This month’s Raw Spice Bar is one of my favorites yet – Malaysian spices! Malaysian cuisine keeps creeping up in my life lately; my local ramen joint has switched its menu into a heavily Malaysian-leaning style, laksa keeps popping up in edgy modern restaurants, and I keep reading about how it’s the new “it” trend among foodies. I’m fine with that, as it’s delicious and I can’t get enough.
A little about Raw Spice Bar: For $6/month, RSB sends you 3-4 expertly blended spice packs. Each blend is unique and enticing, you definitely haven’t tried these blends before. The packs are reasonably sized and resealable, plus they always include recipes for each of the spices.
Malaysian spices are a crazy blend of intense flavor, and I love that RSB didn’t shy away from that. Let’s look at this month’s selection a little closer:
Sambal oelek is a spicy hot blend of ground chiles and super common in Malaysian cooking as the base of curries and rice dishes, and because it’s so tasty it’s also used as a condiment. It adds heat and chile flavor and is quite versatile. Sambal refers to a sauce made with chiles, while Oelek refers to the mortar/pestle used to make the sambal. The recipe included for this is a simple favorite – a versatile sambal oelek past that can be used in a wide range of dishes.
If you’re familiar with kaffir lime powder, you know how tasty it is. This blend is a mix of that with turmeric, sugar, and red chiles – I just drooled typing that. The recipe they included is for a kaffir lime dressing which sounds great, but you can use this seasoning for so much more. They suggest sprinkling it on nuts (I think creamy pistachios or cashews would be perfect to pair with this bright flavor) and noodles, which I could not agree more with. The spice is subtle, the acidity is balanced, and the sugar keeps this spice super versatile. Love it!
I saved the best for last. If you’ve never had laksa you are seriously missing out. Curry laksa is a common Malaysian dish – simple ingredients blended in a way that becomes super complex in flavor; no matter what you put in it, from meat or veggies to rice or noodles, it somehow tastes fresh and rich all at once. You may see it on menus as “curry mee” but it’s just a regional name. Curry laksa is basically Malaysian ramen, and it’s amazing. Seriously, go eat some. Now. I’ll wait.
Final Rating: A+
I absolutely love this month’s spices! I’ve never attempted my own curry laksa, so that is pretty exciting, especially now that it’s colder and curries/ramen is all I think about. My hand is finally at a stage in healing that I’m able to start (slowly, so very slowly) cooking again, so I am SUPER amped to try some new recipes. Click here to try Raw Spice Bar for yourself!
Cheers!
Jill
This box was sent to us in exchange for an honest review.
All opinions are my own.