I usually don’t pay much attention to Trader Joe’s Fried Rice. Sure, I’ve tried a few of the more recent additions to the lineup, like the the Bulgogi Beef Fried Rice and the Korean Japchae Fried Rice. But for the most part, it’s a home food for us, cooked from leftover rice. Until this week, when I saw that Trader Joe’s finally added a BBQ Pork Fried Rice ($4.49 for a 16 oz. bag) to it’s offerings.
As a life long lover of bacon fried rice, BBQ pork is the next best in my book. Among TJ’s fried rice offerings, the BBQ pork is higher in fat and sodium than the others. But it didn’t stop me from throwing a bag in my basket. I had to try it!
Since I was just doing a snack size amount, I threw it in the microwave for 2 minutes. The bag directions advise 6-7 minutes for both pan and microwave method, but that’s gotta be if you’re fixing the whole bag. Two minutes was plenty for a taste test.
The first batch had itty bitty bits of pork, but once I got to the middle of the bag, they were much more respectable. Flavor is good (but not amazing) for a frozen product. And after zapping it for two minutes the rice sticks together a bit better than you might expect. It’s nice that it’s got more veggies added than you typically see. Though I have to admit, at home, I only add peas and green onion. I could definitely have a scoop or two with eggs for breakfast. And the ingredient list, while long, is pretty straightforward.
For us, it’s not as good as homemade, so it’d be a backup item. And I’m more likely to buy the BBQ pork version than either the chicken or vegetable.
Check out some other We Tried’s from Trader Joe’s:
If you’ve never made Deuki Hong’s Kimchi Fried Rice (with bacon) you’re missing out.