Ready-to-eat curry isn’t just for the spice-craving survivalist anymore, not when it looks and tastes good, and when there’s also curry for dessert!
We all have times when we get home and cooking dinner seems like the most difficult thing in the world. Perhaps, shortly after payday, this may have us reaching for the takeaway menu drawer but as the month progresses and funds dwindle, we must look closer to home for sustenance. Enter, instant curry.
The kinds of instant curry sold in Japan are usually found in ‘retort’ packs – curries that are already cooked, and then sterilised inside their packs to ensure a long shelf life. This might remind you of the military ration packs we featured recently, but lately some of these packs have had a bit of a facelift, causing a number of Japanese Twitter users to take to the web to show off their curry hauls.
Miyagi Prefecture-based company Nishikiya offers a full 90 varieties of curry, from standard fare to more eclectic choices like the wonderfully whiffy Gorgonzola Beef Curry and the tangy Ginger Pork Curry. But what Japanese Twitter users are really smitten with is the cute new packaging, as well as the taste and choice of flavours. The bold colours and artistic design make these some exceptionally photogenic ready meals, so let’s take a look at some of the tweets and photos currently sweeping Japanese Twitter.
▼ This Nishikiya curry assortment includes (back row from left): Lemon Cream Chicken, Beef Tendon, Gorgonzola Beef, Ginger Pork. Front row: Lemon Pepper, Tomato Beef, Lemon Cream Chicken
▼ The bright and cheerful packaging is all part of its charm.
You can even transport yourself to less well-known curry destinations with the Jamaican Jerk Chicken curry.
Left to right: Chicken and Vegetable Curry, Tomato Beef Curry, Chicken Nanban (deep-fried chicken with a touch of sweet and sour sauce, and topped with tartar sauce) and even one for vegetarians: Vegetable and Chickpea Curry.
▼ How does it look out of the packet? Actually pretty appetising!
Disappointingly, and in flagrant breach of its artwork, this non-Nishikiya curry contains no Panda meat. However, it does have two curries in separate packets: a white, fresh cream based curry and a black, bamboo charcoal-coloured, curry. On the other hand, it’s the perfect opportunity to play with your food!
And if you’re still peckish after your ready curry, how about curry for dessert? In just a few short minutes you can be tucking into a Chocolate Nuts Curry, whatever that tastes like.
A serving of curry will set you back between 344 and 480 yen (US$3.11-$4.34) for a one-person 180-gram (6.3-ounce) package. And with no additives, artificial colours or flavours, it’s not a bad time to be lazy. And if even this selection of curries seems a bit tame, how about a blue and red curry?
Source: Matome Naver and Nishikiya
Featured image: Twitter/amanomono