(UPDATE: UNFORTUNATELY TRADER JOE’S DISCONTINUED THIS PRODUCT !)
I gave this product a RAVE when I originally reviewed it years ago.
A RANT now for Trader Joe’s for discontinuing it! nother really good product they discontinued. See the Comments section below at how many people wrote in who are pissed at this being discontinued. Also look there as well how you can find almost this exact product if you really want it – though that will cost you (argh!) The reality I’ve observed is that Trader Joe’s has discontinued many kinds of rice and grains, they used to carry for just one example, the very good Stone Ground Grits they used to stock. Also the Calrose Rice. That was my Asian rice staple I now have to go pay twice as much for in Asian specialty stores….
I have not bought it from here but found this info online. Apparently this is the same product, you can buy it online (about $5 about in bulk) if you really want it.
(for archival purposes – product discontinued since writing this)
Trader Joe’s Brown Rice Medley – “A delicious blend of long grain brown rice, black barley and daikon seeds”
This is a tasty improvement over plain brown rice. A blend and tasty mix of parboiled brown rice plus two slightly unusual additions – black barley and daikon seeds. Who even knew you can eat daikon seeds? I didn’t until discovering this product.
When I cooked up this rice blend for the first time, it got a seal of approval from both myself and my wife as it made an interesting, nutty tasting rice side dish. However I found Trader Joe’s instructions need a tiny bit of modification regarding liquid amounts. I suggest less liquid than they say on the package. So instead of the 2 1/2 cups they state I say try 2 1/4 cups of water or stock (to 1 cup of rice). For a ratio of slightly more than 2:1. Also if using just water, you should add a bit a salt. Butter is a good idea. Letting it sit (without peeking!) at the end for 10 minutes is important so all the liquid gets fully absorbed. Fluff up with a fork when done. Hitting this with a little more butter is a good too. Possibly some chopped parsley? Serve with your favorite main. Its $1.99 for a 1 pound bag. Worth trying. PS If you find it a bit too cooked for your tastes or mushy, the next time you make it reduce the cooking to 30 minutes (instead of the 35 mins written on the package). The brown rice in this has been par-boiled. Normally regular brown rice needs about 45 minutes.
NB: This post has gotten more Comments then any other post! A lot of people have written in to complain about this item being discontinued. One reader found it available from another supplier online (though at a pretty steep price !). Read through the Comments for the details
Alternatives: TJ’s BROWN JASMINE RICE & BROWN BASMATI RICE– regular brown rice just takes 10 more minutes than this mix which had parboiled rice. Also consider TJ’s WILD RICE; you can cook some brown rice and blend it with cooked wild rice for another good rice blend. ALSO – They have an excellent rice blend called HARVEST GRAIN BLEND this is good on it’s own or blend some of that cooked with cooked brown rice.
I did locate “DAIKON SEEDS” on Amazon. I don’t see why you couldn’t mix these into brown rice? Here’s a link to the DAIKON SEEDS (Amazon)
Rated “While not anywhere equal to kimchi you would get at a Korean supermarket it’s OK in a pinch, especially for cooking with, and it’s pretty cheap for kimchi!”
(Review Update: I tried it again (Dec 2023). I found it improved. TJ’s kimchi has gotten a little better since I first wrote this review. While still not top notch kimchi, it’s not bad – especially factoring in the price which you can not beat)
Yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut and kimchi are all fermented foods with probiotic benefits. So in addition to being being tasty as side dish or an ingredient, kimchi is a healthy food teaming with probiotics and worth adding to your diet.
My wife is Korean/Japanese. We try to always have some kimchi in our fridge. Personally I love me some kimchi. I like it so much, during Covid I even tried my hand at making it myself (and actually it turned out great.)
From my wife and my in-laws I’ve learned to tell what’s good kimchi. My wife says Trader Joe’s is “just OK”. She will eat it if its the only kind we have in the house but she much prefers to buy kimchi at H-Mart. So lets’ get this out of the way immediately. Their kimchi is way better than Trader Joe’s. It cost more though.
