Request: Persona 4 – Aiya Rainy Day Special Mega Beef Bowl

Back in the initial days of Gourmet Gaming I made the Steak Skewers from Persona 4. It was one of my earliest requests and the first popular post that seemed to strike something within the incredible Persona fan-base. I thought it was only fair that after a slew of new requests for the Aiya Rainy Day Special Mega Beef Bowl that I repay their kindness and revisit Persona 4 as a game that’s helped make Gourmet Gaming what it is today. To be honest the thing that sold me on making this dish was the idea that this “bowl is a portal to the meat dimension”. A meat. Dimension. Let’s think about that for a moment… Do you think you have enough understanding, knowledge, courage and diligence to face this challenge?

This recipes serves 2.

What you will need: A large wok, a frying pan and a large bowl.

Ingredients:

250g / 1 Cup White Rice

500g / 17oz Frying Steak

4 Tablespoons Light Soy Sauce

1 Teaspoon Cornflour

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2 Teaspoons Sesame Oil

100g / 1 Cup White Onion (Sliced)

1 Teaspoon Garlic

1 Teaspoon Fresh Ginger (Grated)

1 Teaspoon Red Chilli (Chopped)

2 Teaspoons Chinese Five Spice

200g / 1 Cup Brown Chestnut Mushrooms (Quartered)

50g / 1 ½ Cup Pak Choi (Sliced)

150g / 2 Cups Bean Sprouts

2 Teaspoons Dark Soy Sauce

250ml / 1 Cup Beef Stock

1 Egg

Preparations:

1. Boil the rice as per the instructions; usually 1 part rice to 2 parts water.
2. Slice the steak into strips and place them in a bowl. Add the light soy sauce, cornflour and mix well. Leave the beef to marinate for about 15 minutes.

Making the Aiya Rainy Day Special Mega Beef Bowl:

1. On a high heat, heat the wok then pour in the olive oil and sesame oil. Add the beef and fry until browned (about a minute or two) then remove from the wok and set aside.
2. Add the onions to the wok and fry them until soft. Add the garlic, red chilli, ginger, Chinese five spice and lightly fry.
3. Add pak choi, bean sprouts and mushrooms and stir fry for several minutes. Once lightly cooked return the beef to the wok.
4. Pour in the beef stock and dark soy sauce. Allow the mixture to reduce for about 5 minutes.
5. Heat a little oil in a separate frying pan and fry the egg until lightly crispy, then remove from the pan and set aside for later. Feel free to poach the egg or leave it raw for authenticity.
6. By now your rice should be cooked; spoon the rice into a bowl then layer on the beef and top with the egg. You’re now ready to face the Aiya Rainy Day Special Mega Beef Bowl Challenge!

You can also make a vegetarian version of this dish by replacing the beef with tofu and the beef stock with vegetable stock. I don’t know if it’s because it was 11PM by the time I got to eat this after a horrible mix up with my food delivery or if it actually is one of the best things I’ve ever tasted. Either way this wasn’t much of a challenge for me as I practically inhaled the dish. I’ve had egg fried rice before, but I had no idea how awesome a fried egg on top of a stir fry would be - all this time I’ve been missing out! It’s a rich, spicy and sweet dish that would, funnily enough, be a perfectly reinvigorating meal on a cold or rainy day. So the next time it rains, why not make this dish and set yourself a challenge of your very own! It’s sure to improve some aspects of your personality (your friends can thank me later). Aiyaaaaa!

Like this? You might also enjoy the Persona 4 - Steak Skewers.

Request: Kirby’s Dream Land / Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Superspicy Curry

This request came direct from my resident taste tester as he’d been asking for a curry for a few weeks now. Superspicy Curry originally appeared in the classic Kirby’s Dream Land for the Game Boy and it gave Kirby the ability to spit fireballs. It’s never appeared in a Kirby game since (due to the invention of the ‘copy ability’ mechanic) but it does appear in Super Smash Brothers Brawl. Although I played Dream Land many, many years ago, I’m more familiar with it as it appears in Super Smash Bros. (I suck at Super Smash Bros., I cannot explain why) so that’s where I’m taking inspiration from. 

This recipe serves 2-4.

What you will need:

Large pot and a hand blender.

Ingredients:

½ Red Apple

1 Large Onion

3 Cloves Garlic

1 Tablespoon Ginger

400ml Water

Spices 

• Medium Curry Powder
• Garam Masala
• Chinese Spice Mix
• Cayenne Chilli Pepper
• 2 Dried Birds Eye Chillies

Salt

200g Tinned Tomatoes

3 Teaspoons Olive Oil

125g White Rice

Feel free to use any vegetables, meats or fish that you like. I used:

1 Small Aubergine 

1 Yellow Pepper

300g Prawns

Making the Curry:

1. Roughly chop the onion, garlic, ginger and apple and place in a pot.
2. Pour the water over the ingredients, bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
3. Once the water has reduced, add 1 teaspoon of each of the spices and crush the dried chillies.
4. Add the tinned tomatoes and salt to taste, then simmer for another 10 minutes.
5. Add the olive oil then blend with a hand blender.
6. Chop the vegetables and add them to the curry base, cover and simmer until they are cooked (you may need to add more water).
7. Serve over sticky white rice; fire optional.

I attempted this recipe on two nights. The first went fine, but it was a failure by my standards. My initial idea was to create a Japanese Katsu-style curry and I based my recipe on one provided by Cooking with Dog. However I lacked the essential Japanese ingredients, so although it was tasty and edible it just didn’t quite fit with the idea of Kirby’s Curry. So I decided to focus on making this traditional style curry and it worked out far better. I’ve made curries in the past but this is the ultimate base that I’ll be using in the the future. I think I got the balance of flavours just right here, it has a sweet initial taste that builds up into an incredible heat (which I was man enough to handle). So if breathing fireballs in the faces of your enemies is on your to-do list today, I can totally recommend Kirby’s Superspicy Curry.

Like this? You might also enjoy the Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - Yeto’s Soup.