Broccoli Pasta Pesto with Prawns and Pancetta
A vibrant pasta dish featuring fresh broccoli pesto, succulent prawns, crispy pancetta, and cherry tomatoes. A quick, flavourful weeknight dinner ready in 25 minutes.
Crispy panko-breaded chicken served atop curry-spiced ramen broth with soft-boiled eggs, carrot ribbons, fresh coriander and nori for a comforting fusion bowl.
This dish brings together two of my favourite comfort foods - crispy katsu chicken and a warming bowl of ramen. This same-bowl combination might sound unusual at first, but trust me, it works a treat.
What's great about this recipe is how it takes familiar ingredients and creates something special. We're coating chicken breasts in seasoned flour, egg wash and panko breadcrumbs, then frying them until golden. While that's happening, a simple shop-bought ramen broth gets upgraded with a bit of curry powder - just enough to give it a gentle warmth without overpowering the other flavours.
You can adjust it to suit your own taste - add more chillies if you fancy extra heat, or leave them out altogether.
What I particularly like about this recipe is how adaptable it is. The curry powder can be increased or decreased to your liking, and the chilli is entirely optional.
The toppings are what make this dish properly satisfying. There's the soft-boiled egg with its lovely runny yolk, fresh carrot ribbons for crunch, and spring onions that add a subtle bite. The nori sheet slowly softens in the hot broth, adding another layer of flavour.
You might think it sounds like a faff, but once you've got your breading station set up and your toppings prepared, it all comes together rather nicely. The most important bits are getting your oil temperature right for frying the chicken and timing those eggs perfectly - the rest is just assembly.
I often make this on weekends when I've got a bit more time to potter about in the kitchen. It's not complicated cooking, but there are a few steps to juggle. The end result is a proper bowl of comfort that somehow manages to be both fresh and warming at the same time.
Best served immediately while the chicken is crispy and the broth is hot. The katsu chicken doesn't store well once assembled, but components can be prepared separately ahead of time.
Serve in deep bowls with chopsticks and a spoon. The runny egg yolk mixes beautifully with the curry broth when broken.
Did you make this? What did you think?
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