Good morning one & all!
It's Saturday and what better time than now to post a review for a new gluten-free product I just discovered at a local Asian market.
VH has finally figured out that sauces can be made without wheat and there are people who will buy it, wow!
Now, I usually prefer to make my own sauces because I like being able to pronounce what goes into them and not expose my body to a host of ungodly chemicals that no human should ingest; but I digress; but this caught my interest.
We had to stop to get some more tofu puffs for a recipe and I was searching for a Japanese sauce I had come across in a recipe, I searched because I was wanting to check out the ingredients to see if it could be de-glutened. The latter was a dud but instead, I came across this General Tao sauce and was utterly floored to see the no gluten written on it. Feeling adventurous and realizing I was way overdue in the product review department, I decided to get a bottle.
It was just under $5.00 and I found it at
Marché Kim Phat on Taschereau on the South Shore. A bit of a trek for us but worth it because there's always so much to see there and prices are amazing! Plus there are loads of ingredients that are new to me and I get to have fun.
Back to General Tao sauce, I have not had General Tao in YEARS, thanks to my allergies; so I was pretty psyched about this.
First thoughts, It is much darker than the sauce I used to get on my tofu that I ordered at Wok café downtown. That one was this intense orange and v-e-r-y sweet, I liked it but having observed General Tao in other restaurants, I knew that this darker one still fell in the same category but would be more savoury. I cooked it with vegetables and tofu puffs.
It coated well and I added loads of garlic and some extra gf soy sauce to smooth out the taste. Why? Read below.
My final thoughts on this sauce? I felt it was too strong in an odd vinegary way, which totally surprised me because I have never had this sauce taste like that in a restaurant before. It needs the addition of garlic and soy. Like I said, I found it coated the tofu and veg well, was quite tasty once cooked, and was much less sweet in a good way. I would have liked a more smooth flavour that didn't sting the back of my throat and if you're looking for the authentic General Tao, you might be disappointed. It was enjoyable, for a store bought sauce but reminded me more of Hoisin with a lot of vinegar and spices. I won't buy it again but the people who ate it did not mind and we all finished our plates of food. If you don't feel to make your own sauces and need something quick/easy, then this is the sauce for you. It's decent but still not up to par with General Tao we are used to in North America.
On a completely unrelated note, I am toiling away on my cookbook and am happy to report that the recipe for my black bottom pecan pie, is finally ready to go in with a worthy crust.
She tasted so good! It was my sons request for his birthday, instead of cake. I know it seems crazy but he does not like frosting at all, you might get him to eat cream cheese frosting on carrot cake but he really prefers this pie. To be honest, I am more of a pie person myself. Simply lovely to have sweet off-set by proper flaky goodness. It took a long while but I finally got a crust I am satisfied with, that even the gluten mouths touted as tasting fantastic with a nice flakiness minus the grit. That awful grit was so tough to get away from and it is a subtle yet ever apparent texture in so many gluten-free pies I have had; good and bad. Look how lovely the bites were...
Although I won't be posting the recipe here, sorry, I am excited to add it to the cookbook and will announce on here when it's ready to send off and God willing, do well. For now though, here's another pic to tie you over.
Keep coming back because I will be posting the lovely Spirulina Apple Protein Charms recipe this week to come. Vegan treats that will fuel your workout.
Let me hear from you, leave comments or questions down below. God bless you!
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