I grew up eating "Americanized" Chinese Food. It was a treat in our home, to be able to have it, but we all loved it very much. My parents had a tradition that every New Year's Eve, all the beloved dishes were ordered and delivered, and we ate to our hearts content.

Then I married Hubby. I love the man, but his palate is just not as advanced as mine. Plain, bland food is a staple in our home, but you gotta love him anyway. Every once in awhile I am able to sneak in a new dish, without too much any complaining, and tonight was one such evening.

Modern Mom sent me a family dinner kit put out by General Mills under the name of Wanchai Ferry. Yep, Chinese Food! I was given the kit with the Kung Pao Chicken, which I might say was very aptly named.

Easy enough to prepare it comes with all the ingredients you need except the chicken, some oil, and you need to add some water.

The kit includes: Jasmine rice, Roasted Peanuts, Kung Pao Sauce, and Red Chilies.

I knew right away that the chilies would never make it into my version of the dish, and they were immediately tossed (sorry, if that makes anyone upset). I had checked Kung Pao chicken up on the internet, because in all my years of Chinese Food eating, I don't recall ever having eaten this dish. After some reading, I thought I was going to have a "sweet and sour" type sauce to put on it.

I made the rice in my rice cooker, rather than using the directions on the box. It was rather sticky when it was done, I don't know if it is because I used the rice cooker, or if this is normal for Jasmine rice, as we usually eat Basmati.

While the rice was cooking I cooked the chicken with the added oil (I used olive oil rather than the vegetable it called for). When that was done, I added the Kung Pao sauce along with 1/4 cup water and the peanuts, and I added half a cup of frozen peas to the mix as well. I tasted the sauce, and found it had a little punch to it, so I added another 1/4 cup water, hoping it might disperse the flavor a bit more.

All done - on the table and served. At first taste, it seemed great. But after a minute or two....wow that sauce puts the POW in PAO! That sauce carries some heat!

All in all it is not something I'd purchase to make again, a tad bit to flavorful for our family's taste buds. We also didn't care for the peanuts too much, I think I would have preferred sunflower seeds in this dish (of course that would have made it a whole other dish then wouldn't it!).

As for the ease of making it I'd give it a 4/5 -- easy enough to put together for a family meal, just a little too many dishes to wash making it!

Check out all their offerings here as well as a $1.00 coupon at Wanchai Ferry.

Thank you Modern Mom for letting us try this out.