I'm back to bring you all yet another Delightful Bites post-a product I was recently introduced to that brought back joyous memories of my childhood. The product: Bak Kwa, the company: Little Red Dot Kitchen. I first heard about this company through Love With Food, when they were one of the March sponsor-and I couldn't have been more excited. For those that don't know what bak kwa (Southeast Asian Charcuterie) is, it's Chinese salty-sweet dried meat product similar to jerky, made in the form of flat thin sheets using a delicate balance of various seasonings. Walk around any market in an Asian country, and you'll see dozens of bak kwa (or rou gan) stores amongst others. I would know-I've grown up eating them for years :). At the Little Red Dot Kitchen, they pride themselves on creating some of the best darn bak kwa you'll ever taste, and are changing the way Americans eat jerky forever. Made in small batches with domestic meats, local and organic ingredients, it doesn't get better than that. Oh wait! Yes it does! LRDK also prides themselves on keeping their bak kwas all-natural (no fructose, no MSG, no artificial food coloring or preservatives), something that sets them apart from most of the markets in Asia.
Let's get started:
❀3-Flavor Bak Kwa Sampler ($18.95) & the NEW Chipotle Beef Bak Kwa. Each bag contained 3 oz each-but they're also sold in 1/2lb bagsfor $12.45 for those that can't get enough
❀Lite BBQ Pork Bak Kwa
❀BBQ Pork Bak Kwa
❀BBQ Turkey Bak Kwa
❀Spicy Chipotle Beef Bak Kwa (NEWEST Summer flavor to be released)
❀Close up of the meaty goodness-great for eating alone, toasting, and adding to salads
❀Delicious BBQ Pork Bak Kwa
❀Yummy Chipotle Beef Bak Kwa
❀PACKAGING: Ridiculously cute and playful-even though I'm in my mid-20's, the little cartoon animals on their packaging is absolutely ADORABLE, especially the cow adorned with a sombrero. Even before opening each bag of bak kwa itself, I smiled so big at how cute the animals were. That's not the only thing though-I have the biggest packaging obsession, and thanks to Little Red Dot Kitchen (we'll just say LRDK from now on), that obsession just grew so much more. Shout outs go out to the person who designed it! The colors used just go so well together and are neutral, but also stand out and are eye-catching without using bright and crazy neon colors. The font chosen, their logo, everything-it's just so nice and different from anything I've seen. Also, to keep up with their Southeast Asian products, I really like how they incorporate the red color throughout. For those of you who don't know, in the Chinese culture, the color red symbolizes fortune, luck & joy, and is a common color associated and used during holidays, big celebrations and other joyous occasions. My favorite holiday-Chinese New Year ;). Red envelopes filled with money, traditional red dresses (qi pao), and just simply enjoying the company of my other Chinese relatives, it's the best! Lastly, if you've stopped by my blog before, you know how I've continuously mentioned how I love it when companies have clear packaging? Well, that's exactly what their products come in. A little window is provided so you can see how much love goes and grilling goes into each of their bak kwa products, in addition to all the other playful aspects I talked about earlier.
❀TASTE: W-O-W. Did I get teleported back to Taiwan? Yup, after snacking on the BBQ Pork Bak Kwa first, I literally felt like I transported back to the night markets in Taiwan. I used to visit family in Taiwan every other summer when I was younger, but the last time I took a trip back there was in 2008, which is only four years ago, but still feels like forever. Anyways, I've grown up eating bak kwa (or in Chinese, rou gan) for as long as I can remember. More specifically, the BEST bak kwa I remember having was at Shilin Night Market in Taipei. Freshly grilled, aromas that could cause you to drool more than Pavlov's dogs-that was the same reaction I got after eating LRDK's bak kwa . While these bak kwas taste fantastic already straight from the package, pop a few of them in your oven for about five minutes, I guarantee that you and your tastebuds will feel like they're in a whole new world, literally. It was so hard to narrow down my favorites! But I LOVED the BBQ Pork (Regular & Lite)/BBQ Turkey and Chipotle Beef (in that order). The BBQ Pork was reminiscent of the BBQ pork flavor you'll find at dim sum restaurants/Chinese food courts. It's sweet, savory, and juicy. The bak kwa was full of flavor, soft, and moist. You can taste the grilled-ness to it, and the richness of the spices that go into each slice. I was quite sad though because by the time I looked down, it was gone already, which says something. Luckily, I tore open into the Lite bag, which was a little less saltier, but just as delicious nonetheless. Next, the Turkey bak kwa was pleasant as well. Personally, I couldn't tell the difference between the texture of the pork or the turkey, but my sister said she could, as the turkey is a bit firmer. All the BBQ flavors were winners in my book and that's all that mattered. Lastly, the Chipotle Beef was also a flavor I've never encountered before. Surprisingly, I grew up eating mainly pork rou gan, not beef. So this was a relatively new to me-I really liked that it wasn't super spicy, but had just the right kick where you get a little heat from the chipotle packed into each tender bite of beef. The beef flavor was my parent's favorite flavor, which is funny considering they're both "Ox" in the Chinese zodiac. Definitely NOWHERE near your typical American beef jerky, where it's so dried out and full of sodium, you need an entire gallon of soda to wash it down. Ahhh-I'm so glad I get my own little piece of Taiwan for 1/1000th of the cost and in the comforts of my own home. All the flavors are truly winners. And don't forget-WARM IT UP! It makes all the difference, especially if you want to experience the aromas like those ladies and gents at the Little Red Dot Kitchen do. Just be prepared and have a bowl catching your drool-you'll need it ;).
❀RANDOM: These make great gifts for any man in your life or for anybody in general. The sampler pack is great because it lets you try their three most popular flavors all-in-one, so that once you decide which flavor you like the best, you can buy the 1/2 bag of it. If you have any friends or family members who are homesick, more specifically from an Asian country, grab them some of these delicious bak kwa and they'll love you forever! These are incredible, if not better than most of the places you find in the actual company! Don't be fooled by the Asian supermarkets selling packs of rou gan, those are more than likely processed with tons of fillers and just are not a good experience overall. The four bags I received disappeared in three days-my entire family was a huge fan of them and we can't wait to get our hands on some more.
Wanna get your hands on some bak kwa?
Check them out here: Little Red Dot Kitchen
They're also at various Farmers Markets in the Bay Area/NorCal
Show them some social media lovin':
Go & get your meat on, or in this case BAK KWA on!
-Sandy
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