If there is one thing I’ve learned about while living in Japan, it’s about how to adapt. I’ve mentioned before that our kitchen is tiny. Our refrigerator is even tinier, which means we have to be really creative about buying and storing food at times. We also occasionally have to get creative about what ingredients we use, as they are often either a) not available in Japan, or b) ridiculously priced. I experienced this yesterday when I made this amazing Thai Chicken Soup recipe from Reservation for Two.

I tried this recipe before and thought it was fabulous–really reminiscent of food we had in Thailand–but this time, as you might notice when comparing the recipe to the picture, some changes needed to be made. The recipe calls for green beans, but for about ten green beans at my local supermarket yesterday, it cost a crazy 198 yen! Yikes! I decided to substitute shelled edamame instead, and it was a pretty decent swap. The second swap was a yellow pepper for a red, as Chad accidentally used up our red pepper the other day in a smorgasbord lunch he made us. The swap wasn’t too bad, but I prefer red bell pepper. (Did you know that red bell pepper is an incredibly nutrient-dense veggie?) Thirdly, I had to cook the chicken from scratch as there is no readily available rotisserie chicken here. Lucky for me, the soup turned out delicious overall. Can’t wait to make it when we move back home–it will be sooooo much easier and cheaper!

Have you ever had to adapt a recipe?

UPDATE (4/15/2016): Not only did my picture disappear, but–even more of a bummer!–“Reservation for Two” also no longer exists! However, I found this recipe that I’ve already made several times and is even better!!