We tested one of Ucook’s enticing DIY meals to find out if it tastes as good as it looks in the picture. And whether Masterchef-level skills are required to prepare it.
What is Ucook?
Ucook is a subscription service that delivers meal kits to customers’ homes once a week.
The service gives subscribers a smorgasbord of options. For example, you can choose the number of meals you’d like each day, from two to four. You can also order ingredients to feed between one and four people.
As far as the meals go, you can choose from the following types. (Prices shown are for two meals per week for two people.)
Adventurous Foodie
“Experiment with bold ingredients, new techniques and serious fun in the kitchen.” R680/week
Quick & Easy
“Enjoy effortless recipes that are ready chop-chop, but still packed with flavour.” R580/week
Carb Conscious
“Plan your meals well with less than or equal to 10g of carbs per 100g.” R580/week
Fan Faves
“Find new favourites and make the dishes everyone is loving, week after week.” R580/week
Veggie
“Get more of the good stuff with Veggie dishes, including two plant-based dishes weekly.” R510/week
Simple & Save
“Our no-frills option. Spend less on dishes that don’t compromise on quality and flavour.” R420/week
What meal did you go for?
The meal we taste-tested is named Citrus Chickpea & Halloumi Couscous with charred kale, piquanté peppers and fresh orange juice.
Why did you choose it?
I’m not strictly vegetarian (or vegan), but when a decent plant-based meal option exists, that’s what I usually go for. Another benefit of many animal-free foods is that they stay fresh a little longer, giving you an extra day or two before preparing the meal.
Chicken – fresh or cooked – can fast become deadly, but an unpeeled butternut has as much staying power as the South African politician it shares its name with.
“But what about the halloumi?” you ask. Well, it was vacuum packed, so it would have lasted at least a couple of weeks in the fridge. I cooked it within two days, though.
How does Ucook describe the meal?
“Keep the winter blues away with a flavour-packed meal that packs a punch of vitamin C. Couscous loaded with cumin-roasted carrots, crispy chickpeas, kale, orange juice & zest, and piquanté peppers form the foundation of this dish. Next comes golden slabs of halloumi, then an orange-infused crème fraîche drizzle, and finally, freshly chopped mint.”
- Hands-on time: 30 minutes
- Overall time: 45 minutes
- Serves: 2 people
- Chef: Suné van Zyl
- Suggested wine: Domaine Des Dieux Chardonnay 2019
Ingredients and preparation
- 240g Carrot (rinse, trim, peel & cut into bite-sized pieces)
- 120g Chickpeas (drain and rinse)
- 5ml Cumin seeds
- 100g Kale: rinse and roughly shred
- 150ml Couscous
- 60ml Crème fraîche
- 1 Orange: rinse, zest and cut into wedges
- 160g Halloumi cheese: slice lengthways into 1cm thick slabs
- 40g Piquanté peppers: drain
- 5g Fresh mint (rinse, pick and roughly chop)
- From your kitchen: oil (cooking, olive or coconut), salt and pepper, water and paper towel
- Allergens are gluten, wheat, sulphide, and cow’s milk.
Per 100 grams the energy value is 694 kilojoules or 166 calories. It includes 7,1 grams of protein. (You can read this guide to the recommended daily protein intake.)
Overall, it’s a healthy meal, except for the 4,8g of saturated fat, which is excessive. It’s in the halloumi cheese, so it would be easy to reduce the fat content of the dish by simply using less cheese.
How hard was it to prepare?
When the prep kicked off, I was quickly reminded that “Ucook” means the emphasis is on, well, you. This in not a microwave dinner or an instant meal; it requires some effort.
However, portioning the ingredients and delivering it to the customer’s home will make a big difference to the household member who bears the cheffing responsibilities. It’s just so much easier than coming up with meal ideas or trying to find sometimes elusive ingredients in a supermarket.
Moreover, those who enjoy cooking can then still experience the entire process.
By the way, Ucook classifies this meal as a Fan Fave, but most of the recipes are one-offs. This surely puts pressure on the creators of the meals to constantly come up with piles of new and delicious recipes.
Preparation
First of all, you have to prep the carrots. Rinse, trim, peel, and cut into bite-sized pieces.
The kale you have to rinse and shred. Zest the orange and cut into wedges, so you can squeeze orange juice into various combinations that, in the end, join to make up your meal.
Oh yes, you also need to rinse, pick and roughly chop the fresh mint. Why do I have to rinse it, Ucook? Why didn’t you rinse it before you packed it?
Cooking
Without a good non-stick pan, frying the halloumi cheese can be a bit of a schlep. I didn’t have access to my (amazing) Le Creuset non-stick pan, so I used a stainless steel pan. Well, the Pan of Steel stole some cheese, making it stick to the surface, never to be removed again without using caustic soda or explosives.
I suggest that Ucook specifies using a non-stick pan, instead of just printing “pan”. Say: “Use a good quality non-stick pan” or “use a non-stick cooking spray,” like (S)pray and Cook or B-well Canola Cooking Spray.
Death by multi-tasking?
Something else I didn’t enjoy was having to continuously add ingredients to the dish while it was roasting in the oven.
Halfway through the cooking process, I had to add the oil-coated chickpeas and cumin seeds to the roasting dish. Then I had to take it out again and add the shredded kale from a bowl where it lay seasoned and drizzled with oil.
When you constantly have your head in the oven, you also run the risk of a friend or family member emptying your wine glass.
There was a myriad of other little tasks to perform too, while the effect of moderate alcohol use impeded cognitive function and multi-tasking abilities.
Is it an enjoyable meal?
Yes, indeed. Still, the taste and flavour of the kale was quite peppery and dominated the dish. Perhaps baby leaf spinach would be a more subtle substitute and more suited to my tastes.
That aside, the meal was a success, even though the chickpeas weren’t sufficiently crispy, which was my doing.
I do think some patrons (me) would like to serve this meal in a bowl. So I cut the fried halloumi into pieces with scissors, allowing me to simply dive in with a fork.
Conclusion and rating
What I appreciated most about the meal was that it’s healthy. If I do sign up for Ucook, I would definitely look out for the meals that have the fewest prep steps, which might tell you something about my enthusiasm for cooking.
The Ucook Citrus Chickpea & Halloumi Couscous with charred kale, piquanté peppers and fresh orange juice scores 4 out of 5.
4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Footnote
The Ucook meal-kit service offers weekly deliveries on Sundays or Mondays, with each dish having an “eat before” date of four to five days. New features include adjustable portion sizes for meals and the ability to order more than four meal kits.
The service also provides four lunch options per week and additional items like craft frozen meals and pizzas for the weekend.
Weekend boxes are delivered on Fridays, serve four people, and need to be eaten within three to four days. Fresh produce and pantry essentials are available to order alongside meal kits.
Overall, the service provides meals for every day of the week.
