Merchant GourmetMango, Chilli & Lime Wholegrain Microwave Rice - Pack of 6 x 250g Pouches

this product comes inside of a cardboard box, inside the box you'll find 6x of these 250 gram Microwaveable rice pouches, this flavour is Tomato & Basil, the flavour isn't "popping" out, it's very subtle and I like it this way.The packaging if the individual pouches is of amazing quality, it's very difficult to accidently burst one of these open, it has a small tear on both sides of the top of the pouch, this is so you can open it slightly to cook it.make sure you break up the chunks before opening the pouch, otherwise the rice will be heated extremely unevenlyI have a 900w microwave, I opened the pouch a tiny bit and put it in the microwave for 1 Minute 30 Seconds, this was a perfect amount of time for it to heat up, I served it in a bowl and tasted. I was expecting the flavour to "pop out", but it didn't. the flavour is more subtle and to be honest, I prefer it this way. I was also surprised at how filling this product is, usually rice pouches don't fill me up, but this had enough in there for it to be a nice meal for lunch.This product is also vegetarian/vegan, which is another upside, it is slightly on the pricier side, but is worth it (around £2 per pouch of rice)overall, I definitely recommend it, nice meal, very filling.

This pack of x6 250g pouches of microwaveable rice arrived in a branded cardboard box which is easily recycled. The rice that I received was the sunblush tomato and basil wholegrain rice and it has a nice balanced flavour from the slow roasted tomatoes combined with the fragrant aromatic taste from the basil. Neither of these ingredients overwhelm the overall dish and I found it to be very tasty.The rice is made up from 43% wholegrain rice and 34% white rice of which both are a great source of fibre and are low in both fat and sugar. At 191 calories per serving this is an ideal option as part of a healthy balanced meal. One pack is ideal as a side dish for two people or could be used by one person as the main component of a meal.The rice is very easy to cook and can be done in either the microwave or on the hob and can be eaten both hot or cold. The pouches are easy to open with a tear mark at the top and I like the clear packaging with the recipe suggestion on the back. It is suitable for both vegans and vegetarians and has a good shelf life too (about 22 months from the date of receiving).Priced at £12 at the time of reviewing, this works out at £2 per pouch which although quite pricey is reasonable due to the good quality ingredients and ease of convenience – I would definitely recommend this rice by Merchant Gourmet.

These are well designed, tasty pouches of rice let down by the texture of the rice.The flavour, first of all, is just right - rich and interesting, without being overwhelming. It's ideal for adding a bit of interest to something you just cooked in the microwave. The ingredients are sensible and reasonably natural for something you microwave. All in all, it tastes and smells much better than a lot of other microwave rice packets.It's a generous portion, too; I'm a pretty hungry person but it's plenty for me. It comes in a practical, well designed pouch which is easy to rip - no need for scissors. It microwaves quickly and easily, and the pouch wasn't too large even for our small microwave.The texture, however, I find really disappointing: it's dry and chewy, essentially tasting like it hasn't quite been cooked properly. Obviously it's a challenge making microwaveable rice fluffy and soft like the real thing, but it's certainly possible to do better than this. It feels like a fair bit of work getting through it. Even when I tried adding extra water to the packet to microwave one batch it still came out dry and hard.If they updated the texture, I'd buy this regularly. Until then, not so much.

I always have some microwaveable packets of flavoured rice in the cupboard for those evenings or emergencies when you simply don't have the time or energy to cook. This is my first time with Merchant Gourmet packets, but from previous experience with their products I was expecting something nice and I wasn't disappointed. This particular recipe is full of the flavours of the Indian subcontinent; it would pair well with a curry or some bhajis and samosas with chutney and mint yoghurt.At £2 per pack these are an occasional luxury for me - buying basmati rice in 10kg bags I could make up a similar sized portion, spices included, for about 70p, so if you're talking about value for money you really have to take into account the last minute convenience in our modern time-poor society which these packets represent. As such I do regard them as a reasonable price at this quality, and they are on a par with the best offers on microwaveable Uncle Ben's and Tilda 6-pack products also on sale on Amazon.

This is a great product. I'd never tried red rice before but the combination of brown, red, and wild rice is delicious.Merchant Gourmet food is always top notch and this is no exception. There is a good, even mix of the 3 types and they are cooked to perfection with sufficient bite. After a couple of minutes in the microwave you have fluffy, grains easily separated and ready to eat. A perfect accompaniment.Impossible not to recommythis product and I will definitely be buying again.

This Merchant Gourmet rice mix has been a big hit in our house. I served it today, shared between two of us, with leftover pork tenderloin and cream sauce and it was a delicious combination. The sauce is quite salty so I really appreciated that the rice has not been salted allowing the consumer to season as wanted. There are very few ingredients - just rice and oil. The rice mix has a lovely chew to it and a great flavour. Half a pack for one person is a decent portion as a side to serve with some protein.I use pouches of rice quite often but most have lots of ingredients that wouldn’t be used if home cooking from scratch. I will definitely buy these in the future as a healthy, easy carb to serve with fish and meat. There is a recipe on the packet which looks good too. Highly recommend.