I can tell you the kimchi from HMart is great. It was no doubt made locally, and trucked in which probably took no more than one or two hours. In contrast, Trader Joe’s kimchi is Made in Korea. Which sounds good but think about how is it shipped to the U.S. By Air or Sea?. I’m guessing with the time to get it to the U.S, its taken some time and fermented more which is OK for Kimchi if you want it a bit aged. It just may not be as fresh a kimchi as you might buy H-Mart (when you open a jar of that, you can tell it’s pretty new-ish as the HMart one has a a firm crunchy texture and bright color. If you check out this site, it has pictures of Kimchi over time, from one day old to fifty days old; you will really see what happens to it. Compare the “Day 50” to “Day 1” kimchi to see what occurs as it ferments more.
With this Trader Joe’s kimchi, the texture of the napa cabbage is a bit soft, the green quite faded.Kimchi is a “living” food that continues to ferment, even in the fridge which slows down but does not stop fermentation.
My wife and I think in a pinch a jar of Trader Joe’s kimchi is OK. As we like having some kimchi in the house we say “it’s better than no kimchi”. Generally what we do with TJ’s kimchi is use it for cooking and kind of think that’s what you should too – but of course you can just eat it as-is. Just realize this kimchi is nowhere as good as say the excellent Tobagi brand kimchi one can buy at H-Mart. However that stuff is now crazy expensive! This kimchi is a bargain comparitively.
In the past in Korea, kimchi was almost typically all home made, though modern Korean families mostly buy it these days, unless Mom or Grandma makes it. In Korea of course one can buy very good commercially made, very fresh kimchi. Here in the US you can find good kimchi at Asian markets for example H-Mart. Kimchi is tricky to distribute because it is alive and highly perishable. It keeps fermenting. We once bought a jar at Whole Foods of a crazy expensive, “Mother In Law’s Kimchi”. When we opened it up, the kimchi exploded out of the jar like a shook-up can of Coke! Jeez, it had really fermented and built up pressure. It made an enormous mess of our entire kitchen and took us about an hour to clean up. On top of which we didn’t find it at all worth the high price ($14?) at Whole Foods.
Historically Trader Joe’s has tried their hand selling Kimchi a few times, in different packages (see above). Over the last few years, I would notice some kimchi at Trader Joe’s but it changed or vanished? Either they discontinued it for a spell or maybe they were finding other vendors, changing the packaging, or all of the above. Before TJ’s current version sold in this red plastic jar, they sold kimchi in a plastic pouch (see link) and then in a glass jar. This current version is the third incarnation/package I can recall. I have never been too impressed with TJ’s Kimchi usually giving it a “well its OK”. My short review of this TJ’s latest kimchi attempt remains that: “well it’s OK”. Let’s face it, this kimchi was shipped (by air?) all the way from Korea, probably landed in California, then it has to be distributed by truck all over the US.
In reality TJ’s kimchi is nowhere near to a kimchi you will find at almost any Asian market, like H-MART (wow, see how many kinds H-MART has?!) If you have the chance to buy some at an Asian market, that would be a good base line to compare this to.
On the plus side Trader Joe’s Spicy Fermented Napa Cabbage Kimchi does have a tangy fermented taste (from lactic acid, which interestingly is even listed as an ingredient?) It doesn’t list any fish products (oysters, squid, or fish sauce) for more Umami like many top brands have, meaning TJ’s kimchi is VEGETARIAN/VEGAN. Is it “Spicy” ? I don’t find it spicy at all, like most kimchi is, though I imagine this is a highly personal taste. Trader Joe’s kimchi is kind of already what I would call just a shade “old” meaning it’s like a Korean supermarket kimchi that we bought say 2-3 weeks ago that had now become more fermented as it sits in our fridge. As kimchi ages and ferments more the taste gets a little more sour, it gets softer, and the green color fades a bit. What we do at this point is we say let’s make something with it. Use it to cook in a dish, for example to make a kimchi fried rice, or maybe “Soon Dubu” (kimchi tofu stew) or Kimchi Pork (Buta Kimchi).
