No Kung Pao "WOW" - (Contessa Kung Pao Shrimp)

I was running errands with the Hubster the other day and got desperately hungry, so we stopped off at an Arby’s. We moseyed inside, ordered at the counter and waited for our chow to arrive. While killing time waiting, I noticed a printed page – regular 8½x11” paper – up on the wall next to the ordering counter. I strolled over and read it. It was apparently a notification of the many services Arby’s offers to accommodate disabled folks. The page was divided into two columns; on the left-hand side was a list of types of disabilities (e.g., hearing-impaired, wheelchair-bound, etc.), and in the right hand column was a bulleted list of what services Arby (“Arby’s will:”) would provide to those particular individuals. The very last item, in about 12-pitch print, read as follows (I’m not making this up):

If you are: Visually Impaired Arby's Will: Read the menu out loud to you; Escort you to your seat.

I realize that whoever wrote this at Arby’s was trying to be considerate, but isn’t this a bit like having a recorded announcement for the hearing-impaired?

Now, back to work for the wicked:

I’ve had some decent success with the Contessa line of skillet meals (I’ve eaten both their Chicken Stir Fry and Chicken Alfredo), so on impulse I picked up their Kung Pao Shrimp skillet dinner the other day. Externally, this appeared to be a pretty appealing dish; shrimp, broccoli, carrots, onions, baby corn, and so forth in a spicy hoisin sauce, plus a serving bag of white rice, all for 200 calories per serving (See: What's In The Box for full nutritional information). According to the back of the bag, there are “about” three servings per bag, which for $7.49, is a pretty decent price.

There are definitely some pros and cons to this meal. First, the preparation is straightforward and simple, but I would caution against using the microwave method unless you drain the cooked entrée before adding the sauce. My entrée was very watery (the Contessa Asian-style meals all seem to have this problem if microwaved instead of sautéed), so I drained it prior to adding the hoisin sauce and peanuts, which seemed to work. The white rice comes in a separate bag, easily nuked for 2-3 minutes.

Now, on to the food itself. Contessa, I’m going to say something to you that I have previously said to Stouffer’s, although about a different ingredient (bell peppers) – onions are not an entrée. Onions are accent; onions are flavor, or nuance; onions are even a condiment…but not the main course. I removed innumerable onions from this dish, and they constituted nearly a cup of the contents. (I substituted a can of el cheapo chopped mushrooms, instead, FYI, and that was fine).

Even with the added mushrooms, however, and included rice, the serving size is impossibly small. The Hubster and I aren’t big eaters, and there was barely enough to feed the two of us. There is not enough entrée, and there isn’t remotely enough rice included for two people, never mind three, which I assume is a reflection of the low-carb craze, or maybe it is just to keep the calories down overall. Either way, the assertion that there are three servings included is laughable, as there are really only a very scant two.

Those are the “cons.” The pros are that the meal is actually pretty tasty, although I would have liked more salt or a heavier hoisin flavor. Hubster liked it, and was particularly fond of the red hot peppers, which surprisingly blow the top of your head off – unusual in any type of frozen entrée. If I was going to make it again (which truthfully I probably won’t – just doesn’t quite rise to the level of flavor I like), I would add some cooked chicken and a wallop of cooked broccoli, and a splash of hoisin sauce. I would also add more peanuts than provided, although I appreciate that they were a nice touch.

Overall…it’s just okay, not great. It doesn’t rise to the level of some of Contessa’s other products, like their Chicken Alfredo, which is really quite good. I applaud their bravery on the spiciness front (the peppers really will surprise you), but I am exasperated by the inclusion of the onions to provide volume, no caloric increase and – let’s face it – because they are cheap. There are any number of other vegetable alternatives that would have worked wonderfully well in this dish (and, by the way, the promised “baby corn” was apparently invisible baby corn) without adding a lot of calories or carbs. If you’re a big lover of onions, however, along with Kung Pao, you might want to give this particular dish a try. If not…give it a pass.