We tried Ootoya's summer set meals, including the 'Summer Dry Curry' made with plenty of vibrant summer vegetables and minced meat.

As a limited-time menu for summer at the set meal restaurant chain Ootoya, from Thursday, August 16, 2018, ' Summer Dry Curry ' using vivid summer vegetables and ' Summer Vegi Taste Meal ' with a variety of summer vegetable small bowls have appeared, so I went to eat it.

Summer Dry Curry | Menu Information | Ootoya Chanto Gohan.

In front of the store there is a sign advertising 'Summer set meals now available' with the phrase 'Summer Dry Curry' and 'Summer Veggie Meal Set.'

About 15 minutes after ordering, the 'Summer Vegi Taste Meal' was served...

'Summer Dry Curry' has arrived.

◆Summer Dry Curry
The main dish of the 'Summer Dry Curry' (980 yen including tax) is a dry curry made with minced meat and served with deep-fried summer vegetables. When ordering, you can choose between 'white rice' or 'corn and multigrain rice' to go with the dry curry. This time, I chose 'corn and multigrain rice.'

Dry curry contains curry spices such as garam masala as well as coconut cream. The ingredients include minced meat and onions, giving off a spicy aroma that reminds you of the curry served at a curry specialty store.

This authentic dry curry has a fragrant spice aroma when eaten with multigrain rice. The dry curry is made with plenty of juicy minced meat and is not dry. Every bite is filled with the delicious flavor of the minced meat and the spiciness of the spices. The spiciness of the spices is subtle, and with one bite you won't feel like drinking anything, but as you continue to eat it, it becomes hot enough that you will want to drink something.

The corn served with the mixed grain rice has a nice crunchy texture and is slightly salty, allowing you to taste the corn's natural sweetness.

When eaten with dry curry, the corn adds a sweet flavor and a nice crunch to the curry.

The deep-fried vegetables that accompany the dry curry are cooked just right. The eggplant is moist and keeps all the moisture even after cooking. It keeps its crunchy texture, so it goes well with spicy curry.

The heat of deep frying the pumpkin gives it a sweet and smooth texture. The deep-fried flavor makes it fragrant, and the natural sweetness of the pumpkin makes it the perfect palate cleanser for the dry curry.

・Mulukhiya ginger soup
The 'Summer Dry Curry' comes with 'Mulukhiya Ginger Soup.' The soup contains molokhiya and wakame seaweed.

The soup is thick with the sticky molokhiya melting into it. The seasoning is somewhere between a Chinese soup and a clear soup, with a spicy kick from the ginger. The soup has a nice texture from the soft molokhiya leaves and a crunchy texture from the wakame seaweed.

・Pineapple and lemon jelly
The 'Summer Dry Curry' also comes with 'Pineapple and Lemon Jelly,' a combination of pineapple and translucent jelly.

When I tried it, it had a texture more like a thick sauce than jelly. It was said to have lemon flavor, but the jelly had a strong sweet and sour taste. The pineapple had a soft fibrous texture, and when I bit into it, the sweet juice oozed out. The thick jelly and the soft pineapple had a similar taste and texture, and they felt like one.

◆Summer Vegetable Taste Meal
The second summer set meal is the 'Summer Vegetable Flavor Set' (980 yen including tax), which is a set of five small bowls of dishes using summer vegetables and a main dish. From the left, it is 'corn and myoga rice', 'pork and summer vegetables stewed in tomato', 'sauteed yam with yuzu pepper flavor', 'tsukune with ginger sauce', 'okra with sesame dressing' on a green plate, and 'pineapple and lemon jelly' and 'molokheiya ginger soup' which are also included in the summer dry curry.

・Edamame meatballs with ginger sauce
The main dish, edamame meatballs with ginger sauce, is made with chicken breast and edamame meatballs topped with ginger sauce and garnished with green onions and shiso leaves. The shiny ginger sauce is sure to whet your appetite.

The chicken breast meatballs are soft and juicy, with a refreshing flavor that makes the most of the breast meat. Even though they use chicken breast meat, they are not dry at all. The ginger sauce has a mild soy sauce flavor with a hint of ginger. The meatballs are salty and umami, and the thick sauce makes the flavor last longer, adding to the satisfaction. The edamame beans mixed into the meatballs add a crunchy texture that adds an accent to the dish.

・Sauteed with yuzu pepper
On the same plate as the edamame meatballs with ginger sauce is a dish called 'Sautéed with Yuzu Pepper,' which is yam sautéed with soy sauce, mirin, and yuzu pepper.

The yam is sautéed and heated, but still maintains its crunchy texture like raw yam. The yuzu pepper adds a refreshing flavor.

・Pork and summer vegetables stewed in tomato sauce
The last small dish is 'Pork and Summer Vegetables Stewed in Tomatoes.' Pork, eggplant, and tomatoes are stir-fried and served with a soy sauce-based sauce and chili bean paste.

The pork is tender and has the sour and savory flavor of tomatoes, and the sweet and spicy sauce with the spicy chili bean paste adds a slight kick.

The summer vegetable tomatoes were fried to enhance their sweetness, and the acidity of the tomatoes made it refreshing to eat.

The Summer Dry Curry and Summer Vegetable Flavor Set are both 980 yen (tax included) and are limited-time menu items. They cannot be ordered individually and are subject to change or termination without notice.