Sukantha Rice Crisps - Cashews product reviews

Having lived in Thailand for 3 years I love Thai food and all their lovely snacks! I love cashews so was looking forward to trying these Rice Crisps made with whole grain Thai jasmine rice. The box shows a picture of the crackers on it so you have an idea of what you are getting and inside the box there are approximately 12 individual crackers. The box contains a foil wrapper and inside this are the crackers individually wrapped in a plastic wrapper. My initial thought that this was a little bit of an overkill as one or other would have been sufficient, however, they would be ideal for lunchboxes or popping in your bag.

These crackers are made from natural ingredients and contain no preservatives or MSG which is an added bonus. The crackers themselves are really nice. The round base is made with wholegrain jasmine rice and topped with cashews (about one or two halved) and a healthy amount of sesame seeds. They also contain Thai spice which gives the cracker a nice little 'mild' kick which stops the cracker from tasting bland. They are nice and crunchy and have an almost sweet and salty taste which was very pleasant. Because of their price they aren't a cracker that would be a regular fixture in my trolley but I would happily purchase them again for a special occasion.

I was quite intrigued by these rice crisps on looking at the packaging I was thinking they would be a bit like sunrice rice cakes that you can buy in supermarkets. The pictured did look similar and I have used these in the past as a lighter option to a cracker for children's lunches with a bit of vegemite and butter spread on. I liked the sound of cashew flavoured rice cakes and the flavours did sound very nice. I missed the addition of sugar so I was expecting something a little more savoury than I encountered.

The packaging was mostly in what I assume is Thai language with a minimal amount of english but I could read the ingredients to see what was in them which is always a bonus. Very easy to open packaging I liked that the rice crisps were in a foil packet inside the main box, but was a little surprised that each rice crisp was individually wrapped. Like I said I was expecting a much bigger product similar to rice cakes I have had in the past. Perhaps they did not need the extra wrapping if inside a foil packet but it is quite convenient to be able to put individual items in a bag if going out.

I was a bit unsure on my first bite I got a very savoury spicy flavour that I could not quite make out but then I almost got a caramelised cashew taste that was quite pleasant so as the flavours combined in my mouth I did actually enjoy it and went back for more. I loved that there were actual cashews on the rice crisp and sesame seeds and enjoyed the sugar and sweetness. I do have a few sweet and salty combinations I am not a fan of but this did work quite well.

Being a rice based cracker they are a good choice for me being gluten free so I would buy them again as a treat but thought the price was a little high for the number of portions in each box. As a speciality item it is something I would pay but it wouldn't be a regular addition to my pantry as I do have a tight family shopping budget.

I wasn't too sure what to make of this product. The box is a similar shape to that of Snax crackers, but the design is very different to any kind of rice snacks I have ever seen. The peach coloured box with foreign text all over the box definitely makes it seem like something that you'd only find in the international section; something that wasn't designed specifically with us in mind.

Looking at the ingredients, it almost sounds good. I can recognise the names of all the ingredients; jasmine rice,cashew nuts, sesame seeds, sugar, spices, and salt. There is however one final ingredient that generally doesn't sit well with the NZ public; palm oil. Use of Palm Oil has led to massive deforestation around the world, and the NZ public have spoken out about it many times, even boycotting chocolate producer, Cadbury. So its inclusion in this product is not the best.

Looking at the picture of the product on the box, one of the products pictured has 6 cashews on it, and the other has 4 (it could be more as the product is partially obscured), and yet when I opened the packet, all of the crisps had 3 cashews. No more, no less. Exactly 3. Which is a bit disappointing. False advertising.

Box itself contains a foil packet, which itself contains 10 individually wrapped rice crisps. This is a lot of packaging for just 10 items, and probably a significant chunk of the 56c per piece price tag. Opening an individual packet, you can instantly smell the nuts, and an additional sweetness. The rice crisps are irregular in shape; some flat, while other are concave discs. The product looks and tastes oily and greasy, and its not overly pleasant. The flavours and textures are all over the place, with sweet and salty, and soft, crispy, and crunchy all rolled into one.

