Fresh Box Market Part 1: Ulu Waffles
People familiar with the Fresh Box meal kit service know it as a convenient way to learn to make fancy, nutritious meals (well, fancy to me) without having to plan or even shop for the ingredients. This is an awesome option for cooking at home during these times when we need to stay home as much as possible!
The company recently launched its online market, a miscellaneous selection of locally sourced products that you can use for your own home cooking. You don’t need to have a meal box subscription to order from the market; just browse and place your order Monday through Friday, then your box is delivered the following week. You get email notifications the whole way so you know when to expect your box.
They sent me a sample box so I could try some of the items available for sale, but I was actually already familiar with some of them because they’re available at the weekend FarmLovers markets!
The first thing I tried was the HI Five Ulu waffle batter, made with local Hawaiian breadfruit. This is vegan and has enough to make two large Belgian waffles. But if you’re like me, you have a mini waffle maker that can stretch the batter out!
This is the blessing of the coronavirus pandemic: I bought this waffle iron many years ago, dazzled by dreams of making cute breakfasts for myself. Hell, I don’t think Instagram was even invented yet when I bought this! But thanks to Fresh Box, I used my mini waffle iron for the first time.
After I made the first one, chef Will Chen said I should add furikake to it. Genius! This is what separates chefs from home cooks.
Furikake waffles were good! I guess you can eat them with fried chicken or other savory sides. Then I thought, I should add more riffs to it.
I tried with some shredded cheddar cheese, and then chocolate chunks (left over from my chocolate Parisienne). Although the color of the cheese waffles came out nice, the flavor was too pungent — if I use cheese again, I’d probably use parmesan. But I probably won’t add cheese. Chocolate was pretty good.
Honestly, though, I was just getting carried away with the thrill of using my “new” waffle iron. Plain ulu waffles with some Ohana Jam (which is also available at Fresh Box market) and maybe some whipped cream is my favorite way to eat it. My next favorite way to eat it is with furikake.
Have you tried HI Five Ulu waffle batter? Let me know what your favorite add-ins are!
Check out the rest of Fresh Box market here. Happy cooking!
