HALF PRICE, MAN!!

Dude!!!  Trader Joe's Bollywood Popcorn is now selling for .99!!!!!

PRICE NOW - at Silver Spring, Maryland location

Price last fall!!!

That is HALF of what it cost when I first got addicted to it last fall!!  That's great for my wallet (maybe not so great for my stomach??).

My only fear is that the big price cut means they are getting rid of it...  I worry about this because it happens at Trader Joe's - just when you find the perfect product, they decide they aren't going to carry it anymore.  Sigh.  If this sounds like a "sigh" of experience, that is because it is.  Why, just this VERY EVENING I hunted and hunted for a product that I really like, haven't posted the review of yet, and just ran out of.  Guess what?  They have discontinued the amazing Sambal Matah.  I have a draft of a review and just never fleshed it out.  Alas, if I post it NOW, you guys are going to want to get this stuff, and it won't be on the shelves.  Drat.

This is my (not quite patented) Bollywood Popcorn eating technique!  No messy fingers!

Anyway, DO GO GET SOME BOLLYWOOD POPCORN.  It is bizarrely yummy!  Complete review here:  Bollywood Popcorn review link

UPDATE:  I went to our Bailey's Crossroads (Virginia) Trader Joe's on March 12, 2017.  Every other person there was stocking up on food due to the winter weather alert we are in (big snow coming).  I, however, was snagging snacks for a road trip!  I went to get a bag of Bollywood Popcorn and was surprised that they all had a "Best Buy" date of 3 days away, March 15....  I asked a TJ's employee who was stocking corn chips nearby if they were discontinuing Bollywood.  She said she didn't know, but the store had been really "pushing" it and had been sent a ton to get rid of....  I found one bag that had a date other than March 15 - and it was March 11.  Sigh.  Alas, I do not think Bollywood Popcorn is long for this world.  If you want some - GET IT NOW.

Bollywood Popcorn

I have a new obsession from Trader Joe's; it is BOLLYWOOD POPCORN!!  Sure, at first glance Indian Popcorn might not be the exact thing you expect to quench your hunger, but for my taste buds, it is all that and a bag of chips!!

Sometimes you MUST try the new items

David's take:  "Very nice.  I think this is a successful attempt at finding something new to add to popcorn. It's a little bit CUMIN-Y, so if you don't like cumin you might not go ravenous over this.  I like how FLAVORFUL it is - it's very flavorful and that's good!  I don't think it supplant my love of cheddar flavor on popcorn, but it is very nice and successful for a different take on popcorn!  I give this a 4.25."

I hereby declare my love of Trader Joe's Bollywood Popcorn
 (and I do a little Bollywood move in the middle of Trader Joe's)

I declare - THIS IS GOOD STUFF!  The ingredients say it is flavored with vegan Tikka Masala - I say bring that tikka on!! 

Paprika, turmeric, and garlic powder are also mentioned in the ingredients (but not the cumin that David tastes so strongly, though that may well be a part of the tikka masala or the unnamed "spices").  I really like this product.  I like that it TASTES SAVORY.  Why, it doesn't just taste like a snack, it tastes kind of like a meal!  The bag says one serving is two cups and there are five servings in a bag, which seems about right.  I don't think I could eat an entire bag in one setting (though I might "have to" try, just for scientific research for this blog, of course...)

Go ahead, invest two bucks in a bag

This is definitely different than your run of the mill snack food and it's a great invention!  I was never into flavored popcorn until we first had Garrett's Chicago Style popcorn (later emulated at TJ's - 5 star review here).  I then got up enough nerve to taste TJ's Popcorn in a Pickle and liked it, too (review here).  I am glad my taste buds "matured" enough to accept flavored popcorn, because this Bollywood popcorn is a welcome addition to my snack food! 

The only negative I noticed was that your fingers get SUPER MESSY while you eat it.  I do not recommend chomping on this snack while reading a library book, cuz that can only end in you paying a fine for ruining a book.  At least, that is what I thought the first couple of times I ate Bollywood Popcorn, until I invented my NEW TECHNIQUE for eating it!  Check it out!!

THIS is how you should eat it!  No more messy fingers!!

Yup - all you have to do is put your Bollywood Popcorn in a small bowl and use your tongue to pick it up instead of your fingers!  Voila, problem solved!  (Important note:  it is recommended that each snacker have their own bowl when employing this technique, cuz, well, some people might think your tongue in their bowl is gross.) 

This is a creative product.  We went to India in May and this brings back nice memories of that trip.  Here are a couple of Indian vacation photos, plus one shot of David wearing a fun and rather lovely mask a friend him.

I love this photo of an Indian woman making coir.  We had such an inspiring time watching these women.

This man is a TODDY TOPPER!!  He climbs trees and collects "toddy" to be sold in toddy bars.
Only MEN drink in toddy bars, but I got to go in one!  Color me lucky.  (No, we didn't taste it...)

