...Papdi Chaat from Parivar Spices. A forkful of delightful contrasting textures and symphony of flavors—salty, sweet, spicy, crunchy, savory. Made with chunks of fried crackers, chickpeas, fresh red onions and cilantro, topped with a creamy cucumber mint sauce, sprinkle of chili, and crispy sev noodles. It's like the best plate of Indian nachos.
... HoppyPop Local NYS Craft-Beer Infused Caramel Popcorn from Kernel Cravings.
Sweet, salty, and crunchy with a subtle hoppy, bitter flavor.
Found at the Empire State Plaza Farmer's Market and eating by the handful!
Since our visit to La Mexicana Grocery, I'm convinced that the best eats come from the back of a grocery store. For the longest time we drove by Parivar Spices without a blink until Albany Jane's post inspired us to stop by for a snack, aka chaat as it's known in India. Our first go around was a bit intimidating between being greeted by quite an extensive menu and confusion navigating the counter service system. We came in expecting your standard Indian menu with your tikka masalas and tandooris but were surprised by the array of chaats, dosa crepes, and vegetarian only options.
Some items aren't as descriptive so you just have to dive in. The man behind the counter quickly sensed that this was our first time and happily explained that we order at the counter in exchange for a number and wait for our food; come back to the food counter after you're done eating, give back your ticket number, and take the receipt to the front cashier. He also happily talked us into a trio of samosas and pani puri was something I've been wanting to try for awhile after Sweet Sue's mentioned adding them as a brunch special.
Pani puri is like India's version of nachos. It took some time stalking my neighbors to learn
how to tackle this snack. This diy version comes with a handful of hollow, puffed crispy shells called puri that you crack the top off of and stuff with spoonfuls of a spiced chickpea and potato mixture, red onion, tomato chutney, and splash with chilled mint water and tamarind sauce. Stuff the whole thing in your mouth before it gets soggy and it's an explosion of flavors and textures all in one bite.
There are two kinds of samosas--a stuffed fried pastry version and the ones we got were wrapped in a thin, crispy wrapper, similar to my mom's homemade spring rolls. An order of five triangles come out piping hot and the shell shatters as you bite into one. It's stuffed with a deliciously spiced potato filling and a dip of tamarind sauce adds a sweet note while the cucumber yogurt raita cools it down. These were wonderful little bites too.
We're mostly carnivores and were impressed how filling and delicious vegetarian options could be. We came back for a dinner and were equally impressed. A full meal will get you two subzis aka your choice of veggie entrees, a lentil soup, rice, samosa, and paratha flat bread plus dessert. The dosa rice crepes is also an item you're going to want to savor. This giant crepe is crispy, light, and slightly sour and just as fun to eat as you rip and dip in a duo of spicy chili sauce and ginger coconut chutney. Wash it all down with a mango lassi drink or pista falooda (a pistachio flavored milk drink with nuts and sweet noodles) and you'll be happily stuffed to the gills til your next visit.
Hummus is one of the easiest dips you can make at home but sometimes I'm just too lazy to make and it's just too easy to pickup quality ones at Trader Joe's. My new favorite TJ hummus is a cilantro and jalapeno hummus. It's slightly spicy and for some reason reminds of Indian flavors, like the green chutney you get on the side from those all-you-can eat lunch buffets. Delicious with pita chips and sugar snap peas.
Another unusual TJ product is edamame hummus. It's made with edamame instead of chickpeas and has this fun green color. You still have the classic flavors of tahini, lemon, and garlic but with a unique twist.
My other go to hummus when I'm not at Trader Joe's is Sabra's Sun Dried Tomato Hummus with the fun dip in the middle and Tribe's 40 Spices Hummus. I have no idea what all forty spices are but cumin is definitely one of 'em.
It's about time I snacked on something healthy.
Trader Joe's is one those places where it's dangerous to shop when hungry. But it's also the best place for snack attacks! I love it when TJ's features new products, and usually they are unique enough for me to want to try at least once. I'm a sucker for pretty packaging and different flavors. Case in point: Beurre Meuniere Popcorn and Cheddar & Horseradish Potato Chips. If you love wasabi peas, the cheddar & horseradish is a pretty good alternative. That horseradish is sinus clearingly good and who doesn't love ruffled chips?
The Beurre Meuniere Popcorn on the other hand, more of a one time snack for me. What is beurre meuniere? It's a brown butter sauce with lemon and thyme and parsley. On popcorn, it tasted too much like boxed stuffing. As much as I love the Thanksgiving staple, it didn't quite work out here. I'd say stick to the cheddar and caramel popcorn.
While I haven't had much luck with any of the Trader Joe's ice creams (too average and odd textures), I'm absolutely obsessed with Green Tea Mochi Ice Cream. Although not a TJ brand product, it needs to be shared. Haven't heard of mochi? It's an Asian dessert made with rice flour that's like a marshmallow. You might have seen it in the toppings bar of most fro yo places. It's not too sweet and has a fun chewy but soft texture. Most times you'll see mochi stuffed with red bean paste, but with ice cream it's the perfect summer treat! Some green tea ice creams have a bitter taste but this one is perfect and creamy. These mochi ice cream bites are addicting. It also comes in mango, strawberry, and chocolate flavors. Pick up a box, or two, this summer. -R
I have an unhealthy obsession with all things Trader Joe's. I'm also going to pretend that most everything at TJ's is healthy because it's all organic, including that 1-pound bar of chocolate that J and I love so much.
What I love most about TJ's is that it satisfies my penchant to try new and most often weird snacks, all for a reasonable price. My latest favorite snack are these dried mandarin oranges. Funky right? But so delicious. Forget the fact that they're loaded with sugar. It's almost like eating a "healthier" version of a gummy. "Healthier" only because in my mind it's made from real fruit so it totally counts. Even though it's dried oranges, it's still soft and juicy, just like the package says.
My only gripe is that some products at TJs are limited edition/seasonal, so I hope this one stays around for awhile. It's a 9 out of 10 in my book. -R
