps relatedly, about a month ago I had a really odd
experience. My daughter and I were at a restaurant, and
everything seemed to be really bland. I gather that was ME and
not the food. Some time later, I asked my daughter about a recipe
I had cooked, which seemed atypically bland. It had suddenly
occurred to me that THAT might have been ME too. I gather it was.
:-(

--
Jean B.
 
you don't get much for your money.
It would only fill a soup bowl if you have very small
soup bowls. And yet, it's got 1000 mg salt. That's
a lot of salt for such a small portion. Also, the
wontons have very little flavor or texture.I suppose I only have myself
to blame for being
suckered in by the prose on the label. Whoever
wrote that must have kissed the Blarney stone.




--
afaqanjum28
 
On Mon, 14 Mar 2011 07:56:15 -0700 (PDT), Nan
wrote:


Hi Nan, you can cut down on the time it takes to make them by roasting
a large amount of them at once and then freezing the peeled peppers.

I peel mine and then wrap them in cling wrap with no bubbles and as
many as I would cook at once in a freezer baggie.

When you want them, just separate the individual peppers and lay them
out on a counter for an hour or so. When they've defrosted, you'll be
able to open them and add whatever ingredients you wish, coat them in
an egg white batter and fry them as usual.
 
Nan wrote:

Oh wait! You are reminding me of some slop that called itself a
chile relleno. I am not sure which Massachusetts town it was in.

--
Jean B.
 
Steve Pope wrote:

In regions with a large Hispanic population,
there are usually lots of hole-in-the-wall
places that make them fresh. Those are the
ones that are packed with Mexicans at lunchtime.
Mexico City in San Jose, for example. If you
eat beef, the carne asada taco is a good choice.
For me, it'll be the taco al pastor.

That's the last place I ate a real chili relleno.
I'll have to go back there some time. I hope
they're still open. Small family-run restaurants
have the annoying habit of disappearing when you
turn your back.
 
Landon wrote:

I only rarely do deep frying any more.
I'd rather buy something already fried,
even if it's frozen. I think one problem
with the TJ's chili relleno was it was
frozen embedded in sauce. That guaranteed
it would be soggy when thawed. If the
relleno and sauce were heated separately,
it might have had a chance to be something
good.
 
Mark Thorson wrote:





Yes, at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant you might find a real chile
relleno. Alternatively, you might find one at a Rick Bayless
restaurant. Just not anywhere inbetween.

Steve
 
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