Takeout Kit is a meal subscription box aimed at helping you explore international food at home. They provide all of the hard-to-find global ingredients you need to complete the recipe right at home.
Each month, Takeout Kit will send the ingredients to a globally inspired dish that ups the ante on your favorite takeout cuisine. According to Takeout Kit, all of their ingredients have a two-month shelf life, so you can cook your meal right away or wait until you have a free night to indulge.
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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 Takeout Kit
The Subscription Box: Takeout Kit
The Cost: $32.99 for 1 kit per month, $65.99 for 2 kits per month, or $92.99 for 3 kits per month. Shipping is free!
ACTIVE DEAL: Save 10% off your first purchase on all non-subscription items!
CODE: ADDICTION10
The Products: The ingredients you need to make takeout-inspired meals from around the globe.
Ships to: U.S.
Takeout Kit's Vegetarian/Vegan Ethiopian Spiced Lentils & Teff Flatbread Meal Kit Review
Takeout Kit offers a bunch of different options, including vegan, vegetarian, and "add your own protein" meals.
Here's a little welcome card with some info about the service. I didn't know they donate to the WWF! How cool!
And here's the recipe card for the box. I've had Ethiopian food before at restaurants but never considered making it myself. I'm excited to give it a shot!
Crisco Canola Oil Cooking Spray, 6 oz. - Estimated Value $2.18
I couldn't find this exact bottle online, but I assume this one is the same product with slightly different packaging. This spray is used for prepping the pan before making each pancake-like flatbread. I thought it was nice that they included a whole bottle—cooking spray is something I think most meal kits assume you'll have already.
2 Cans of Pure La Croix, 12 fl. oz. each - Buy an 8 pack for $3.69 here
At first, I thought these La Croix cans were for drinking with the dish, but no! You actually use the carbonated water when making the flatbread batter.
Eleni's Kitchen Ethiopian Simmer Sauce in Hot Kulet, 12.4 oz. - Retail Value $6.49
This sauce is really the star of the dish—it's the source of all of the major flavors. This simmer sauce is extra thick, with chunks of onion and a thick, rich spice blend heavy on chili peppers, garlic, and warm spices like cinnamon and cloves.
Maskal Teff Quick Injera Mix
I couldn't find this mix online. Teff is an ancient gluten-free grain that's ground down into flour. This mix included two "shades" of teff—ivory (which is about the color of white flour) and brown (which is about the color of whole wheat flour). Before you make the batter, the recipe asks you to mix the contents of this bag up until the two hues blend together.
Red Lentils
I love lentils! They're such a versatile vegetarian staple. It's been a while since I've cooked with red lentils, though, so I'm excited to learn this recipe.
Vinegar
The vinegar actually goes into the bread batter, giving it a savory, slightly sour flavor.
Two Candies
The box even comes with some candies to enjoy after your meal!
The first step of the recipe is to cook the lentils in the simmer sauce with a bit of water. They take about 25 minutes to cook down and get nice and soft.
While the lentils cook, I started on the flatbreads. Here's the mix right out of the bag. You can kind of see how there are two different colors of flour here. I mixed them together until the color looked more consistent.
The trickiest part of the recipe is that, to make the flatbread batter, you have to whisk together the mix, some water, the vinegar, and one of the cans of sparkling water for 5 minutes. The recipe specifically says that the 5 minute part is key to making the batter smooth and softened. I made it through, but wow, did my arms get a work out!
Once the 5 minutes are up, you add the second can of sparkling water, which brings the mixture to a loose pancake batter consistency. You make the flatbreads a lot like you would a pancake, except that you cover the pan with a lid wrapped in a clean dish towel. The recipe warns that your first few pancakes would probably have to be forsaken, and were they ever right! It took me about 2 attempts before I figured out the right heat setting/timing for my mixture. The finished flatbreads are a lot like crepes, with a thin, delicate texture and lots of bubbles poking through, like a sponge.
Here's the finished product! What you see in the photo is about half of what the recipe actually yields. The recipe card says it serves 4, but I feel like a fifth person could nudge in on this dish, especially if you're eating it over lunch. The flatbreads act as your plate AND as your eating utensils—you just rip off a bit of the spongy bread and scoop up some of the lentil filling. Fun!
The Verdict: I thought it was really fun putting this dish together. In terms of difficulty, it was right in the sweet spot for me—there were some really easy steps and some more involved made-from-scratch steps, but all in all, the recipe didn't take more than about 30-40 minutes. I feel like I learned some new cooking tricks, but I wasn't spending forever in the kitchen, either. I did think that the lentils were a little bitter, probably because of all of the warm spices in the sauce. It made for great comfort food, though. The breads are spongy and fun, the lentil mixture is spicy, warm, and flavorful, and the meal overall is pretty darn healthy, too! I also love that it's shelf-stable for up to 2 months. I didn't feel rushed or worried about scheduling this meal in. Instead, I could cook it up when I had time to do something fun and different.
To Wrap Up:
Can I still get this box if I sign up today? Yes! Buy it here as a one-time box for $32.99.
Coupon - Use code ADDICTION to save 15% off your first subscription box!
Value Breakdown: This box costs $32.99 a month, including free shipping. This Takeout Kit serves up to four people, which comes to about $8.25 per plate.
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