First, I have to admit one thing – ok maybe more, but later ;)
#1 Although I do like cooking, during merciless summer in Shanghai it is the last thing I want to do. I don’t even wish to think that after coming back from this hot hell outside, I will need to bust my butt over hot pots and pans to prepare homemade food. That’s why I usually end up eating smoked salmon or going to restaurants near my house for dinner during those two extreme months. However, it is neither good for my stomach nor my budget – I know! That’s why I decided to give Xinwei cook a try - the concept I had heard of some time ago. A company that will definitely make your busy life way easier, better and save your ‘kitchen – duty’ time. How it works?
First, you need to go to their website - xinweicook.com (the page is both in English and Chinese, and everything is explained so clearly that you will understand the idea in a minute) and of course – pick the dish you want. I am a really fussy eater and still, their variety of choices impressed me big time! Every single option they offer is a gourmet meal made of high quality ingredients
(passed my super sensitive stomach’s test with A + - which is the best proof!).
Yet, surprisingly, it is not expensive at all! The prices range from 28 to 108 RMB which, I think, is really affordable!
Next, place your order via website ( xinweicook.com ) and just wait up to 45 minutes (max) to receive a kit with the exact amount of ingredients to prepare the dish. You will get the neat looking box that contains literally every single ingredient you need to cook a fancy meal for yourself ( well, ok minus pot and pan ). All the work left for you to do is to just take the products out of the wrappings and follow the recipes included in the box (ok,they are in Chinese, but with pictures showing you the steps very clearly). You don’t even have to slice them in most cases, because the top chefs working for xinweicook have already done that for you!
I ordered Duck Breast with Sweet Beans and Blueberry Sauce (48 RMB) and Rib Eye Steak with Red Wine Sauce and Mashed Cauliflower( 98 RMB). Each dish took me between 20 – 25 minutes to prepare - from the moment I opened the box to the moment I put it on the plate. And the taste really exceeded my expectations! What is more, the food made me feel nicely full, that after dinner at 7 pm I wasn’t really hungry for the rest of the day. Not ’overfed’ but just exactly the amount that my body needed.
Now, #2 confession – when I first heard of this concept, I was a bit skeptical, saying 'Is it really so difficult to go and buy food you need to prepare a salad or anything else? You can make something once and then have food for the next 2, 3 days ...’. Well, you can. However, there are times when you either don’t feel like doing that – just like me during summer – or you are just too busy. And what's more - before you even get down to the kitchen ‘operations’, you need to make a trip to the nearest grocer’s and choose the products. For example in my case that would be extra 45 minutes. And we all know how precious are all those minutes, especially in the fast paced Shanghai!
Xinwei cook Is a really smart and inexpensive solution for the busy hard workers who are also hard party – goers in Shanghai, which is the majority of population here ;) It saves time, saves money and saves your health!
I am definitely in!