Taste Test: Madam Sal's Malay Fried Rice

We found this lurking on the shelf in Tesco and were intrigued. We've no idea who Madam Sal is, but the picture looked semi-appetising so we thought we'd give it a try.

It's a 180g sachet of pre-cooked microwaveable rice costing £1.60 that takes 2 minutes to cook (you can stick it in pan of boiling water for 5 minutes instead if needed). It claims to contain birds' eye chillies and anchovies, which puzzled Mrs K - she thought perhaps it was just a substitute for terasi. Or it may simply be a Malaysian way of doing things.

Cut open the top, stick it in the microwave and....open the windows wide. This stuff stinks like there's no tomorrow - at least they weren't lying about the anchovies. Serving it on a plate reveals an unappetising pile of rice with no visible chillies, but plenty of bits of anchovy. The taste, unsurprisingly, is exceedingly salty and the anchovies completely overpower any other flavours. There is a bit of chilli hiding there, but not a lot.

We unanimously agreed that this is vile, expensive stuff and should be avoided. Sorry, Madam Sal, but it takes a lot to impress Mrs K.