I’m glad TJ’s is at least selling Kimchi and Korean foods like the TTeok Bok Ki. And Jap Chae (both are not bad) or the Korean rice cakes.
So to sum up if you can’t get a really good Kimchi from a Korean store, Trader Joe’s kimchi will do in a pinch. It’s price is amazing (still $4 in 2023) – kimchi in Asian supermarkets has gone up so much, its crazy expensive.
Try TJ’s kimchi with your Pot Stickers. I say cook with it, certainly use this with some leftover rice for some kimchi fried rice, with a fried egg on top. Some more ideas to use the TJ’s kimchi in dishes:
You could make a Kimchi Jigae (kimchi stew) with tofu and kimchi and pork. Tip: TJ’s pork tenderloin is good for this.
This is a very good Kimchi (TOBAGI sliced cabbage kimchi). Bon Appetit reviewed a bunch of kimchi brands and Tobagi was one of them. Its available at HMart if you can get to one; try some really good kimchi and you will understand the difference
DIY Kimchi! No, seriously! I’ve made kimchi. Its good. There are easy kimchi versions that are not terribly hard to make. If you buy a few ingredients at a Korean market you can make your own kimchi and I bet the result will be better than TJ’s kimchi not too mention you will feel like a star when you impress people casually tossing out “You like this kimchi? I made it myself”. Aaron & Claire on YouTube have a great “easy kimchi” recipe using regular cabbage (it’s a kind of “summer kimchi”). I made it and my (Korean-Japanese) wife who has always said the TJ kimchi is at best “meh” told me the cabbage kimchi I made based on Aaron & Claire’s recipe was the best kimchi she had in the U.S. (she was just so impressed this white guy – me – made some good kimchi)
Seriously, if you want a good kimchi, you will be surprised that you can make kimchi yourself. Thanks, Aaron & Claire for a super recipe, and you will find lots of other ones on Youtube and online. I’ve learned so much watching Aaron cook.
You can find toasted Sesame Oil at Trader Joe’s as well as GOCHUJANG (red chili paste) It’s a must have ingredient to do Korean cooking. As well as Korean Red Pepper Flakes (Gochugaru) – needed for making kimchi
TJ’s Pasta Emporium Gnocchi. “Autentico Italiano”.Made in Italy.Shelf stable package.
These gnocchi are one of my favorite TJ items. They are so handy. I almost always pick up a pack every time I go so I have one in the pantry. Available in the pasta section, these packages of TJ’s POTATO GNOCCHI are terrific and a bargain at just $1.69 (1.1 lbs). The package is shelf stable and can last months in your pantry (you could store them in your fridge if you like but you don’t have to). I probably usually use them within about 1-3 months? The cooked gnocchi have a pleasantly chewy texture, which you can accentuate even more by pan frying them (see below), one way I recommend cooking them.
COOKING: Simply toss these into boiling salted water for about 3 minutes and they’re ready to serve with your favorite sauce. They will float to the top of the water when done. Perhaps even better I’ve found is one can boil them for 1 minute, drain, them throw them in a non-stick or cast iron pan with 2 tablespoons of EVOO to pan fry them until they are golden brown. The crispier texture from this is terrific. Actually an even easier way which I discovered and clearly others have figured out too, is you don’t even have to boil them at all. You can just pan fry them without the boiling. The even chewier crispy texture is great.
PAN FRIED GNOCCHI: Just toss these gnocchi right into a pan with 1-2 tbl. of olive oil and pan fry them until browned on all sides, stirring occasionally. I do a variation on this. I put 2 tbls of EVOO (or even nicer, a mix of half oil and half butter) in a black cast iron (or nonstick pan). Get the oil hot on med. heat until it shimmers. Toss in these gnocchi and stir till coated. COVER THE PAN. Cook covered 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. They kind of pan fry & steam at the same time for the best of both worlds. After 5 minutes or so, take off the cover and continue pan-frying till GDB (Golden Brown and Delicious) maybe another 5-10 minutes.
