Hurry to make Curry!

It is no secret that during this isolation period many people have turned to baking and cooking. And while I myself am not big fan of frequent cooking, I have no choice but to learn. Having moved in with my friend Violeta, I realised that the food I make doesn’t always have to be boring and tedious. I try to help her out in the kitchen and so far have only had enjoyable experiences.

Just like many Newcastle students, both her and I loved the Chicken Katsu Curry at Shijo. Having no access to it in lockdown, we decided to take on the challenge of cooking it ourselves. From scratch!

Having skimmed through many online recipes and YouTube videos, we finally settled on one. Most of them are pretty similar and it is up to you to decide what you prefer.

Now, on to the recipe we loved. These are the ingredients you will need for the base of the curry:

• 2 onions;
• 5 garlic cloves;
• 2 carrots;
• 1 apple;
• 2 teaspoons of honey;
• 1 tablespoons of flour;
• 4 tablespoons coconut milk;
• 4 teaspoons curry powder;
• 4 teaspoons soy sauce;
• 2 teaspoons garam masala;
• 600ml chicken stock.

The Recipe:

Fry chopped onions, carrots, apple and squashed garlic in the pan. Add the flour, curry powder and garam masala to thicken up the mix. Then pour in the coconut milk and add honey and soy sauce. Having stirred the mix a little, you can start introducing the chicken stock in small parts. Once ready, let the mix cool for some time and then blend it. Dip chicken pieces in flour, egg and bread crumbs (in this specific order) and fry them on the pan. Remember to cook rice before you start preparing the rest of the meal. Once all is done and over with, put it on the plate, mix and enjoy!

It really is an easy recipe and the result was incredibly tasty and full of rich flavour.

Some of the things to look out for during cooking:

1. Apple adds quite a bit of sweetness to the recipe, so if you prefer less of that, avoid including it.
2. Chicken splatters oil everywhere while it fries due to the water it releases, so I suggest wearing long sleeves (and glasses if you have them). In fact, just wear a full PPE if you can.
3. Make sure you prep before cooking (measure ingredients, open packages/cans) as things in the pan start to burn when left without supervision/not being stirred for too long. – Violeta’ suggestion (as she was the one cooking most of it).
4. Any vegetarians can swap the chicken for tofu. But make sure to use the firmer option. – Violeta.

This will surely dispel any boredom you might be facing, so do try it if you’re a Shijo lover like we are!