Emerald Scallops Review

Another CNY favorite, scallops. You can pop this into soups or if you're feeling laborious enough, you can melt some duck fat or butter and sear this in a pan. Clean up's a bitch though.

Emerald Scallops

Very simple packaging. Very nice white too. 

10/20 is the size and these are quite big. They're around the size of those old large 50cent coins.

Taste Review

Taste - 8/10

It's a decent scallop. The colour's is good and when done well, as in slightly undercooked, it's nice and buttery with a nice whiff of the sea. 

Texture - 8/10
Pretty good texture. Nice oily feel and firm to touch after thawing.

Cost - 5/10

I got it on offer at NTUC at $28.80 for 1Kg. It's a pretty good price for scallops of this size.  

Tasting Notes

The best way to cook these big boys is... to sear them on a hot pan. But clean up... oh the clean up... The alternative is to batter them up and deep fry them which I have not tried because I've not mastered the deep fry yet.

TLDR version
Luxurious scallops at a decent price when on offer. The key is in the prep.

CP Shrimp Wonton Whole Shrimp Review

I have never actually tried this but have heard so much about it. Its finally on a super good offer so I grabbed it.

CP Shrimp Wonton Whole Shrimp

Yes it's the CNY edition! The mega 40 pieces box set.

Looking good. Nice, whole unbroken wontons.

It still held together very well after a vigorous boil

Taste Review

Taste - 8/10

As frozen shrimp goes, this is actually pretty good! It's got a good texture that's kinda close to a harkow crunch but more importantly, not as artificial tasting.

Texture - 10/10
I tossed the whole lot of frozen wontons into boiling soup and all came out whole! The skins did not break too much nor did any filling slip and slide out of their skins. This is a masterpiece!

Cost - 8/10

The usual price is $5.20 for 12 pieces. That's $0.433 per wonton. Not exactly cheap but you really do get what you pay for - a whole shrimp wonton in your soup after cooking. Heh I got this pack of 40 pieces for $11.85. That's $0.296 per piece heh heh heh. 

Tasting Notes

The taste isn't like a fresh shrimp but I've tasted frozen and this is the best I've tasted so far. But then again my standards may be a little low. As long as the shrimp has a prawn like taste, I'm happy.

TLDR version
This is premium stuff. No bluff!

Farmland Snow White Corn Review

Another quick fix meal that can also double up as an ingredient! As Alton Brown says, no unitaskers! Heh. I love Alton Brown. :D

*If you're a home cook with even a tinge of science geekiness to you and haven't discovered Alton Brown, go check out his Goodeats series neowwwww!

Farmland Snow White Corn

Atas packaging that promises a sweet sweet deal

If you don't like butter with your corn, you ain't human

Hmmmm not as white as I'd expect...

Taste Review

Taste - 7/10

Tbh I actually expected more out of Farmland's corn. The packaging just shouts SWEET goodness! But in the end the sweetness rating I'd say is about a 7/10. It's not as sweet as another brand of frozen corn which I've had and which has slipped my mind now. A bit disappointing actually. The corn isn't actually bad, it just didn't live up to my hyped up expectations. 

Texture - 7/10
Decent corn texture cos well, it's corn! Corny a not? hur hur hur. Some corns kinda pop in the mouth while most are kinda ok. Good, just not wow.

Cost - 6/10

I got it on offer at NTUC at... I think $2.85 for 400g. Pretty decent price. It can't beat the NTUC housebrand of course but that one... you don't even a smidgen of sweetness. You can find the Fairprice Corn Kernels review here. 

Tasting Notes

Nothing much to add to the above. It's got good taste, texture and sweetness. Its decent, just not super. Like all things white, it promises a lot but delivers ok. (Geddit?! Hur hur hur)
Very handy to have in the kitchen since you can add it to all sorts of dishes like pastas, salads and corn fritters. But if you're looking to make a bowl of steamed corn with butter (Heaven!)... You've to look elsewhere.

TLDR version
Decent corn to keep in your freezer to accompany dishes but not as a main star on its own.

Fairprice Corn Kernel Review

Housebrands are almost always the cheapest amongst the brands and sometimes they are quite good. NTUC corn just isn't one of them.

Fairprice Corn Kernel

Wayyyy big pack 

Cheap too

Taste Review

Taste - 4/10

Bland and unimaginative. This is frozen corn at its most bearable. No sweetness, just the taste of corn.

Texture - 3/10
"Corn is a vegetable that provides fibre." Each bite just keeps pushing that message home as I munched on fibrous kernel after fibrous kernel. These are corn kernels alright. I could feel each kernel on my tongue as whole and ermmm... unpopped or squished. NTUC corn kernels are tough mofos and I mean tough.

Cost - 10/10

Nothing beats this housebrand. It's cheap-ass. $6.55 for 2 packs of frozen 1kg corn. 

Tasting Notes

You know how corn can be oh so nice, soft, fluffy and sweet? Not this one lol! It's the opposite of all of em! Treat yourself better and buy a better brand like this one.

TLDR version
Use this corn if you need to feed your enemies or if you hate yourself. Or use it as a filler. 

Tasty Bites Seafood Sticks Review

To hedge my bets, I actually bought this together with the Li Chuan seafood sticks.

Tasty Bites Seafood Sticks

Cheap looking but tasty indeed

Taste Review

Taste - 9/10

Similar to the Li Chuan brand but just a little bit fishier which is good.

Texture - 9/10
Firm texture that allows the seafood stick to flake off in layers just like the Li Chuan brand.

Cost - 10/10

Even cheaper! $1.65 at Sheng Siong!

Tasting Notes

Nothing much to add apart that it's decent.