Beautiful Indian woman in her boat

David with a very famous Indian Kathakali performer

Tuk Tuk Driver in Southern India - he let DAVID try out driving the tuk tuk!!

Back in America with the new BOLLYWOOD POPCORN!

I give this Bollywood Popcorn a 4.75.  If you have an adventurous palate I recommend you grab a bag and try it out.

Price: $1.99
Rating (average of 2 raters):  4.5

Namaste from INDIA!

Namaste from Kerala, southern India!!

We are on a vacation, celebrating my 50th birthday (which actually doesn't come until mid-June, but it never hurts to celebrate early, eh??).  We have never been to India before and have been amazed at the sights, sounds, tastes, and colors that surround us here.  We traveled through a few northern cities and have now come down south to finish out the holiday.

One thing we love to do when traveling is, you guessed it, SEE THE LOCAL GROCERY STORE!!  Here in India we have been fortunate to see some MARKETS, which are absolutely amazing.  We even went to one, Crawford Market, where they MAKE SPICES.  By that, I mean they take the spice blends that the women bring (yes, it seemed to be all women ordering them), roast them, then GRIND THEM into the types of spices you and I would expect to see in a jar on a Trader Joe's shelf.  I was fascinated and could have easily stayed at that stall for hours observing and smelling.  Heaven!

Spices, having just been roasted, now resting on a burlap bag in the sun waiting for their turn to be ground

A long queue of spices on a Sunday at the spice market, all waiting to be ground

A grinder!  These large pistons slam down very loudly onto the spices, grinding them very finely

Most people here seem to shop at markets, but I also wanted to see an Indian GROCERY STORE.  Locals never understand my desire to check out the groceries, but I really think it is a great way to learn something about a culture!!  What cookies do they eat??  What drinks?  What CONDIMENTS???  There is a lot to learn in a grocery store!!

So we popped into one in Mumbai.  Let's just say, it was NOT a Trader Joe's :).

First off, no air conditioning.  And this is the HOT season here, record highs actually.

Secondly, they have STATUES in their grocery store.  See, here is a Ghandi one!!!!!  Isn't it great?  I have never seen anything like THAT at a TJ's.

Look, a Ghandi bust in aisle 1! 

Thirdly, the sample lady was giving out WHOLE CARTONS of Greek yogurt, not little cups of it.  Oooh-la-la!!  They also took our photo after we tasted it.  David did a funny face where he was spitting some of the yogurt out as if it tasted super disgusting.  I bet they don't use THAT in their marketing campaign.

Fourthly, the snack food section had FAIRY LIGHTS over it!!!  You know the ones, the fancy twinkling Christmas lights!!!  Cuz nothing says EAT SOME CHIPS like FAIRY LIGHTS!  It was pretty fabulous.

Snacks and fairy lights, a great combination!

We were glad we persevered and figured out where the heck the hidden grocery story was.  We crossed some crazy Mumbai streets, dodging traffic, to get there, but it was worth it.

We didn't buy a bottle of "Thums Up" soda  but we probably should have, eh?

Day 308 - Masala Simmer Sauce

David was the more gentle reviewer of this Masala Simmer Sauce.  He said:  Mild.  Very SAUCY, which is good.  But I would prefer a more creamy or more spicy or more herby sauce instead of the tomato.  I’m a little “tomato sauced out”.  But I think it is a nicely balanced sauce and it is a quick, easy way to throw some chicken and vegetables together and get a very nice thing to put over rice.

 Susan – I think what you would actually prefer, David, is a sauce that had a TASTE to it.  This one was extremely boring and very disappointing.  There was really no flavor to it – just a color – RED.  It was RED flavored, and to me, a color is not a flavor (except in Gummy Bears).  We added salt and pepper after it was plated, those were required to give it any taste whatsoever.  The vegetables we cooked in it and the chicken were good – we put in chicken, onions, celery, mushrooms, and green pepper.  Those all tasted good, but the sauce itself was really a disappointment and I would not buy this one again.

Here is what it looked like on a plate.  Trust me, it looks more flavorful than it tasted. We served it over rice

This is really not worth buying or cooking.  I think this dinner would have been better if we just cooked all of the other ingredients in olive oil and skipped the sauce all together.  Even DAVID, who adores sauce, said this was pretty tasteless and he would have preferred something else. 

David was leery about this one when we bought it.

 Price – $2.49

Rating – 2.75

Day 225 - Aloo Chaat

At the risk of being sacrilegious, this aloo chaat is like the Indian version of an American “Hot Pocket”.  Only it is better than a Hot Pocket.  J 

These were a tasty dinner and very quick.   Trader Joe’s says these are filled with, “potatoes, chick peas, chaat masala (an Indian spice blend), and a sweet-tangy tamarind chutney”.  I say they are filled with warm yum.  J

I am sorry, I only have a photo of this on the plate (not the original box).  Check the link below to see the box!  Here is aloo chaat served with radish, rice, and baby bok choy (with capers).  Nice meal.