What to serve with them for a sauce? Almost anything you can think of which you would do for pasta. Of course great with with your favorite TJ tomato or marinara sauce. TJ’s jarred Pesto works quite well with these. It can even be as simple as just butter and grated cheese plus some black pepper, a kind of Cacio E Pepe. Speaking of which – In TJ’s C&P sauce! Or get inventive. In the photos below you will see I cooked them with greens (swiss chard but you can use any greens like kale, spinach, arugula…) I used lots of garlic and lots of grated Rosemary Asiago *. The gnocchi were delicious with greens. Of course any Italian cheese works Parmigiano, Pecorino, Asiago) even some Mozz cut into cubes to melt in. I had these last week with some leftover Bolognese sauce I had in the freezer and they were simply amazing with Bolognese sauce. TJ’s even has a vegan bolognese sauce.
Are these better than the frozen Kale and other Gnocchi? For me actually they kind of are and frankly these are half the price of the frozen gnocchi which I feel don’t have the same textural integrity when cooked this way (pan fried) though I could experiment some more.
Anyway if you never tried these packaged Gnocchi, check them out. I can’t tell you how many times when we “had nothing in the house to eat” I found we had a package of these in the pantry and then had a dinner ready in 20 minutes for a few dollars.
Pan fried Gnocchi with Swiss Chard and Asiago
*RECIPE : PAN FRIED GNOCCHI with Swiss Chard & Rosemary Asiago Cheese – Separate leaves and stems from Swiss Chard. Cook the cut stems with 3 cloves of garlic smashed until tender in olive oil. Remove greens from pan then into same pan, toss in a pack of gnocchi with a tablespoon of EVOO and 1 tbl butter. Cook covered as discussed above till browned all over. Now add back the swiss chard plus chopped up leaves. Cook and toss around in pan till leaves are cooked till your liking. Toss in some chopped parsley or arugula. Season to taste with a little salt, sprinkle of lemon juice and lots of black pepper (optionally – a spoon of BOMBA) Grate a few ounces of Asiago, Pecorino or Parmigiano over all and drizzle with good EVOO. Serve 2 as dinner or 4 as a side.
(Can substitute Kale, Arugula, Spinach or any green)
I think these are just delicious. These are my new favorite snacks. Crunchy… we’re talking Super Super Crunchy. They are a “PRODUCT OF PERU”. From a variety of Inca Corn called “Choclo“. which has HUGE kernels, grown way up in the Andes Mountains. It says only three ingredients, CORN, oil, salt. OK, I wish the oil wasn’t palm oil but still very simple, with only 3 ingredients with the main one of course being just corn. That’s pretty Natural and probably way healthier snacks to munch on I think say compared to your potato chips.
Trader Joe’s Roasted Golden Flax Seeds (whole seeds) – “Naturally rich in Omega-3, Lignans and Dietary Fiber”
You may know that flax seeds are probably one of the healthiest things you can eat. We’re talking Super Food healthy ! For one thing flax seeds are loaded with Omega-3 fatty acids and are high in protein and fiber. Heart health: studies have shown just by eating 2 tablespoons of flax seeds a day, they can lower blood pressure 10-20 points. Personally every day I eat 2 spoons of flax seeds, which I grind up and mix with yogurt and/or soy milk in my breakfast cereal. I add some chia seeds to boot! You can also put theses in your smoothies.
Up to now I bought flax seeds (raw) in Bulk at a health food store. Then I saw these Roasted Flax Seeds at Trader Joe’s. After trying them I decided these are better tasting than the other ones. Why? Roasting them definitely improves the flavor of flax seeds making them more nutier tasting and crunchier.
You can either eat them whole or grind them up (coffee grinder or morter and pestle). You can sprinkle flax seeds on your morning cereal, put them into baked goods and sneak them into foods like baked goods as well as add them to your smoothies.
Trader Joe’s Channa Masala (spiced chick peas with onions, tomato and spices)
Vegetarian
Trader Joe’s has quite a number of very good Indian foods in Frozen. Many of them are worth exploring, but this is one of my favorites. The next time you are thinking of an “Indian food night” I would definitely recommend checking this dish out.