TLDR version
Similar to Li Chuan except cheaper. You can find the Li Chuan review here. 

Li Chuan Seafood Sticks Review

Another common ingredient for instant noodles! Seafood sticks! And... so many different brands out there too!

Li Chuan Seafood Sticks

That little chef image! Cute!

Taste Review

Taste - 9/10

I like this one. The sticks have just the right fishy taste that's not overpowering.

Texture - 9/10
Firm texture that allows the seafood stick to flake off in layers. you can roll it out when cooked! Not too tough and not spongy at all! It's not as tender as the premium seafood sticks that try to mimic crab leg but hey, this is a non-premium item and I think they hit the texture spot on.

Cost - 10/10

Cheapppppp! $1.95 at Sheng Siong!

Tasting Notes

It cheap and it tastes good. It's a good safe choice for soups and noodles. However, if you're thinking of frying them into those super tasty heart attack inducing CNY treats, they apparently fall flat as Budgetpantry here has tried.

TLDR version
Cheap and good. Totally fits the theme of instant noodles. 

WK Muar Minced Fish Otak-Otak (Standard) Review

Who doesn't love Otah-Otah!
This here is the green one aka the cheapskate version. I normally steamed the whole block for a meal so it doesn't get the proper roasted Otah-Otah taste cos I no have the banana leaves (Where can you get them anyway?!).
I'm pretty sure the texture will improve if I had something to roast it in and roast it with, like an old fashion charcoal stove. But... It'd be quite a lot more work to smear the paste between the banana leaves, pin them in place with toothpicks and then roasting them over a fire which I'd have to watch. Meh too much trouble.... So I just steam it.

WK Muar Minced Fish Otak-Otak (Standard)

Green packaging = cheaper version

Taste Review

Taste - 8/10

Bear in mind I just steam the heck out of this all the time, the otah-otah comes out decent tasting with a good coconut-ish creaminess without being too fishy and it also has just the right tinge of chili burn. I like this one.

Texture - 7/10
Good firm meat that's not spongy or too tough even if I leave it steaming for too long. Good!

Cost - 10/10

It seems to be the cheapest option out there. Frequently on offer at about $7.80 for 3 x 180g blocks at NTUC.

Tasting Notes

It tastes good, hits the spot when I want Otah-Otah and its cheap. I love it! I may change my mind if I find a better one out there though heh. Oh I've also tried the more atas version aka the blue version which has chunks of fish added to the Otah-Otah. The review for the premium blur version can be found here.

TLDR version
Keep a block or two in the freezer for when you feel like Otah-Otah or need an additional dish at no hassle for a meal. This is a keeper!

WK Muar Fish Otak-Otak (Premium) Review

I've had the cheaper green version and now I'm having the more expensive blue version which has fish chunks in it. Preparation method is the same. I just steam it.

WK Muar Fish Otak-Otak (Premium)

Blue = atas

Taste Review

Taste - 8/10

Similar taste as the green version except there are chucks of fish which taste quite nice actually. The fish should be mackerel. The fish chunks have a good clean fishy taste without being too overpowering.

Texture - 7/10
Also similar to the green version. Fish chunks are nice and soft so that's a thumbs up. BUT! I've encountered fish bones in the fish chunks before and that's wayyy not cool. So don't feed this to your kids.

Cost - 10/10

A good price when on offer at about $6.65 for 2 x 180g blocks at NTUC if you covert those fish chunks. That's $3.325 per block, making it about $0.70 more expensive per block as compared to the cheaper green version.

Tasting Notes

It is indeed more atas than the green version which only has minced fish meat in it. The down side and the reason why I don't buy this anymore is that I've encountered fish bones in the fish chunks on more than one occasion. We don't normally expect to find bones in Otah-Otah so this is a huge minus point for me. I just stick to the cheaper green version. The review for the standard green version can be found here.

TLDR version
If you covert fish chunks in your Otah-Otah and be mindful of bones, then get this instead of the cheaper green version.

All Big Mini Chikuwa Review

Nothing is as lifesaving as instant noodles if you need to fix a meal in a jiffy. And unless you're some pathetic kid who has never cooked before, you will know that with just a few added ingredients, instant noodles can be elevated from cancer causing desperation food to amazeballs wtf-did-I-just-eat kind of meal.
Chikuwa is one of the most common ingredients and there are a crazy load of brands out there. I just grabbed the cheapest one this time and it's called...

All Big Mini Chikuwa

Sad sack of disappointment!

Taste Review

Taste - 3/10

TASTE OF DISAPPOINTMENT!
Ugh... You won't taste much fish in this one. In fact, you won't taste anything at all but at least it doesn't taste foul. All you get are fleeting images of roasted briny chikuwa... in your dreams.

Texture - 2/10
It's like biting into a slightly spongy tau kwa. I've eaten enough chikuwa to know that's not right. This is some serious corner cutting here. In a normal chikuwa, that middle brown part is supposed to be well roasted and there should be a firmer outer sleeve that covers the chikuwa. This pirated sorry piece of flour stick has tasteless brown paint standing in for that roasted segment.
This gets a 2 because its not completele inedible.

Cost - 10/10

It's dirt cheap alright. ~$2.60 for 250g. 

Tasting Notes

Not worth the money or the calories!
Save your money and spent it on a better quality chikuwa (no idea which one yet. I've to finish this pack first... It's still edible so I can't wait it... least the thunder god heh.)
Either that or spend that money on some other ingredients that taste better and cost about the same!
This is the first and last time I buy All Big Mini Chikuwa. Bleargh!

TLDR version
This is a piece of shit. Do not buy shit like this. It is bad for your sanity!