Piquant Post is a monthly subscription box that offers a variety of freshly ground, small batch spice blends with their very own chef developed recipes that feature a new region each month.
This is a review of the $11.99 monthly plan.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About Piquant Post
The Subscription Box: Piquant Post
The Cost: $11.99 a month, $65.94 for 6 month pre-pay, or $119.88 for 12 month pre-pay.
ACTIVE DEAL: First Order 10% off. No coupon needed - just use this link.
The Products: 4 spice blends from a single region or country, 4 chef-developed recipes showcasing each of the spice blends, plus online access to recipes and ingredient substitutes.
Ships to: Worldwide with free U.S. shipping
Piquant Post December 2017 Review
Each box comes with four spice blends and coordinating recipe cards. Let's get into this month's spices!
Bali BBQ Spice
Our first spice blend was created based on inspiration from the native crops and flavors found in Bali. A major crop found in Bali is arabica coffee beans, which is the main ingredient in this spice blend. You aren't hit with a coffee smell at first, instead, it is more of a nutty aroma. Next to the blend is smoked paprika, coriander, garlic, ginger, nutmeg, star anise, onion powder, cloves, and cayenne pepper. This really packs the spice and smokey flavors, perfect for a smoked meat on the grill.
Balinese Pork Recipe
This recipe is quick and super easy but yields an incredibly juicy piece of pork. I am constantly looking for new ways to cook pork and to test my overall skills in the kitchen, and this recipe seemed to be the perfect challenge for me. Let's get cooking!
I started off by adding some brown sugar to my spice blend. Mix it all together and make sure you get any lumps out from the brown sugar otherwise, you will really taste that over the spices.
Rub it all into your pork chops! I got a boneless cut, but I am sure this would work really well with bone in.
The instructions say 3 to 4 minutes on each side, but I did 3 since my cuts were a bit thin. Then, I popped my skillet directly into the oven for 10 minutes. That's it! Prepare for your house to be filled with a delicious smokey coffee smell.
The final product, a delicious and juicy piece of pork! This recipe was so easy but really was a crowd pleaser. I know I will be keeping this recipe in my back pocket for a long time now. The spice blend itself is extra smokey which is great for a cut of meat like a pork or a steak. There are hints of spice and a light sweetness, plus if you added that brown sugar you get that lovely crystal sugar coating. Such a fun recipe!
Turmeric Gold Spice
It seems as though turmeric is a growing trend for its obvious health benefits. Even though I have been cooking with turmeric for a while now, I am always looking for new spice combinations and fresh recipes. This particular blend has the lovely qualities of turmeric with some added sweetness from nutmeg and cinnamon. I love when you get hints of sweetness in a spice blend like this! You can use this blend on pretty much everything, in a curry dish, on fish, on a meat, you name it. That is why I love turmeric so much!
Coconut Turmeric Cauliflower Recipe
This recipe is healthy and super quick to make. I could see myself making this in advance to eat for lunch throughout the week, or you could make this and add chicken or shrimp with rice. If you aren't a fan of cauliflower, this sauce is pretty versatile so you could add it to any vegetable or meat. I love the spice mixed into the coconut milk, which creates this sweet spice like a traditional curry dish.
Satay Spice
Satay is a well-known style of cooking grilled meats in Indonesia. So this blend is meant to help bring out any of your grilled meat dishes, and something you can use on so many different cuts of meat! This particular blend of Satay is made with coriander, nutmeg, cumin, paprika, garlic, ginger, white pepper, and turmeric. A great blend of spices with a little bit of sweet!
Chicken Satay Recipe
According to the Piquant Post Blog, Satay is the national dish of Indonesia. This traditional recipe uses skewers and the Satay spice with a wonderful dipping sauce that really adds a ton of flavor to the chicken. The recipe calls to make the chicken in the oven with it on broil, but I think I am going to save this recipe again for the summer when I can grill the chicken skewers.
Instead of cooking the satay recipe, I did a little creating on my own. I simply added the spice rub to chicken stripes and let them marinate for about four hours. Then I added a little water to my baking dish and popped it into the oven at 410 degrees for 20 minutes. Then, I added the chicken to a pan of rice and black beans, topped with a little hot sauce and this was good to go! I really love trying new recipes in the kitchen and these spice blends allow me to really get creative. I was so happy with how this dish turned out, and the spice blend really added a whole level of flavors. Sweet with a lot of spice!
Bumbu Bali Spice
This blend is a take on the "Bumbu Bali" spice paste that is traditionally made with hand ground dried spices and lemongrass, shallots, garlic, ginger, and fermented shrimp paste. Even though this blend is just a take on that, it doesn't lack on the flavor at all! This blend includes turmeric, coriander, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, cayenne pepper, cumin, white pepper, and bay leaves. Wow, that is a lot and you can really taste the unique blend of spices. I really loved how this provided some sweetness, but then you really got big kicks of spiciness that lingers!
Noodle Stir-Fry Recipe
Our final recipe for the month is this Indonesian noodle stir-fry that you can customize really any way you like! You can add various veggies or a different protein to make it multiple ways time and time again. Plus, the spice blend for this recipe is packed full of heat that really lingers as you eat. Adding ramen, shrimp, egg, and sprouts is the way I would go with this recipe, and then once you add that spice blend you will have a show-stopping meal on your hands!
Verdict: Piquant Post is such a unique box that has really encouraged my creativity in the kitchen! Each spice packet comes already mixed for you, but the ingredients are listed on the back that if you wanted to recreate later you absolutely could. I love how each of the recipes is unique yet friendly, I am never nervous to make a Piquant Post dish! As an added bonus, you really get a great look into the history behind each spice and recipe from the cards or by visiting the Piquant Post blog.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, order by 1/14 to receive the January box!
Coupon - Use code MSA15OFF to save 15% off your first box!
Value Breakdown: This box costs $11.99 with free U.S. shipping, and I received a total of 4 spices. That means that the average value for each of those items is around $3 (not counting the recipe cards). While I did love this month's spices and recipes, I still feel that the overall value is a bit high. It is unlike many other food boxes where you do need to purchase extra ingredients to make each recipe. However, I see the overall value in building your recipe box, and learning how to cook and blend different spices together for a really unique style of cooking.
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Have you received the Piquant Post box? What did you think of the December spices?
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