The new lunchbox menu from CU that I will introduce today includes two dishes from the CU Tasty World lineup: the authentic Pork Curry Rice Bowl and the Sichuan Yuni Jjajang Rice Bowl. Upon checking out the newly released menu, I found that curry rice and jjajang rice dishes have made a comeback at CU after a long time, so I immediately purchased them! They seem to be quite convenient and enjoyable, so I’m looking forward to trying them. Let’s find out what these dishes are all about.
Price and Features of Authentic Pork Curry Rice Bowl
The Tasty World series is a brand launched to allow people to conveniently enjoy representative and popular dishes from various countries at convenience stores! It seems like a world food series was released during the post-COVID era, and this lineup might be an extension of that!? Also, despite being a fairly standard menu, the timing of the release was appropriate since CU didn’t have any notable curry rice or jjajang rice lunchboxes!
Let’s introduce the authentic pork curry rice bowl first! It’s said to be an authentic Indian curry, with plenty of pork added and simmered to a thick consistency, allowing you to experience a deep flavor. Whether it truly tastes like Indian curry is something we’ll have to check for ourselves! Haha, the price is relatively affordable at 4,300 won, thanks to its simple composition.
This menu weighs a total of 345g, with a calorie count of 520Kcal, and sodium at 53% of the daily recommended intake. Most of the ingredients, except for onions, are sourced from Korea. The simple composition results in slightly lower calories, but it should be a suitable meal for a light lunch!
Price and Features of Authentic Sichuan Yuni Jjajang Rice Bowl
Next is the Sichuan Yuni Jjajang Rice Bowl. It’s said to be stir-fried in a spicy Sichuan style with plenty of pork! Since the name includes Sichuan, it’s naturally introduced as a representative Chinese dish! Haha, the price is 4,300 won!
This menu has a total content of 377g and a calorie count of 543Kcal. Sodium is at 44% of the daily recommended intake. With this amount, it seems suitable for a light meal! Like the previous menu, most of the ingredients, except for onions, are sourced from Korea.
Composition of Authentic Pork Curry Rice Bowl
The composition is very simple, but let’s take a quick look! Since this is a rice bowl menu, a simple spoon is provided by default. When you open the lid, it consists of rice and curry!
Until you taste it, you can’t be sure if it’s truly Indian curry, but seeing the dried garlic flakes on top, it might be a Japanese-style curry that gives an Indian curry vibe in terms of texture and other aspects. A slight taste suggests it might actually be like that…
If you’re really expecting Indian-style curry, opinions might be divided, and choosing tandoori chicken or masala is not easy to make as a convenience store lunchbox, haha. Anyway, whether it’s curry or kare, the first thing people think of is Indian food, so it’s okay to just take it lightly. I wonder if anyone would really expect Indian-style curry when buying this!
Composition of Authentic Sichuan Yuni Jjajang Rice Bowl
Let’s continue to examine the composition of the authentic Sichuan Yuni Jjajang Rice Bowl. A spoon is provided by default for this menu as well! When you open the lid, the rice is on the left, and the jjajang is on the right, with a fried egg included!
Perhaps to add detail, they used a slightly cheaper style of sunny-side-up half-cooked egg, rather than the easy-over style commonly used in convenience stores these days! Convenience store lunchboxes have their own trends, and although it’s a processed egg, it’s been a while since I’ve seen one. Haha.
Just by looking at the composition, it seems like a spicy jjajang rice as is, right? I’m curious about the taste when eaten in this state and the reason for the simple composition of both menus. Haha.
Tasty World Authentic Pork Curry Rice Bowl Taste
Since there was a lot, I ate both menus together! First, I tasted the authentic pork curry rice bowl. The curry looked a bit thick, but after cooking it in the microwave, it became a bit runny like Indian curry! However, the aroma still seems closer to Japanese-style curry! Haha.
On the surface, it looks like a very clear type, but there is a bit of pork inside. It seems like it would be quite good when eaten with rice! Considering it’s a rice bowl, the seasoning is somewhat strong, and they used a curry with a very intense aroma.
While you can pour it over the rice, it might be more convenient to scoop the rice and dip it in the curry or scoop the curry and eat it. Considering the amount, it’s not lacking, but the shape of the container is a bit inconvenient for pouring the curry over the rice. Haha.
Considering it as a light meal in the early 4,000 won range, it was sufficient in quantity and taste. It might feel a bit plain due to the lack of other side dishes, but since the price is almost at the level of convenience store instant food, it’s awkward to add more. It might be nice to enjoy it lightly with a hot bar or sausage on the side.
Taste of Authentic Sichuan Yuni Jjajang Rice Bowl
Since I was hungry, I immediately tried the Sichuan Yuni Jjajang Rice Bowl as well. Since this menu is jjajang, the sauce didn’t become much runnier even after microwave cooking.
When I lightly tasted the jjajang, it felt a bit salty, perhaps because it was made with the rice bowl in mind. Although I was a bit nervous about the Sichuan style, it wasn’t too spicy, just slightly spicy.
The taste is exactly what you’d expect from a typical jjajang rice! Haha, I did feel like I needed some pickled radish in the middle, but considering the price, it’s reasonably edible! And this menu also includes an egg!
Depending on the person eating, both menus might feel quite lacking, but considering that a single convenience store instant udon now costs in the mid to high 4,000 won range, this price seems to be a blessing. If you think of it as a cheap and light meal, it should be fine! At this price, rather than saying “I’d rather!!”, it’s much better than the combination of instant rice and 3-minute curry. Haha.
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