A Kikkoman Review & Commissary Gift Card Giveaway

When I get an e-mail from a company asking for a review, I don't always respond.  Especially if I've seen the same thing on 7 other blogs.  And no offense to some online companies, but I really don't want to do a review on a product I've never seen or used, just to get something free.

However, the lovely people at Kikkoman contacted me about getting some samples and testing out their products.  I love Asian food, so I thought, why not?  I'll get a few packets of soy sauce, maybe a teriyaki sauce, this'll be cool.  I was not expecting what came in the mail.

From Left to Right: Panko Bread Crums, Kara-Aga Coatin, Original Pearl Soy Milk, Chocolate Soy Milk, Teriyaki Sauce, Original Kikkoman Soy Sauce.  Plus the world's cutest duck and a Kikkoman spoon rest.

Yeah, that's a lot!!!! In case you can't tell, it a large bottle of their traditional soy sauce (the only kind I've ever used), Teriyaki Sauce, Chocolate Soy Milk, Regular Soy Milk, Kara-Age Coating, Panko Bread crumbs, plus a sweet little spoon rest and about the cutest rubber duck ever! I was even more excited when I realized they sent me this great little booklet of recipes to help me use all of these products.  I really wanted to try the turkey brine they suggested for Thanksgiving, but since I was hosting my parents & my in laws, I decided to go the traditional route  However, I did try several of their recipes.  Here's what I tried.

Old Fashioned Mac n' Cheese

I have to be honest, I was really skeptical about using soy milk in my mac n' cheese.  My dad used to drink the stuff when I was a kid and couldn't stand the stuff, but that's what the recipe called for and that's what they sent me.  I also used the Panko bread crumbs on the top.  I have to say, I was REALLY surprised at how good it was! It was creamy, and rich.  The recipe says it makes 4 servings, but in my opinion, it's WAY more than that.  Also, it is really rich.  Personally I would use it as a side dish rather than a main dish.  I also tweaked the recipe a tiny bit and added garlic powder because that's how I usually make my mac n' cheese.  But it was super easy and I'll definitely make it again!  I actually really preferred the Panko bread crumbs to the traditional ones I usually use.  The texture and flavor was great.

Ingredients
4 Cups Cooked Macaroni
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/2 cups Cheddar cheese, cubed (I used shredded)
1 1/2 cups Jack cheese, cubed (I used shredded)
1 cup Kikkoman Panko Bread Crumbs
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups Kikkoman Pearl Originial Organic Soymilk
Optional - 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine macaroni, cheese, and seasonings.  Place in an 8 x31-inch baking dish.  Combine eggs and soymilk and pour over macaroni.  Sprinkle with Panko Bread crumbs (that have been combined with butter) evenly over the top.  Bake 40 minutes until browned on the crust.

Kara-age Chicken Sliders
Next I made the Kara-age chicken sliders.  OH. MY. GOSH.  Delicious.  And quick and easy!!!  The Kara-age has two 3 oz packets so you don't have to use the whole box at once.  I actually used half of one bag, it was just the right amount, but I also cut the recipe in half for just us.  When I opened the package, it was a very strong smell of ginger.  I was a little nervous that the chicken would taste really strong of ginger.  But it wasn't.  They were delicious.  They fried up nicely, had a great color, and the flavor was really good. These would be great for a family.  I'm sure kids would love them too!  It suggests Sriracha tarter sauce, I just used mayo and they were still delish!

6 chicken thighs, boneless/skinless (I actually used a chicken breast, and it worked just as well, although I did use a meat tenderizer to thin them out a little bit)
1 package Kikkoman Kara-Age Coating Mix
4 tablespoons cooking oil
12 dinner rolls, split
2 avocados, sliced
*Sriracha Tartar Sauce

Cut chicken thighs in half and rinse.  Place thighs in a plastic bag and pour in the Kara-Age coating mix.  Shake to cover.  Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and fry the chicken thighs until they are browned on both sides and done, about 5-7 minutes, drain.  Place chicken thighs on the dinner rolls, top with avocados and *Srirach tartar sauce: 1/2 cup tartar sauce, 1 tablespoon Kikkoman Sriracha sauce, blend well.

Yes, I totally had tater tots and red wine with these.

There were a couple of other recipes that I wanted to try like the Panko Crusted Mashed Potato Cakes and the Crunchy Topping Coffee Cake.  The best part, the lovely people at Kikkoman gave me a $25 gift card for the commissary to give away to one of my fabulous readers!!!! To make it a little more fun, and also so you all can see the fabulous recipes Kikkoman has, hop on over to http://www.kikkomanusa.com and check out the fabulous recipes over there.  You must follow my blog and also tell me what recipe sounds the most fabulous to you in the comments, and you're entered.  Simple as that!!!


I will pick a winner next Sunday afternoon, 12/11.  This time of year, we can all use a little extra cash, especially for groceries. So thank you to the folks at Kikkoman for providing me with their awesome products.  I can't wait to try more of the recipes and I hope you try them out too!