With 9.7% fat in the product, it is full of flavour (albeit a confusing mishmash of flavour) and is much more filling than the usual rice snacks, but it doesn't feel healthy to eat, and my breath instantly smells after biting into one of them. They are certainly different, but not something I would be going out of my way to buy unfortunately.

I did not think the Cereal Rice Crisps I had already tried could be beaten, but I was wrong. This variety is even nicer! They have the same crisp, nutty texture but the flavour is slightly more intense. They are also delicious whether eaten alone as a snack or served as part of a meal. The shape reminded me of tiny savoury tartlets, so I thought I would try them with a topping pizza-style and serve them as part of our dinner.

Having tried one and found that the flavour was on the sweet side, I decided that creamed corn would match the sweetness perfectly. I had two pepperoni sausages to use up as well so it seemed a good idea to combine the two flavours. The only other items I added were for garnish - a small piece of tomato and a little parsley to add colour. The topped crisps were served with a Greek high-protein salad and a dressing made of some more of the creamed corn mixed with a pinch of chilli powder.

Two of us shared the packet (minus the one crisp I had already eaten!) and it was just enough for a meal - if we had had a third person along we would have had to use a second packet. The flavour burst was quite intense, with a fusion of different flavours and textures. The sesame and cashew pieces provided extra crunch and, despite the effect of the viscous creamed corn, the crisps held their shape and maintained texture.

My friend said the product had all the advantages of pork crackling without the guilt - I thought this was a very funny thing to say, but I do understand where she was coming from. She loved the crunch and the lightness, and will be purchasing some for herself so she can repeat the experience. In fact, she asked if I would give her the rest of my own helping as she was enjoying it so much. (I declined the request!)

Both of us appreciated the sesame flavour which was more dominant than the cashew although not overwhelmingly so. We also thought the crisps would go well with a cheeseboard to replace the usual plain crackers. Although the sesame flavour is strong, it would accommodate a variety of cheeses, complementing them rather than drowning their flavour.

I will surprised if this product does not become a firm favourite. It has the appearance of an artisan food as the shapes are slightly irregular and the topping unevenly distributed. This of course is a plus today when the move is back to non-mass produced foodstuffs and a return to traditional production methods. It will appeal to discerning adults on this basis alone, but will also hook in the kids with its subtle flavours.

I love crackers, they are something that we buy weekly in our groceries, the flavour or brand we buy may vary but there are always rice crackers of some sort in our trolley. Rice crackers are always such a great snack to have on hand whether they are eaten on their own, used on a platter with meats and cheese or dips or as a quick and easy lunch with tuna. Sukantha Rice Crisps a not a brand have ever seen nor heard of before so when I saw these up for review I decided they were well worth trying, especially as they contain my favourite nut the cashew nut!

After opening the box of crackers the first time I was greeted by a shiny silver packaging in which I thought the crackers would be sitting loosely in, however this was not the case each of the crackers were in fact individually wrapped in a clear plastic package. My first thought on seeing the crackers was that they reminded me of a teeny tiny pizza, that was sprinkled with sesame seeds and several cashew nuts. I loved that the crackers were individually wrapped as it makes them great for throwing into a lunchbox or a hand bag when you're on the run, with no need to pre wrap. Being individually wrapped also makes them great for portion-control, I would be less likely to eat these all in one go as I would have to individually open each of them first!

Upon my first bite they reminded me of a mix between a vegetable chip and a rice cracker, they were very very light and easy to bite into. I was surprised by the sweetness of these crisps, as I did feel that they would be more of a savoury flavour, however after my second crisp the flavour had grown on me and I quite liked it, as did Miss 4 who wanted "more, more, more". The addition of the cashews and the sesame seeds was a lovely touch which added a nice crunch and texture to these, these ingredients really made the crisps feel like a healthy choice especially as they are also made with Thai jasmine rice.

I'm glad I managed to review these as they were very tasty and I would love to buy them again. The little bit of information on the box about cashew nuts and sesame seeds was interesting to, and I loved reading the health benefits that each of these products has.