Frozen Wanchai Ferry meals low on veggies

Wanchai Ferry Complete Meals for Two. Orange Chicken, Sweet & Sour Chicken, Spicy Garlic Chicken, Kung Pao Chicken, Szechuan Style Chicken, Shrimp Lo Mein, Sweet & Spicy Shrimp, and Beef & Broccoli. $7.99 to $8.49 per 24-ounce frozen package.

Bonnie: I had very low expectations for these frozen alternatives to Chinese takeout. Wanchai Ferry frozen meal kits include chicken, shrimp or beef, noodles or jasmine rice, sauce and veggies that you can turn into dinner in about 14 minutes. Just cook the chicken, shrimp or beef in a skillet, then set aside; cook the sauce and veggies, and return the chicken, shrimp or beef to the skillet to simmer in the sauce while cooking the rice or noodles in the microwave.

Yes, these are way too salty, but so is most Chinese takeout. (Sweet & Sour Chicken has the least, with 850 milligrams; Shrimp Lo Mein the most, with a whopping 1,770 milligrams.) My main complaint is that these contain too much sauce and not enough veggies: two problems easily solved by adding your own extra vegetables. With grilled asparagus or steamed broccoli, carrots or cauliflower added, I found these quite acceptable — although at $8 a bag, you probably shouldn't have to add anything.

Carolyn: General Mills' relationship with Wanchai Ferry dates back to 1997, when the Pillsbury company that General Mills eventually acquired expanded its international dough business by hooking up with a Hong Kong dumpling company. Wanchai Ferry got its name and start from the Hong Kong pier where Kin Wo Chong sold Chinese dumplings from a wooden cart.

These frozen Wanchai Ferry meals are an improvement over the shelf-stable Wanchai Ferry meal kits General Mills introduced in 2007, as you need to add only oil and water. Cooked separately in the microwave, Wanchai Ferry noodles and rice also retain their texture, which is a big improvement on skillet meals where everything is cooked together.

Wanchai Ferry's authentic origins show in these dishes' intensely flavored sauces. The Spicy Garlic Chicken is actually too spicy hot; the heat is only an undercurrent to basil in my favorite, Shrimp Lo Mein.

Ads for these say that these offer "restaurant quality Chinese without the restaurant" — and in general, I agree, including in one way I've never liked: Wanchai Ferry and many Chinese restaurants batter the protein in many of their dishes, adding a lot of calories without significantly improving the taste.

Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Vanilla Grahams Snacks. $2.19 per 6.6-ounce bag.