Lawson, Family Mart and 7-Eleven go head-to-head in this curry showdown!
After hunting down Japan’s best convenience store beef stew, our Japanese-language reporter Mr Sato went on a new hunt, this time searching for Japan’s best convenience store butter chicken curry.
So he headed out to the country’s top three convenience store chains, and returned with the following own-brand offerings:
Lawson: Butter Chicken Curry 180 grams (6.3 ounces) 298 yen (US$2.63)
7-Eleven: Aromatic Spice Butter Chicken Curry 190 grams, 321 yen
Family Mart: Domestic Grilled Chicken! Rich Butter Chicken Curry 186 grams, 398 yen
▼ Left to right: Lawson, 7-Eleven, Family Mart
Mr Sato popped the retort pouches in a pot of boiling water and heated them all up, before pouring each one out into a bowl and lining them up for the taste test. There didn’t seem to be much difference between the three in terms of quantity, but our reporter couldn’t ignore the 100-yen-plus gap in price between the offerings from 7-Eleven and Family Mart. Would this difference in price make a difference in taste?
Mr Sato got straight into it, testing each one and declaring the third place winner to be…
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▼ Lawson’s Butter Chicken Curry!
As soon as he tasted this one, he was met with the warm and familiar taste of butter chicken. It was slightly spicy and slightly sweet, but it just didn’t excite our reporter’s taste buds. This one played it safe, choosing to go with a standard flavour rather than wow the taste buds with extra flair.
In second place we have…
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▼ Family Mart’s Domestic Grilled Chicken! Rich Butter Chicken Curry
Family Mart likes to err on the “rich” side of things, using tomatoes, butter, and soup stock to strong effect, creating a flavour profile that’s strong on sweetness. There’s some extra excitement on the taste buds here, with paprika, chilli powder, and red pepper lingering in the aftertaste.
▼ This curry has a strong flavour that’s rich and hearty, making it perfect for winter.
That means our first place winner is…
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▼ 7-Eleven’s Butter Chicken Curry!
Mr Sato described this curry as “scary”, because he had no idea a flavour like this would be possible in a convenience store retort curry pack. He was so excited by the taste of the curry that he even shared some with our boss Yoshio, who reeled back in surprise after tasting it, gasping, “It’s totally different!”
While Family Mart and Lawson adopt a European-style Japanese style for their butter chickens, 7-Eleven walks a different path, adopting an Indian-style Japanese style that’s head-and-shoulders above the other two. The flavour of cardamom and cinnamon was noticeably pronounced, and it’s this delicious blend of spices that earned it the top spot in this butter chicken curry showdown.
However, Mr Sato notes that when it comes to which one pairs best with rice, the result differs slightly. In his opinion, both the Family Mart and 7-Eleven varieties are better enjoyed with naan, due to their stronger flavours, while the sweet flavour profile of the Lawson butter chicken makes it a better match for rice.
So, depending on how you enjoy your curries, you might find that the Lawson one suits your preferences more than the others. However, for Mr Sato, he’ll be visiting 7-Eleven for his butter chicken meals this winter, and when he has a hankering for the best convenience store margheritas, we know where he’ll be going.
Photos ©SoraNews24
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[ Read in Japanese ]