Ramen noodles. Crispy golden chicken. A perfect egg. And a Japanese curry broth. Tasty stuff. I love ramen noodles. Crazy about them. Tonkotsu ramen is one of my all time favourite things to eat. Seriously. It’s an addiction. But tonkotsu broth takes 12 hours to make. The chashu pork is no joke either. Labour of love. Totally worth it. But tough for a Wednesday night dinner. Unless you start making Wednesday dinner on Tuesday. So I look for easier ways to get my ramen fix. I don’t do instant ramen anymore. I want better. Way better. And curry chicken ramen fits the bill.
Curry chicken ramen is weeknight dining
This is not a difficult recipe. It doesn’t take forever. Once the chicken is done cooking it’s a 10 minute meal. You can have dinner on the table in under 40 minutes from the time your oven is pre-heated. Not bad for something seriously delicious. Time well spent. You need to be organized though. This isn’t putting a frozen lasagna in the oven. It’s still cooking. You can’t get something for nothing. It just doesn’t work that way.
Japanese curry cubes make it easy
It may not be the most famous but Japanese curry is really good eating. It’s different from Indian but familiar. Milder for sure. A hint of fruit. Japanese curry is worth making from scratch. If you can cook Indian you can make it. I make it regularly. If you get into Japanese curry you should try it. But even Japanese don’t always make it from scratch. They have a secret weapon. Curry roux cubes. And they use their secret weapon a lot. Go to an Asian store that has a good Japanese section. And look at how much shelf space the curry cubes get. I’ll save you a trip. It’s a lot. A wall of curry cubes. Literally. That should tell you something. This is a thing. Like the frozen pizza aisle. Don’t get me started on that though. Frozen pizza – bad. Curry cubes – good. At least I think so. No need to take my word for it. Ask your Japanese friends. That’s how I found out about it. Asked for a curry recipe. Got a strange look. And told “just use the cubes. Everyone does.”
The right noodles matter
Noodles are the backbone of any ramen dish. So it’s worth seeking out the best noodles you can get. Ramen noodles are different from other noodles. They are alkalinated. Look for some sort of carbonate in the list of ingredients. That isn’t some sort of bad thing. It’s what makes ramen noodles what they are supposed to be. Gets that wonderful ramen texture. Makes them special. In order of preference I like fresh ramen noodles best. But they can be hard to come by. And they aren’t consistent. But if you can find good ones they are great. I’m lucky. I have a supply. You can get dried ramen noodles at most Asian grocers. I use those too. Imported from Japan. They work well for curry chicken ramen. Not quite like good fresh noodles. But close enough to keep me happy. What I don’t recommend are instant ramen noodles. The just add water and wait three minutes stuff. They are not right for this recipe.
Depth of flavour comes from roasting the chicken
It isn’t exactly conventional. Roasted chicken ramen. But the depth of flavour roasting brings is what makes curry chicken ramen work. It’s about the skin. Crispy chicken skin is hard to beat. But it’s also about what’s going on in the pan. Fond is the name for those wonderful little bits you get when you roast chicken. Or beef. Or pork. Any protein really. It’s the basis of a good pan sauce. And it’s the basis of good chicken ramen. Not traditional. But it brings it together. I’m always looking for that extra bit of flavour. And fond is what does it here.
Curry chicken ramen is what’s for dinner – any night of the week
Dinner during the week doesn’t have to be takeout. Or something from the frozen aisle. Roast some chicken thighs. Boil some eggs. Cook some noodles. Toss in some Japanese curry cubes. That’s it. Not as easy as picking up the phone. I get that. But you get ramen for dinner. And curry. And crispy chicken. In one bowl. That’s like the triple crown of weeknight dinners. For me anyway. Next time you reach for the phone make curry chicken ramen instead. You won’t regret it.
