Annie Chun's Dinner Party

           
Recently I won an Annie Chun's dinner party!  They sent a prize box with all the rice, noodles, and sauces for 3 meals to choose from.  (I actually squealed when I got the box!)  I have to admit that I am not always a huge Asian food fan, but because my husband loves it and I love to try new recipes and food I thought it would be fun.  Wow!  I was totally blown away by how amazing their products tasted.  Another big deal for me is that all their products are natural.  Love that.

Our meal included:
1.  Appetizer:  Thai Satay


1 lb lean beef, pork, lamb, chicken or prawns
2 TBSP fish sauce or light soy sauce
1/2 cup Annie Chun's Thai Peanut Sauce
1 tsp Curry powder
1/4 cup fresh chopped basil leaves, cilantro or fresh lemongrass (if using lemongrass, slice crosswise into thin slices)
1 tsp fresh chopped red chili or dried red chili


1.  Cut meat into thin 1-2 inch strips and set aside. 
2.  In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. 
3.  Marinate meat in sauce for 1-2 hours. 
4.  Thread meat pieces onto skewer and broil or barbeque. 
5.  You can also warm peanut sauce to brush on during cooking or for a dip after cooking.  Serves 2

Verdict:  Everyone loved this!  Our dinner guests were 9 adults and 13 kids under the age of 7 and they all loved it.  The kids kept coming back for more.  This was super easy to make and looked impressive. 

2.  Main Dish:  Classic Chicken Chow Mein

1/2 package of Annie Chun's Chow Mein Noodles

2 TBSP vegetable oil

1 clove minced garlic

1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger

1 cup of boneless skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced

1 cup sugar snap peas

1/2 medium purple onion

1 cup julienned bell pepper (yellow, red, or orange)

Sauce:

6 TBSP of Annie Chun's Chinese Stir Fry Sauce

1. Cook noodles as directed (al dente); drain, rinse and set aside.
2. In a wok, heat vegetable oil over medium high heat.
3. Add garlic, ginger and chicken to wok and stir fry for 3-4 minutes or until chicken is cooked.
4. Then add onion, snap peas, and bell peppers to chicken and cook 2-3 minutes more, just until vegetables are crisp.
5. Add in sauce and noodles.  Stir fry until ingredients are well mixed and coated with sauce.
6. Serve immediately.  Serves 2-3

Verdict:  The adults all loved this as well.  The noodles were super yummy and fun.  The sauce had an amazing flavor.  The kids weren't as into this one, but some did like it. 

(Picture is before the coconut sauce was added.)

3.  Dessert: 
Black Peal Sticky Rice with Mango and Coconut Sauce

(We used the bananas to make it more kid friendly.)

1 can (28 oz) of coconut milk

7 TBSP white sugar

1 peach or ½ Mango or ½ Banana (sliced up)

1 package of Annie Chun’s Rice Express Black Pearl Rice

1.  Move coconut milk from can to bowl for mixing with sugar.

2.  After mixing the sugar with coconut milk in the bowl, heat it up for 2 min in the microwave.  Stir and make sure sugar is dissolved.

3.  Heat up Black Pearl Rice for 1 min in the microwave (as directed on packaging), and place rice on plate.

4.  Add sliced fruit on the rice and pour ¼ cup of heated coconut milk on the top.

5.  If the fruit is not sweet enough, add more sugar to the coconut milk or sprinkle a bit of sugar on top of the fruit and coconut milk.

Serves 2

Verdict:  Yum!  I was a little nervous about how this was going to turn out, but it was so great.  The adults were in LOVE.  Several of them commented on how they liked how it felt like such a healthy dessert.  The kids were split on about half of them liking it and half not caring for it as much. 

We had so much fun creating and participating in this dinner party.  Everyone had such a great time and the food was absolutely amazing.  We live in a small town and so we were talking about where we can go to get Annie Chun's products.  If you wonder that same thing, click here and it will take you to the store locator section of their website. 

Here is the video we took of the party.

These are some of our favorite products we have tried so far.  I wanted to show you their pictures so that you know what you are looking for in the store!