When a craving for a particular food takes over, you know you just have to have it! I don't know what it was that spurred my craving for katsu curry but I knew I had to find a version that I could cook at home. I found Just One Cookbook's recipe for Crispy Baked Chicken which is a healthier version of tonkatsu which is made with pork. I knew pork was already on the menu for this week so I went for something different and chicken won. I admit straight off that I won't be making the curry sauce as that seems like it would be tricky and nothing worse than being disappointed after all that effort - besides, the Japanese make a great instant version!
Yay or Nay: Yay
This ticked all the boxes, healthy, authentic tasting and delicious!! It took me right back to the first time I had it, in a UK Japanese chain restaurant called Wagamamas. Yes, it's not real-real Japanese food but it's comfort food for me and it was great! The breading was similar to how I make fish fingers so it wasn't difficult and the sauce was pretty much boil water and dissolve the curry cubes! SO EASY!
I love me some kimchi but I didn't have an idea what the hell it was eight years ago. When I moved to South Korea to teach English, I kept hearing about kimchi. How did people know about this and I hadn't the foggiest!? I must admit, it took a while for the tangy, fishy (in some cases stronger than others) crunchy veggie to win me over. However, now I love kimchi at least once a week and I can't imagine a life without it now!! Cue ahhhhhhh from the audience!
Ramen was always something quick and easy to eat in my house but in Korea, it is on another level. Every now and then the carby delight is all you want, so to combine it with some dumplings or mandu makes it a triple threat. This recipe for Spicy Korean Kimchi Ramen would use up a glut of kimchi and hit the comfort food spot fo' sure.
Yay or Nay: Yay
The recipe is to make the broth for the soup but we didn't want to eat meat nor did we want to spend hours waiting for the broth to appear! So I substituted the broth for regular chicken stock for the base, although I added a sneaky shake of the spice packet that comes with the ramen. I also added korean red pepper powder as well as a splash of rice vinegar for added oomph. Make sure you wait for the ramen to release its carby goodness to make the soup extra slurpy!