Trader Joe’s frozen “Channa Masala” is very flavorful and very authentic tasting. Whenever I eat this I usually think, this could have been delivered from an Indian restaurant. That is how well spiced the dish is.
To cook it, you can either heat it in the microwave or you could cook it on the stove which is the way I usually do it. I let it defrost for about a 1/2 hour, then slip the frozen puck out of the package and put in a pan with a tablespoon of water. I always eat this with Naan or TJ’s excellent Malabari Paratha and Basmati Rice.
PS – no one says you can’t add something to this. I often add something ; for example frozen spinach or some packaged “greens” (kale, etc) then another pat of butter. This variation with added greens is an excellent combo.
$1.99 (10 oz package). Higher now due to price increases.
OMG, these are SO blody good! Another simply brilliant condiment from TJ’s something Trader Joe’s seems especially good at coming up with. Slices of picked jalapeños sweetened with organic cane sugar added to make them Hot & Sweet which makes for an even improved version over TJ’s regular pickled jalapeños (also excellent). First off yes these are SPICY HOT ! Hotter than the regular TJ pickled jalapeños. There are whole dried red chilis in the jar plus it says pureed jalapeños also to ramp up the heat level. We just adore these. We put them on so many things. My wife and I dream up new ideas for things to put these on. Last night we put them on top of grilled hamburgers (on toasted brioche bread). Ok this is a no-brainer and of course they were freakin’ delicious on hamburgers… or hot dogs or sausages or sandwiches. For breakfast this morning I put a few slices of these hot and sweet babies on my toasted bagel with cottage cheese. They went perfectly with the mellow cottage cheese to spice up something that otherwise would be pretty boring, so these are a Great Combo.
The bottle has good suggestions on the label, such as add them chopped up to your guacamole. For that matter add some chopped up on top of your avocado toast! Grilled cheese? Oh yes, these go perfectly put some in with the cheese before you grill them so they mix into that melted cheese (chopped or whole if you want big spicy bites). Scrambled eggs? Oh yes, again delicious. Ditto with cream cheese and crackers. Brilliant. Especially with the Red Chili Crackers. For nachos? Another no-brainer. Finally do not ignore TJ’s suggestion about not wasting that leftover juice in the bottle for using in marinades. This hot and spicy pickle juice is amazing. I keep of bottle of just that in the fridge.
Here’s just one idea: SPICY CHICKEN – Marinate BONELESS CHICKEN (BREASTS or THIGHS) in the spicy juice for 30-60 minutes (or overnight in the fridge). Drain and grill them with a generous sprinkle of Ajika Georgian seasoning. When done, spoon a little extra spicy syrup on top of the finished grilled breasts with their own pan juices. Dot with a few slices of the jalapeños. You’re welcome.
Wait up, what….?!!! Trader Joe’s sells place mats? Yeah you read that right. These place mats recently appeared in the New Products “home goods” area at my TJ. Looking at them they so totally say “IKEA” cool to me. These intrigued me, then reading the label about how they’re made from “Supernatural Paper” (!) that really got me interested. Honestly I’m always intrigued that TJ’s has any home goods type things at all. They seem to especially appear around the holidays (I slightly regret not getting some olive wood bowls and cutting boards I saw last Xmas but they were a bit pricey even for TJ’s, but they looked beautiful and handmade). Anyway since we needed to replace some old place mats and these were just $10 bucks for a set of 4, I just grabbed them in kind of an impulse buy. I picked a darkish color out of the 4-5 colors on offer as I thought this darker grey / green color would hide dirt best. These mats are on the thin side meaning when you pick up a glass that was on them you may see a little ring depression where it was, but it brushed out easily by just swiping it with my fingers. They have what I might call all kind of faux leather texture. Feels a little like thick waxed rubbery paper? I believe there are two pieces sown together. “MADE WITH SUPERNATURAL PAPER (cellulose and latex). Latex = rubber. They say “CAN BE WASHED” (hand wash separately). I think I will avoid that if possible, and just wipe/wash them daily. Wiping them clean with a soapy sponge seems to work fine. I had a little stain from some food and just wiped the mat with a damp rag with a little soap and that took off the stain as I hoped. So the rubbery, waxy covering seems to work. I like them for a change from our textile place mats. My wife complained about the white stitching they have on the edges but that doesn’t bother me at all, I kind of like it. They have a funky feel going on…in a good Ikea way. The more I have used them and lived with them I have grown to like them more and really dig the funky Ikea-ness of these.
