Spiced Pantry June 2016 Subscription Box Review – “Jamaica”

Spiced Pantry is a monthly food subscription box that features a different foreign cuisine each month and then sends 4 items and 4 easy to follow recipes to help you prepare dishes using those ingredients. It is $19.00 a month (plus $3.75 shipping – currently US  only).  You may choose from the standard or vegetarian plan, and your subscription will renew monthly until you cancel. You can also gift a 1, 3, or 6 month plan which also renews after the original term so if you only want to send 1 (or 3 or 6) box(es) make sure to cancel before the next shipment.

First look in, and I’m feeling very irie.  Toes in the sand with a bottle of Red Stripe sounds like heaven right now.  This picture just reminds me that my Caribbean vacation is near.

Everything in the box.  I received 3 spice/herb packets, pigeon peas, and 4 recipes (2 on each card).  Ingredients may include custom spice blends, unique grains, legumes, dried fruit, nuts, or other dry goods.  Spiced Pantry provides enough product so that you can make each provided recipe at least once, with extra spices so you can experiment with other recipes you may find on your own.  You can also visit the Spiced Pantry Pinterest page for recipe ideas.

The information card provides an introduction to the month’s cuisine, as well as notes on the ingredients included.

Recipes

Recipe card #1 – Jamaican Rice and Pigeon Peas:  This dish reminds me a lot of Hoppin’ John, but with a tropical twist thanks to the coconut milk and scotch bonnet pepper.  It pairs nicely with the jerk chicken for a complete meal.

Recipe card #2 – Hibiscus Iced Tea (Agua de Jamaica):  A refreshing drink for a hot summer day or while lounging around the pool/beach.  Hibiscus lends a floral note, while ginger gives the drink a bit of bite.

Recipe card #3 – Jamaican Patties:  These are similar to empanadas found in various Latin American cuisines.  However, the blend of flavors in this recipe are uniquely Jamaican.  If you can find it, grab some coco bread and fill it with a patty to make a meal.

Recipe card #4 – Jamaican Jerk Chicken:  Jerk chicken (or jerk anything) is probably the dish most associated with Jamaica.  It calls to mind a tasty hot spice rub/marinade.  Make the rice and pigeon peas to help soothe the burn while you enjoy your chicken.

Spices/Ingredients

Dried Pigeon Peas – These are common in the Caribbean and provide a healthy vegetarian protein source.  A 7.5 oz. bag was included in my box.

Jamaican Jerk Seasoning – This is a 1.15 oz. blend of onion powder, coriander, garlic powder, ground ginger, brown sugar, lack pepper, allspice, cinnamon, thyme, nutmeg, scotch bonnet, clove, and dried chives.   On a side note, jerk seasoning relies on 2 key ingredients – allspice and scotch bonnet peppers.  The other ingredients in the mix are based on taste preferences.

Scotch Bonnet Chili Flakes – As stated, these flakes come from dried scotch bonnet chili peppers.  This is a 0.2 oz. bag.  This pepper has a high Scoville rating (100,000-350,000), similar to that of a habanero pepper.  A little can go a long way.

Hibiscus Herbal Tea – These are dried hibiscus flower petals.  I received a 0.5 oz. bag.

I decided to go for it and make a Jamaican meal.  So, here’s my jerk chicken with Jamaican rice and pigeon peas.  Even though I misread the recipe and added too much of the scotch bonnet flakes to the chicken marinade, the chicken was only mildly spicy but full of flavor.  The rice was creamy, with a somewhat buttery flavor from the coconut milk.  I know this was good because my dad didn’t reach for the salt or pepper and was quiet throughout dinner.  LOL

Another good and hearty meal from Spiced Pantry!  I am having fun creating these international dishes in my home.  One of my favorite things about this subscription is that they don’t just give you one recipe, but 4.  You have a variety to choose from – more chances for a dish to meet your tastes.   I’d love to hear about the dishes you’ve made with Spiced Pantry.  Share a comment below and tell me about your experience. If you haven’t tried it out yet you can save 15% on your first month’s box with coupon code SPICED15.

Visit Spiced Pantry to subscribe or find out more!