Ordering readymade meals & snacks

Whether you just get home after a long day at work or it is a lazy weekend, deciding what to eat for a meal, is not as simple as one might think. To avoid having one of these days, it is wise to always have some ready-made meals stocked in the pantry. Here, we asked some of our LocalHood Members the ready-made meals they would have in their pantry.

Shobana: Being ovo-lacto vegetarian who prefers Indian food over other cuisines, I have limited options when it comes to sourcing dinners that are precooked and microwavable in the local supermarkets. Luckily, most Indian stores in Hong Kong carry a comprehensive range of products by MTR and Haldirams which are both very popular food companies in India.

You get many one pot meals that have all spices added and you just need to either dip the pouch in a vessel or boiling water for a few minutes, else empty into a container and microwave it. However most of these products are priced quite steeply, relatively speaking, and cater to one person per box.

A more reasonable option would be the precooked wraps, also produced by Haldirams, that’s a meal in itself.

Another locally produced Indian brand is Suvai, which sells readymade idlis, steamed rice cakes, parathas, which are Indian flat breads, as well as a batter which can be used to prepare either idlis or dosas, which as Indian flat rice crepes. Suvai products can also be found in all Indian stores.

A family favorite is a dinner consisting of samosas and momos (snacks similar to dumplings and taste YUMMY!!) from a Nepalese store Saffron which is on Queen's Road West. They also sell boxes of biryani, dal, a couple of gravies as well- both vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian. These dishes are freshly made and need to be heated before eating with any rice or bread. They are very competitively priced-around 60 percent, if not lesser than what a similar quantity would cost in any average Indian restaurant on HK island.

Saffron Sai Ying Pun. Photo Credit: Saffron Store.

Winnie: Here's marinated Korean beef rib galbi from Yata supermarket, abalone and fish maw soup (HK$68 per pack, enough for 2 bowls) from Gingko House.

Both food is reasonably priced and cheaper than eating in a restaurant of the same quality. It usually costs around HK$300-400 for the Korean beef rib galbi in a Korean restaurant where you can barbecue it at the table. It's around HK$80+ to get the marinated Korean beef and cook at home on a grill pan.

The abalone and fish maw soup is made by the elderly and supporting Gingko House, which seeks to support the elderly's livelihoods. Price is also cheaper than at high-end restaurants and there are 2 abalones in each pack of soup for HK$68.

Spicy food lover anyone? Whenever talk about spicy food, I will think of Thai and Mala. Boat Noodle Meal Kit by ThaiAree has made it so easy for you to prepare a flavorful, perfect Thai Boat Noodle at home. All you need to do cook the dried rice vermicelli, add the Boat Noodle soup, chili seasoning paste and fry garlic in oil from the meal kit, and throw in some sliced beefs or porks, fresh Thai herbs of your choice, you are guaranteed a delicious and authentic Thai Boat Noodle dish. Of course, I will encourage more chilies! A pack of Boat Noodle Soup Meal Kit cost about $35 and is available in Marketplace by Jasons.

Photo Credit: ThaiAree Website.

Or, if you are in the mood for snacks, do stop by Jue Wei if you happen to past by it in MTR station. Jue Wei has 32 stores in Hong Kong.

Their famous braised snacks – a selection of duck/ chicken parts – duck web, duck neck, duck wings, chicken wing tips, chicken feet and etc, seafoods – baby octopus, baby prawns and etc, vegetables – lotus roots, edamame, bean curds bamboo shoots and etc, are available in the Signature Mala, Sweet & Spicy, Pepper Vine and the Original Five Spice flavor.

All the food is freshly prepared and packed, with the price ranging from $19 to $69 dollars.

My favorites – Signature Mala Braised Lotus Roots and Bamboo Shoot. If you have decided to give these snacks a try, remember, once you pop, you can’t stop. You are warned.

Sai Ying Pun MTR Store.