Pork al Pastor Bowl - Deal of the Day

Al Pastor is Middle Eastern-style fire-grilled pork served on a tortilla. Mexico has a small Middle Eastern population, so it's only natural the two cuisines would co-mingle.

For a typical al Pastor Taco, the pork is sliced thin and marinated in spices and chiles. As the fire cooks the meat, it is rotated and sliced thin and piled on a corn tortilla.

On the stack of sliced chile marinated pork is a large juicy pineapple that the cook nicks a piece from, to top each taco.

I made an al Pastor taco truck video. Leo's Taco Truck possibly makes the best al Pastor in Los Angeles, and I'm not the only one who says so - it's on every local foodies Top Ten list. Just check it out here to see what goes into an al Pastor Taco.

This latest Deal of the Day is a Pork al Pastor Bowl made by Herdez. It's a satisfying version for 99.99 cents. The chile-infused sauce is similar to a Mexican slow-cooked guisado stew.

 I've done a delish Chicken Tinga Stew video too, that is very similar, and you can check it out here to see how simply it's done.

For a small serving at 10 ounces, it's loaded with flavor. One side of the bowl is Spanish rice and the other side is a thick gravy of intense chile with real chunks of tender pork.

While the picture on the box exaggerates (of course) the size of the pork pieces, they are big enough and they are not skimpy with the total amount of meat. Of course there are no avocado slices like on the cover.

I like that the meat is not made from a processed loaf. I even tasted a couple of small chunks of sweet pineapple.

The sauce tastes like a typical bowl of chile you would get anywhere. Herdez mentions guajillo chiles, and the flavor is very similar to regular dried or fresh red chiles. There is also a mild chili heat - even if you have a low spicy tolerance, I think you can handle this Pork al Pastor Bowl.

Spanish rice is flavored with tomato sauce and studded with whole kernals of corn and green peas. The veggies were firm, not mushy as with most frozen fare.

One small flaw is the watery rice. I'm not sure if that is on purpose? The rice is not mushy, but it could have been dryer, to contrast with the saucy pork stew.

 
But overall I liked this Deal of the Day. So on the 99 Cent Chef's Cheap$kate Dining Scale of 1 to 9, 9 being best, I give Herdez Pork al Pastor Bowl a perfect 9 !

This is a great Deal of the Day that I would pay full price for, even from a regular grocery frozen case.

I had a Chicken Mole Bowl by Herdez before (click here) and this is just as good. Herdez does an excellent job with their frozen meals.

 Click on any photo to see larger.

Chicken Mole Bowl by Herdez - Deal of the Day

Deeply flavorful mole sauce is what it's about for my latest Deal of the Day find. The sauce is studded with chunks of tender real chicken, and a side of tender Cilantro Rice fills out the meal. It is an impressive steal at 99.99 cents for this frozen entree from Herdez called Chicken Mole Bowl.

While not as refined as what a Oaxacan restaurant would serve, this mole a rich version. It tastes a little bit bitter and a little bit sweet; it's mild, but seasoned with chiles, spices, and nuts.

A typical mole is made of more than 20 ingredients, including: ancho and pasilla peppers, cocoa, peanuts, cinnamon, sesame seeds, cumin, cloves, garlic and more -- all ground into a pungent paste. The paste is added to liquid to form a gravy, that's then added to chicken or any favorite meat, to make a stew.

I could not detect any spicy heat, so this Deal of the Day is for everyone.

Click on any photo to see larger.

The chicken in this Deal of the Day is white and dark meat. Cheap frozen dinners usually just spare few meager tiny pieces of chicken that are most often than not cubed from a processed meat loaf. That is not the problem here; there are plenty of nice sized pieces from tender fillets. It's real chicken with real flaky texture. 

You get a lot of mole sauce to sop up the Cilantro Rice. The rice is not mushy like most frozen fare and while there are specks of the green herb cilantro, it is subtle - I would have made the cilantro flavor more pronounced. It's a minor quibble though. There is also a small amount of tomato sauce flavor. Overall, I liked the way the rice was prepared and flavored.

So on the 99 Cent Chef's Cheap$kate Dining Scale of 1 to 9, 9 being best, I give Chicken Mole Bowl by Herdez a perfect 9! I don't know if this Deal of the Day will be back at my local 99c only Store, but in the meantime, I would actually pay full price for this frozen entree from any regular grocery store I find it in.