Could it be magic (Maggi Magic Meals trial)

Before the loooong weekend came to an end, i found myself rushing to the supermarket to grab stuff for my week's meals. Like any other curious shopper, I do the zigzag from one lane to another checking out things that are new and interesting to try.

This week's catch is the Maggi Magic Meals mix, having been brought up with a Bicolana cook, the Bicol Express was my instant choice. It also comes in Afritada (i think) and Chicken Pastel (which i'll try next time) and other selections I didn't get to. 

Maggi Magic Meals is a magical gift especially for those who always dare to multi-task and have a decent meal as the cooking procedure to be employed here is simply cut and mix ingredients together with the flavor powder, bag it up and cook  together with rice either by rice cooker or the age-old kaldero method.

The package which costs P35 contains a heat-resistant plastic and recipe mix powder good for 1/2 kilo of pork. While it may be formulated for pork meat, i differed by using chicken breast.

After dicing and throwing in slivers of Baguio beans in the bag, i threw in the recipe mix and added 1/4 cup of water.

 Because I don't always trust recipe books or any kind of cooking instructions, i seasoned my mix with pepper and a few pinches of crushed chili. I don't keep fresh peppers in my fridge as I end up spoiling them. Keeping crushed dried pepper or chili in oil are the best alternatives so that anytime you crave for something spicy hot, you got something to grab off the shelf.

When everything's in, seal up the bag by tying a knot. Give it a little airspace so as to  allow laying it flat atop the uncooked rice. What the package did not say was that the allowance you have to give should be just enough to accommodate the steam that the bag will produce. In my case, i sealed it up high, the steam lifted the lid, letting steam escape. 

Aside from the airspace, what needs to be considered is the amount of rice in the pot and the size of the pot. I have a significantly small rice cooker pot which is in no way Maggi's fault, but we all learn things the hard way sometimes. I had to rescue my rice from dehydration at one point by adding water to replace those that spilled over,  and transfer my Bicol Express bag  and leave it to cook in a pot of boiling water.

My rice is fine and so is my Magic Chicken Bicol Express. The finished product does taste like what it's supposed to be though I like it more with a little more coco milk. The gata texture is of course, not as superb, a little starchy. It turned out a little hotter than I expected from the chili flakes i put in,but suits my taste just fine. 

Upside:

Technically less work with no sauteeing required. There's no need to chop spices and if you're place is as tiny as mine, the smell of food hanging over your tiny room is not gonna be a trouble you have to sniff through.

Downside:
The coco milk sauce texture is starchy, has artificial written all over it