The Andrew Extravaganza

I can’t speak from personal experience, but making instant mashed potatoes is a lot like getting an abortion in an alley. It’s disgusting and undesirable, but sometimes you’re in a pinch and need a quick, cheap fix. Instant food products are the coat hangers of the kitchen.

It goes against some of my strongest moral values, but I do occasionally use some of these instant products of convenience. Sun Bird’s line of Chinese food seasonings presents a gray area. At 65 cents a pop, these things give you the foundation of a dish that tastes like you would find in a restaurant. Over the years, I have experimented with a few different Mongolian Beef Recipes, but never found one that was to my liking. Sure, I can build a generic Chinese style stir-fry that is delicious, but the taste doesn’t match any one dish on a menu.

Enter the “authentic Asian taste” powder. Add soy sauce and water to the seasoning mix and set it aside. Stir-fry a pound of whichever cut of meat you prefer. Add some onions (this is where you can use red or white onion chunks to improve the recipe; green onions are no match for the big tearjerkers). Finally, pour in the seasoning mixture and boil until it thickens (about one minute). Serve it over some white rice and you have a perfect Mongolian Beef dish in about 10 minutes total cooking time (the rice of course will take longer, plan ahead. On the subject of rice, I’ve found a 1:1 ratio of basmati to American long grain white rice makes exceptional, perfect rice).

The Sun Bird product line is large, but I’ve found that selection varies by store chain; Kroger doesn’t carry Mongolian Beef. I’ve tried Hot and Sour Soup, General Tso’s Chicken, and Spicy Szechwan and have been pleased with the results each time. The only downsides to the packaged seasonings are their high sodium content and some contain MSG. As far as the moral gray area is concerned: you supply the meat, soy sauce, and fresh vegetables and you have to stir-fry just as you would a homemade meal. In terms of my introductory metaphor, Sun Bird products are like using birth control; the real zealots will find fault, but there isn't any need to worry about a pipe bomb attack.

On the main page (not the individual entry page): Can anyone see the text above the light blue line or the picture to the left of my entry text? I'm on a new bastardized IE browser that SBC Yahoo DSL jams down your throat, so it might just be me.

I see the text and pic just fine. Long live Firefox!

Intersting post by the way. I'm much too klutzy around a kitchen for anyone to actually let me cook so maybe this sun bird you speak of will be my ticket to variety-ville.
Of course, I'll have to actually move out before I'm forced to try my hand at anything beyond a sandwich. Thanks for the tip nonetheless.