Wendyl Wants To Know: Quick and easy basis for healthy meal

Uncle Ben's Mexican Style Rice - $2.97 for 250g. Photo / Wendyl Nissen

Naturally flavoured rice dish low in fat, salt and sugar

My parents served me this rice over the summer and I loved it. If I had made it myself I would have spent all afternoon assembling the ingredients and slow-cooking them to get this result. My mother cooked it in two minutes and proudly told me so. I looked at the bright orange colour and immediately suspected additives along the lines of artificial colouring and flavouring.

Thankfully my mother didn't mind reaching into the rubbish to retrieve the packet for me - many would have. I read the ingredients and relaxed, this is a good product.

And it tastes great without too much salt, sugar or fat.

Ingredients

• Parboiled long grain rice (81%) - This is long grain rice which has been pre-cooked, in this case steamed. This means when you cook the contents of this pouch either in the microwave or on the stove you are actually just heating it up.

• Red peppers (6%) - These are clearly visible in the product.

• Tomato paste (4%) - This will be for flavouring and colour.

• Lemon juice - Good to see natural lemon juice used in here rather than an additive to give this product a sour flavour.

• Natural flavouring - Not sure what flavouring but it is natural.

• Sunflower oil - This will be in here to keep the product moist in the packet. There isn't much fat in this product. You'll get just 2.1g per 100g serve.

• Tomatoes

• Jalapeno peppers - This gives the rice a nice, mild hot flavour.

• Spices

• Sugar - Not a high sugar product. You will get just 1.3g of sugar per 100g serve.

• Yeast extract - This is similar to Marmite and will give off a meaty flavour.

• Onion powder

• Salt - Low in salt. You will get just 0.43g of salt per 100g serve.

• Garlic powder

My recommendations

If you are a parent please, please buy some of these and put them into your pantry next to the instant noodles.

Or much better still, throw out the instant noodles and replace them with this.

This is a far better snack for children, lower in salt and fat and they can easily add some protein with chorizo sausage or grated cheese.

For vegetarian kids you just need to add a tin of Mexican beans and you have a very healthy, very fast meal.

For meat eaters just fry up some beef, lamb or chicken and throw it on top.

Highlights

• No artificial flavours, colours or preservatives.
• Low in sugar, salt and fat.
• Cooks in 2 minutes in microwave, 3 minutes on the stove.