Thai Kitchen Thai Peanut Noodles

April 3, 2006 | Reviewer: Abi

Thai Kitchen Thai Peanut Noodles Price: $1.49 at 7-11
Serving: 2.25 oz (plus water)
Calories: 310
Fat: 10%
Sodium: 8%, 200mg

They say: Roasted peanuts and mild spices blended into a smooth sauce are one of the most delicious flavor combinations Thai food has to offer. Weâ€™ve combined this wonderful peanut taste with our signature, 100% pure rice noodles and other authentic, hand-selected ingredients for a truly memorable, easy-to make noodle dish. Enjoy it as a delicious side dish or be creative and add some fresh vegetables or meat for a quick and satisfying noodle entrÃ©e.

Abi says: Thai Kitchen expects you to open the noodles, place water over them, cover the noodles, heat the noodles, then drain the water and add peanut powder and oil. I definitely burned myself trying to drain hot water out of the noodles. Then again, I don’t generally read the directions before I put things in the microwave. It is a habit I must break if I’m going to be any good at reviewing food at work. Also, because I work in an environment that contains cubicles, I have access to a hot water tap. If you’ve never used a hot-water tap, let me tell you that those things are deadly. Also, let me tell you that someone in the office managed to disable the child-protection mechanism that would keep toddlers from unleashing a torrent of boiling water across the kitchen floor. It is a dangerous water cooler.*

This meal comes with nothing more than a bunch of dried rice noodles, a seasoning packet and an oil packet. How is that for honest? There’s a packet of oil! What else? This meal is superb! I don’t mean that in the sense of “Wow, check out the chunks of blue crab in these crab cakes!” or “This chocolate cake is moist and firm!”. No, I mean it in the sense of “Who could have thought that I would get a somewhat filling vegetarian meal out of a box of noodles I picked up on a bicycle ride home from Pepper’s?”

In the end, I think that I forgot about the trial by boiling water and the ridiculousness of mixing oil and peanut powder with a plastic (included with meal) fork. Instead, I just gave myself over to the steaming, ultrasweet, semi-nutty noodles. Maybe I was just hungry, maybe I just heart Thai Kitchen.

*April 2006 Update - We now have a new water cooler and it does not allow toddlers to let loose torrents of boiling-hot water. It is a safe water cooler.