This New Omsom and Pepper Teigen Collaboration Is the Best Thing to Happen to Weeknight Dinners
At the height of the pandemic, first-generation Vietnamese sisters Vanessa and Kim Pham launched their company, Omsom, a vibrant line of Asian dish starter packs. The goal? “To bring proud, loud Asian flavors to your fingertips any day of the week.” While it may have seemed like an inopportune moment to get a business off the ground, their timing was actually impeccable, with more people cooking and experimenting in their kitchens than ever before.
We’ve been keeping tabs on all of the deliciousness that Omsom’s been cooking up this year (including their Southeast Asian Omsom Sampler and East Asian Omsom Sampler) and we’re most certainly not the only ones. These starter kits, which provide all the sauces, aromatics, and spices you need for specific recipes all in one pouch, have been so popular with customers that they’ve sold out on multiple occasions. At one point, Omsom even had a waitlist of more than 2,000 people!
Well, friends, as of today (May 19), Omsom got even better, with the launch of the limited-edition Omsom x Pepper Thai Krapow starter. These flavor pouches provide the foundation of the makings of Krapow, a Thai basil stir-fry, made with chili, basil, garlic, oyster sauce, and MSG. The dish also typically features a protein, green beans, white onion, and red pepper, and is served over white rice with a Thai-style fried egg. (The dish is a Teigen family favorite.)
According to a brand rep, the resulting flavor packet took “five iterations in R&D to ensure the perfect mouthwatering balance of spicy, savory, and umami all packed into one pouch, for ultimate convenience without compromising flavor or cultural integrity.”
You’ll also notice a prominent “Know MSG” symbol on the back of the box, designed by NYC-based Chinese designer and illustrator Zipeng Zhu. This product was developed by Omsom and Pepper Teigen, in part, as a celebration of Ajinomoto’s “Know MSG” Campaign, which aims to change the false and harmful narrative surrounding monosodium glutamate. Moving forward, this “Know MSG” symbol is meant to be used to (loudly and proudly!) indicate the presence of the oft-maligned (but wrongly so) ingredient.
Buy: Omsom Krapow Dish Starter Pack, $18 for four 1.8-ounce pouches
The pouch does most of the legwork as far as pantry ingredient gathering goes: You just have to BYO-veggies, protein, and rice. If you follow the instructions, dinner comes together in the promised 20-minute timeframe (except it tastes like it took a whole lot longer). The resulting dish is so good that you’re going to want to use up the whole box of four pouches in one week. That is why we recommend stocking up on this limited-edition launch while you can. You don’t want to end up on a wait-list, do you?
Have you tried Omsom’s Starter Kits yet? If not, what are you waiting for?