If you see them, check them out at least with a feel and see what you think. They are $10 for set of 4 mats ($2.50 each) and come in about 5 or 6 colors. Personally I would lean to the dark / earthy colors for hiding stains.
Trader Joe’s JUST BEETS 100% juice plus a splash of lemon
“Naturally sweetened with a subtle earthiness” As the name says this is “100% pure beet juice pressed from whole beets (with just a hint of lemon from concentrate)”. Trader Joe’s carries this in the refrigerated drinks section, so it’s fresh. Kind of what you might get if you went into one of those fancy juice bars except this was not made right in front of you by a cool tattooed up Juice Guy with a goatee throwing beets into a juicer who charges you seven bucks plus a tip. Still I think this tastes fresh enough so that if you shook it up hard, put it in a carryout cup with a cover, told me you just bought this from a cool tattooed juice guy I would probably have no reason to think otherwise 😉 Though it has a pretty long “good by” date, I think it tastes best within 3-5 days after you open the bottle so I drink it within a few days. Personally I would not down the whole bottle in one sitting. I have a nice big shot glass of this every day (3-4 oz?). The label states 80 calories in 8 oz. You get 20 oz for $3.99 which is probably less than that fancy juice bar would charge.
I love beets. I like this juice. It’s healthy and good for you, and drinking this every day can help lower your blood pressure! Just remember later in the bathroom to relax and think “Oh yeah I had those beets today.” You know what I mean, you are OK and not peeing blood. Beets do that to you.
RAVE
Update (Summer 2022) Unfortunately this seems to have been discontinued. If one reason you bought the beet juice was to control blood pressure as I did here’s a useful tip for a substitute : drink 3 cups of HIBISCUS TEA daily. I do. I like this brand I get on Amazon https://amzn.to/3CLECHc
Hibiscus is known to be a natural safe product that reduces blood pressure. Fact Google it.
Trader Joe’s HABANERO LIME FLOUR TORTILLAS ($2.69, 17 oz package of 10)
Some countries have regional food “divides”. For example traditionally in Mexico in the North they lean towards using flour tortillas (Tortillas de Harina) while in Southern Mexico mostly they prefer corn (Tortillas de maiz). I generally prefer corn tortillas as they’re more flavorful and have a chewier texture especially when cooked. Still sometimes I buy flour tortillas as they have certain qualities that make them useful for some things. For one, flour tortillas are softer and more pliable so easier to fold. They are usually bigger too so can hold more ingredients inside which is why they are used for burritos. They can also be used for sandwich “wraps” too. Trader Joe’s HABANERO LIME FLOUR TORTILLAS are an interesting choice as they bring a bit of flavor to the tortilla. These have a little bit of heat in them from habanero chiles, plus a bit of lime flavor. They have a lovely color, tinted reddish orange from anatto seed (a natural food coloring). Package says “MEDIUM HOT” but remember when you add fillings that moderates the spicy level.
Last night, I made Quesadillas (vegetarian actually) for dinner with these Habanero/Lime tortillas. Filling was: Pepper Jack Cheese, Soy Chorizo and TJ’s Refried Salsa Pinto Beans (which I gussied up*). Topping of avocado, tomato, more cheese and Green Dragon Sauce… More Refritos on the side…. They were really tasty!
TIP – Out of the can, TJ’s Salsa Pinto Refried Beans are really boring. They need a little work if you want them to have some taste. I add olive oil, oregano, cumin, chile powder and a little Green Dragon or Zhoug. Cuban Style Spice Blend works great with these or any beans. Warm frijole refritos over low heat, stirring often so the bottom doesnt burn. Some cheese on top is nice!
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Trader Joe’s Rants & Raves (mostly raves, a few rants) 
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