Announcing the Kung Pao Chicken Recipe Kit!

In my last post, the update on the kung pao chicken recipe, I had mentioned there would be some exciting related news soon. So I’m excited to announce a collaboration with our friends at GrubKit, which provides kits that include pre-measured, carefully selected ingredients so you can create a fun, stress-free meal at home. (GrubKits have gotten some good press and attention lately, including a tweet from actor Ed Burns!)

The Kung Pao Chicken kit that we’re putting out comes with detailed recipe card, Sichuan pepper, dried chilis, Chinese rice wine, a special sauce blend that includes Chinese black vinegar and hoisin sauce, and more. One frequently repeated comment I receive from readers is that you’d love to cook certain dishes from this blog, but finding certain ingredients can be difficult. With kits that cost less than a takeout meal for 4, GrubKit will take care of the search for you by finding and putting together the best ingredients, so you can relax and enjoy cooking a new dish at home. Plus, these recipe kits make great gifts!

So visit Grubkit to learn more about the Kung Pao Chicken kit and other Grubkits, which include Authentic Pad Thai, Chickpea Curry with Mango Powder, and Moroccan Tagine. And stay tuned for more upcoming Appetite for China GrubKits!

 

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15 Responses to Announcing the Kung Pao Chicken Recipe Kit!

  1. MikeL May 10, 2012 at 2:07 pm #

    Congrats on the recipe kit, what a cool idea! This will make a great gift I think.

  2. Tesco Value Chef May 10, 2012 at 2:41 pm #

    This is an absolutely brilliant idea!

    I’ve cooked chilli con carne from a similar kit and it was awesome – getting spices that would otherwise be very difficult to find makes life so much easier.

  3. Miriam May 10, 2012 at 10:52 pm #

    That’s great news! I want to get something like this for my sister in Wisconsin. She loves Chinese food but there aren’t any grocery stores near her that sell all these spices. I think this will make it easier, plus her kids can try something new too. Thanks!

  4. rivercook May 11, 2012 at 12:41 am #

    Great idea as long as it’s priced right. Good luck with it. Let us know which stores will carry it.

  5. rivercook May 11, 2012 at 12:44 am #

    Whoops…dunno….just saw the price and you still have to buy the chicken.

  6. Diana May 11, 2012 at 8:45 am #

    Rivercook – Thanks for your comments and for taking a peek at the GrubKit! When we were working on the kits, we had in mind our friends and family members who love a particular cuisine or dish but wouldn’t otherwise cook it at home because of unfamiliarity. The Kung Pao Chicken kit, which is under $20 for four servings, are mainly intended as a one-stop shop for someone who is new to Chinese cooking and/or does not have access to stores selling the right ingredients for creating such a dish. Having cooked Chinese food for a long time, I can still remember how difficult and time-consuming it can be to gather up all the different sauces and bottles for the first time, especially if you are new to the cuisine, and don’t know which brands out of the many, many imported from China and elsewhere in Asia that are the best quality.

    When we worked on the kits we wanted to provide an easy, fun, and unique experience for cooking an unfamiliar dish at home. (We were inspired after trying some great cheese-making, beer-making, and similarly fun kits that are available.) It was also important to present it in a way that would also be great as a gift, which does cost more than using non-reusable packaging that would otherwise go straight to the trash. We feel the kit is very reasonably priced compared with other gifts you can purchase that also focus on sustainable packaging and high-quality ingredients. Hope that helps!

  7. amelia from z tasty life May 11, 2012 at 8:50 am #

    Diana: wow, very impressive!!! will these be available anywhere in Atlanta? (I agree with some readers, sometimes, even when living in a big city – like me- it is hard to make the trip to the specialty market to find those ingredients. So this is magnificent news)

  8. Diana May 11, 2012 at 9:23 am #

    Thanks, Amelia! Right now the GrubKits are only available online, though we have a guaranteed 2-day turnaround time. It is true that even in big cities like Atlanta ingredients like Sichuan pepper can be very difficult to find. Hopefully this GrubKit and others will solve the problem!

  9. margarete May 11, 2012 at 10:07 am #

    Interesting concept! I typically just end up substituting all of the ingredients I can’t find in the store… which is probably why my dishes don’t turn out right some time :)

  10. smitten by food May 11, 2012 at 10:33 am #

    Hi Diana, nice blog you have. This grubkit concept is very interesting and new to me =)

  11. Iris May 11, 2012 at 12:21 pm #

    Hi Diana, nice meeting you last week at the dumpling class. Just ordered the GrubKit! I don’t think I’ve actually ever had kung pao chicken haha but I’m still excited to make it :)

  12. Diana May 12, 2012 at 10:28 pm #

    margarete – That is true and you bring up an interesting point. Substitutions sometimes work and sometimes don’t. GrubKit takes care of the work of tracking down the right ingredients, ensuring the dish tastes great the first time around. :)

    smitten by food – Thank you!

    Iris – Great meeting you last week at the dumpling class too! Thanks for the order and hope you enjoy the GrubKit, especially if it’s your first time trying kung pao chicken!

  13. Lyn May 13, 2012 at 12:12 pm #

    I’m so excited…what a wonderful idea! I’m ordering some for my daughter-in-law…she’s giving birth to second child tomorrow…Great meals to have on hand!

  14. Diana May 14, 2012 at 11:38 am #

    Lyn – That’s great news, and congratulations to you and your daughter-in-law! I hope she enjoys the kits!

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