Jason King
AmyHuangPutting Curtis Stone's Coles Meals to the Test
May 9th 2010 10:15
I decided to test out the Curtis Stone's booklet being given away at Coles that lists 7 meals he and Coles believe can be cooked for an entire family for $10 or under. If you are not from Australia, Coles is a large supermarket chain and Curtis Stone is a famous Australian and world renowned chef.
The first one that took my interest was PORK CURRY WITH PINEAPPLE AND SNOW PEAS. I just love snow peas and also love curries and ate so much pineapple once I got a rash lol.
Curtis (and Coles) believe you can cook all of the below for $10-.
YOU WILL NEED:
1 Tbsp of Olive Oil (from your pantry and not included in costs)
500gms Coles butcher diced pork
1 Lge Brown Onion, diced
2 cloves of Garlic, roughly chopped
2 tsp Keens curry powder - do not do my stupid mistake and buy mustard powder - lucky I had the curry powder in the cupboard
1 tsp Masterfoods Cayenne pepper - I used Piri Piri instead as I just love it
100gms snow peas - ends trimmed off
1/4 fresh pineapple, skinned and cored, cut into 2.5cm cubes - I bought a tin of pineapple instead as it was cheaper
Coles long grain rice, white, cooked to serve (allow for one cup of uncooked rice)
Salt and Pepper (from pantry)
It sounds ok - and it should be enough for a family and is not overly spiced to scare the kids off but still exciting has enough flavours to keep the parentals happy.
MY ISSUE WITH THIS BEFORE COOKING
Ok - I admit to losing my receipt but was following the price during the shopping - I have just torn the house apart trying to find the receipt as I wanted to individualise the costs but alas I think I threw the wrong one out
Firstly the meal came to about $14- from Coles and this was being generous. So the meal loses out instantly on its claim of price. FAIL
YOU WILL NEED TO:
1) Heat the oil in a large heavy based saucepan over high heat
2) Season the pork with salt and pepper and brown on all sides. Remove the pork to a plate and discard any excess oil in the pan. Add the onion and cook stirring often for 3-5min or until lightly golden in color and slightly softened. Add the garlic and the spices and cook for 1-2mins, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of the pan, as the spices will begin to stick
3) Add the pork and 1.5cups of water to the pan. Stir well and cover. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1.5hrs, or until the pork is tender. During the cooking occasionally skim any fat that settles on the top of the cooking liquid with a ladle and discard.
4) Add the snow peas and pineapple and cook for a further 2-3mins, or until the snow peas are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve on a bed of rice.
MY ISSUE WITH THIS AFTER EATING
I would never serve this to guests, admittedly if you are a struggling family of 2 adults and 2 kids this may be a good dish as it is wholesome and affordable but it tastes bland and I ate it again the second night and liked it even less. I threw the rest out. Kids may enjoy it because of its blandness but it will not be appearing again at the Sydney Table household. I get what Coles and Curtis are doing but it is not for me. I will cook all 7 of the dishes to decide on what I think about all of them and will keep you posted.
The first one that took my interest was PORK CURRY WITH PINEAPPLE AND SNOW PEAS. I just love snow peas and also love curries and ate so much pineapple once I got a rash lol.
Curtis (and Coles) believe you can cook all of the below for $10-.
YOU WILL NEED:
1 Tbsp of Olive Oil (from your pantry and not included in costs)
500gms Coles butcher diced pork
1 Lge Brown Onion, diced
2 cloves of Garlic, roughly chopped
2 tsp Keens curry powder - do not do my stupid mistake and buy mustard powder - lucky I had the curry powder in the cupboard
1 tsp Masterfoods Cayenne pepper - I used Piri Piri instead as I just love it
100gms snow peas - ends trimmed off
1/4 fresh pineapple, skinned and cored, cut into 2.5cm cubes - I bought a tin of pineapple instead as it was cheaper
Coles long grain rice, white, cooked to serve (allow for one cup of uncooked rice)
It sounds ok - and it should be enough for a family and is not overly spiced to scare the kids off but still exciting has enough flavours to keep the parentals happy.
MY ISSUE WITH THIS BEFORE COOKING
Ok - I admit to losing my receipt but was following the price during the shopping - I have just torn the house apart trying to find the receipt as I wanted to individualise the costs but alas I think I threw the wrong one out
Firstly the meal came to about $14- from Coles and this was being generous. So the meal loses out instantly on its claim of price. FAIL
YOU WILL NEED TO:
1) Heat the oil in a large heavy based saucepan over high heat
2) Season the pork with salt and pepper and brown on all sides. Remove the pork to a plate and discard any excess oil in the pan. Add the onion and cook stirring often for 3-5min or until lightly golden in color and slightly softened. Add the garlic and the spices and cook for 1-2mins, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of the pan, as the spices will begin to stick
3) Add the pork and 1.5cups of water to the pan. Stir well and cover. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1.5hrs, or until the pork is tender. During the cooking occasionally skim any fat that settles on the top of the cooking liquid with a ladle and discard.
4) Add the snow peas and pineapple and cook for a further 2-3mins, or until the snow peas are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve on a bed of rice.
MY ISSUE WITH THIS AFTER EATING
I would never serve this to guests, admittedly if you are a struggling family of 2 adults and 2 kids this may be a good dish as it is wholesome and affordable but it tastes bland and I ate it again the second night and liked it even less. I threw the rest out. Kids may enjoy it because of its blandness but it will not be appearing again at the Sydney Table household. I get what Coles and Curtis are doing but it is not for me. I will cook all 7 of the dishes to decide on what I think about all of them and will keep you posted.
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