Last Updated on May 24, 2023 by Michael Brockbank
I am constantly on the look out for good and quick Asian cuisine. I’m also looking to keep it as cheap as possible. The Tai Pei Shrimp Fried Rice was a nice surprise, even if the price is a bit steep. However, it contains a bit much in terms of calories than I would normally eat in a lunch or dinner.
What is Tai Pei Shrimp Fried Rice?
The Tai Pei Shrimp Fried Rice is a frozen dish designed for microwave use. It’s one of the easiest and quickest frozen meals to prepare. That’s probably why the price is a bit steep for what it is.
It’s all about convenience.
The meal comes packages with an assortment of rice, shrimp, carrots, peas and baby corn. It’s been seasoned well with what you would normally find in a properly prepared Asian dish.
I know it’s not the same as authentic Asian food, but it’s a good alternative if you need something quick and easy.
Why Should You Want It?
Overall, I enjoyed the taste of the Tai Pei Shrimp Fried Rice. I’m usually wary when it comes to anything rice-related as I hate soggy rice. In this instance, the dish was cooked to near perfection.
It takes about three minutes cook in the microwave. What I like most is that all you need to do is take off the plastic tamper seal and toss it in. No venting is necessary and you don’t have to pull anything out of the package.
The convenience of this meal is probably one of the highest selling points. For those who don’t have time or otherwise on the move, this is a great meal to have.
The only real problem I have with the Tai Pei Shrimp Fried Rice is the price that goes along with it. I bought mine on sale at Safeway for $1.50…and that was 50% off. As I try to keep my food budget at around $2 per lunch and dinner, this is a bit steep.
However if your budget allows for a $3 lunch, which is healthier than you would get at a drive-through window, then I suggest giving this frozen meal a try.
When it comes to frozen meals, this is perhaps one of the better choices I’ve had in a long time. Unfortunately, it’s the price that really does it in for me.
I can get more bang for my buck picking up some Trader Joe’s rice or perhaps even the Kung Pao chicken, which is my favorite. But that takes a bit more work to prepare. Again…convenience is key.
What Kind of Health Benefits are in It?
This frozen meal is loaded with an assortment of common vitamins. For example, you can get up to 20% of your daily value of vitamin A and as much as 8% of your vitamin C. This doesn’t include the calcium and iron also present in this dish.
Because of the elements in the Tai Pei Shrimp Fried Rice, it sits at 410 calories. This is quite a bit higher than what I normally have in a lunch. However, the taste is far worth the additional calories.
Unfortunately, it seems everything that has good taste is also loaded with sodium. This one in particular is a couple hundred milligrams higher than something like Progresso Soup when you compare serving sizes.
If you’re watching your carb intake, you may want to think twice about Tai Pei Shrimp Fried Rice. Sitting at 65g, it’s one of the heaviest lunches I’ve had this month. This isn’t too bad if you’re very physically active. But for a desk jockey like myself, it’s a bit much.
On the upside, it does have a good level of protein at 12g. Unlike cheaper meals, there is actually a decent amount of shrimp in the container. That’s probably where a large portion of the protein comes from.
One aspect some people may like is how this dish reportedly has no preservatives. Although I’m not one to care about such things, I know some of you out there are conscious about it.
Tai Pei Shrimp Fried Rice does contain soy for those who have allergies. Most Asian frozen meals I’ve come across so far have contained soy, so you may want to read the ingredients of the package before buying it.
Will Tai Pei Shrimp Fried Rice Work to Help Lose Weight?
It’s possible to lose weight while still eating something like Tai Pei Shrimp Fried Rice depending on the type of diet you’re on. If you are on something that limits carb intake, then you might want to stay away from this one.
If you’re like me, you can still eat this product as long as you can burn the calories through physical activity. But if you compare the nutritional benefits to the number of calories and carbs, it’s really not all that bad.
One thing you need to be aware of is the 11g of fat that is in this product. In fact, nearly one-quarter of the calories in this dish are from fats. This might be a turn-off for some people.
I usually get around things like this by increasing physical activity afterwards in some fashion to burn off the extra amount.
Where Can You Get Tai Pei Shrimp Fried Rice?
You can find this and many other Tai Pei products at Safeway. I’ve also seen them in Walmarts, and I am fairly confident you can find them in most large grocery store chains.
It’s popular enough that many stores add them to the frozen food aisle.
What’s the Bottom Line?
In a nut shell, the Tai Pei Shrimp Fried Rice was surprisingly good. I found the taste to be of good quality and the amount you get per serving is about par for the course. If this was a bit cheaper, I’d probably fill my freezer with Tai Pei products.
Depending on the type of diet you’re going through, you may want to reconsider using this frozen dish. It does have a lot of red flags for those watching sodium and carb intake.
But since I don’t have any problems with these aspects, I can enjoy something like Tai Pei Shrimp Fried Rice on occasion…at least when it’s on sale at Safeway.
About Author
$2.00 for a meal?? Why do you want to eat so cheap??
Because not everyone can afford lavish meals today. 😁
You can also find this for $2.28 at Walmart…which isn’t bad if you want to feed the beast that is Walmart. 🙂