Spice Madam Subscription Box Review & Coupon – September 2016

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Spice Madam is an international culinary adventure in a subscription box.  Each delivery will take you on a spice tour of a different culture.  You will experience exotic flavors, spices and recipes to stretch your palate and excite your appetite.

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The first look in the box reveals that our culinary adventure will take us to the Sichuan province of China.

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Each Spice Madam subscription box will contain 3-4 spices, 4-6 gourmet recipes, fun cultural facts, and a music playlist.

The subscription is affordably priced at $20 a box or slightly less if you prepay.  Use the coupon code, HELLOSPICE, to save 15%.  (Expires 12-31-2016)

The box was absolutely packed with spicy goodness and thick card-stock printed recipes and information cards.

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This card Welcomed us to the Spice Madam box and to our culinary tour of Sichuan, China.  Interesting facts about the province and it’s culture are listed as well as a link to a soundtrack of Sichuanese and Chinese music to play while you cook.

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This handy card lists all the ingredients that you need to make the five recipes in the box.  You can just grab the one card to take to the grocery store.  Very convenient.

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The other side of the shopping list card gives a recipe summary of the 5 recipes in the box, including the recipe type, prep time, cook time and if the dish is vegetarian and/or gluten free.

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Each spice in the box is introduced by a card with pertinent information about that spice and how to use it.  This card covered the whole and ground Sichuan chile oil spices.

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These beautiful whole Sichuan Chile Oil Spices include Facing Heaven peppers, Star Anise, Ginger, and Sichuan Peppercorns.  These will be used to make the Sichuan Chile Oil which is pivotal in the majority of the other recipes in the box.

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This ground blend of Sichuan Chile oil spices is also used in the Sichuan Chile oil and includes chili powder, sesame seeds, Sichuan peppercorns and Chinese five spice.

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The next spice in the box was Chinese Five Spice Blend.  It is meant to include all five flavors – sweet, sour, bitter, pungent, and salty.  This spice is great in stir-frys and meat dishes.  You will find that the same spice is included in the Sichuan Chile Oil spices above, but this little bag is not included in any of the recipes.  It is for you to try out on your own!  They let you know that the spice is very concentrated, so this amount should go a long way.

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Next up is Facing Heaven Chiles.  (Isn’t that the coolest spice name ever?)  The peppers actually grow pointing upwards instead of down like most peppers.  These are included in the Mapo Tofu recipe and the Dry Fried Green Beans.

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The last spice in the box was Sichuan Peppercorns.  They are native to the Sichuan Province of China and although they aren’t very hot they produce a numbing sensation that is characteristic of Sichuan food.  They are included in their ground form in the Chinese Five Spice blend.

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The first recipe was Sichuan Chile Oil.  The Chile Oil can be made ahead and stored for up to a month.  It is used in the Bon Bon Chicken Salad recipe, the Mapo Tofu and the Dan Dan Noodles.

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First you steep the beautiful whole Sichuan Chile Oil spices in oil.

img_20160912_1618297_rewind Then you strain the resulting oil and pour it into the ground Sichuan Chile Oil Spices.   The resulting Sichuan Chile Oil is a vibrant red color and can be stored in a sealed glass jar for up to a month.

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The next recipe was for Bon Bon Chicken Salad.  This recipe included the Sichuan Chile Oil that we just made as an ingredient.  I made the pivotal Sichuan Chile Oil recipe and this recipe.  Check out my beautiful results.

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Didn’t it turn out pretty?  This was definitely a culinary adventure for me.  In my house we rarely venture beyond our boring culinary norm.  We really needed to try something new and this dish was perfect.  The coolness of the cucumbers combined well with the mild spiciness of the Sichuan Chile Oil.  I feel more cultured already.

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I haven’t tried out the other recipes yet, but am looking forward to making the Bon Bon Chicken again and adding these Dry Fried Green Beans as a side.  The recipe includes the Facing Heaven Chiles and the Sichuan Peppercorns from the box.

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I have never cooked Tofu.  But, I bought it (it was on my ingredient card that came in the box) and am looking forward to this dish!  The recipe uses the Sichuan peppercorns, the Facing Heaven Chiles and the Sichuan Chile Oil from the box.

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The last recipe in the box was for Dan Dan Noodles.  The recipe card indicates that the noodles were sold by street peddlers.  Did anyone flash to Kung Fu Panda?  I just had the noodle dream.  The Dan Dan Noodles recipe uses the Sichuan Chile oil that we made from the spices in the box.

Spice Madam is a grand culinary adventure in a subscription box.  Each spice interrelates to the other and is included in recipes that together form a complete meal from the culture that is the concentration of that month’s box.  I thoroughly enjoyed becoming better acquainted with the spices and recipes of the Sichuan Province.

Are you in need of a new culinary experience in your kitchen too?  Did you try the Spice Madam box?  What culture did you visit on your culinary adventure?

Visit Spice Madam to subscribe or find out more! Get 15% off subscriptions with coupon code  HELLOSPICE. Expires 10-31-2016

The Subscription: Spice Madam
The Description: Spices, recipes & spice education from a different country each month.
The Price: $20.00 per month

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