The only problem was that they were a wee bit dry.  We wished we would have had some chutney in the fridge to serve with them, but we were unprepared.  Next time!

They are very reasonably priced, as are many things at Trader Joe’s.  At $2.29 for a box of 2, that is only $1.15 per piece.  These would make an easy and yummy lunch.

Trader Joe’s does quite a few Indian dishes.  Their Indian Fare series is a staple at our house, especially Punjab Eggplant (reviewed on day 151 of this blog). 

Here is a Trader Joe’s article about the aloo chaat:  http://traderjoes.com/fearless-flyer/article/946

Price - $2.29

Rating – 3.75

Day 185 - Paneer Masala Naan

When eating out at Indian restaurants, one of the best parts (to me) is the NAAN!!  Oh man, that hot, fresh naan coming out of the kitchen is sooo delicious!  It is hard to choose which naan to order from the menu.  Some time I should just dive in and order each and every naan to come out one at a time…  Ah – now I have a dream.  A naan dream…

Anyway, I have no idea how to make naan.  Also, I do not have a tandooor clay oven.  So, I cannot make them at home.

So I did the next best thing – bought frozen naan at Trader Joe’s!  and while it might not have been 

AS GOOD as when the waiter brings it to your table piping hot from the kitchen, it WAS good. 

Ahhh  - filled naan!

We are getting ready to go out of town, so sadly these last couple meals at home are “eat everything out of the fridge to clean it out before we go” meals.  That meant that this naan was not served with appropriate things.  It was just another item on the plate, but it did not get due justice in snuggling up next to a tasty curry or something.  Sorry naan!

But I did enjoy it.  It is very easy to prepare (preheat oven, then heat for a few minutes).  I didn’t read the ingredients on the package before eating and I THOUGHT it tasted like refried beans inside (which I registered as a little bit odd, thinking they were more Tex Mex, but I didn’t judge, it tasted good!).  

Naan on foil.  Better in your tummy!

However now that I read the label there were no beans…  Here is what is listed as ingredients: wheat flour, water, onion, milk, paneer (milk, salt, citric acid), sunflower oil, salt, sugar, coriander leaves, spices, dextrose, carrot fiber, yeast, green chili, ginger, and citric acid.  See – NO beans!  So that yummy filling must have been the carrot fiber, green chili, ginger and spices I guess.  Whatever it was it tastes good.  David’s opinion was that the naan was a bit too dry, but I blame us for that since we didn’t serve it with any sauces to dip it into.

Good price - comes out to only .57 cents per naan.

4 naan come in one package.  I think these are a good item to have in the freezer.

Price – $2.29

Rating – 3.75

Day 151 - Punjab Eggplant

Trader Joe’s makes these “Indian Fare” dishes that are perfect to have on hand.  They come in small boxes so are easy to store in the cupboard, are super easy to cook (we just put the foil-like pouch in boiling water while we are cooking whatever we are going to serve with the Indian dish), and are a perfect size for 2 servings.  We always have at least one of these packages in our cupboard for easy dinners.

These are sort of  hidden on the bottom shelf at our Trader Joe's, but worth crouching down to get

Tonight’s dinner was this Punjab Eggplant served over TJ’s Basmati Rice (to be reviewed soon) with sides of yellow squash, a fried chicken finger (which David was craving) and broccoli.  It was a really good combination.

Tasty, cheap, fast and easy dinner

The Punjab Eggplant is a tiny bit spicy, which we like.  It is super saucy which makes it nice over rice.  And it is filling.  Oh, and did I mention, it is CHEAP, too? 

So to recap:  easy, cheap, tasty, and saucy!  All good things!

Grab one of each of the Indian Fare dishes off the shelf at Trader Joe’s and try them out.  Find your favorite and keep it on hand for nights that you just don’t feel like cooking (or nights when you want something saucy!).

Price – $1.99

Rating – 4.25

Day 79 - Uttapam with Coconut Chutney

These could change their name to “Blandapam with Coconut Chutney”.  Bleck.

There are 4 uttampam (rice bread) with onions and cilantro in the box.  Two cooking techniques are listed:  microwaving or heating in a pan on the stove.  The first time we tried them we did the microwave technique because we were HUNGRY and wanted to eat.  The result was an unsatisfactory dinner.  The bread was WARM but not GOOD.  It was super bland and the texture was odd.

Don't they look yummy in the photo on the box??

But before writing a review and saying something negative, I decided we should cook the other two uttapam a different night using the stove technique.  I hoped that result would be tastier.   And, while it is true that the result was tastier, it was not TASTY…

Even cooking on the stove, it was all just too bland.  The coconut chutney could not add enough “pizzazz” to save this.  I am disappointed, because the photo on the box looked so good and I had high hopes! 

Even at this low price, these are not worth it for us

We won’t be buying these again.

Price – $2.49

Rating - 2