Japanese Style Curry

When people mention curry you usually think of India, not Japan. However, curry is huge in Japan and immensely popular with home cooks. To be fair, the curry in Japan has been altered to suit the Japanese palate, just as every country changes international cuisine to suit their tastes. As well in Japan, curry is almost exclusively eaten along side rice. However there are variations which use Indian Naan bread or udon noodles. The most basic and standard of Japanese curry recipes contains potato, carrot, onion and some sort of meat, coated in curry sauce (created using blocks of curry roux, available in varying degrees of 'heat and sweet'). Other additions to the curry are entirely up to the individual. Extra veggies are always nice, as is a chopped up apple for a little more 'sweet'. Basically you just fry the meat and veggies in a little oil, then add enough water to cover them. Near the end of their cooking time, you reduce the heat and add the roux blocks gradually, until you reach your desired level of flavour and thickness (you can follow the measurements on the roux box, but it is easier to customize the curry by estimating). Did you know you can freeze curry in individual portions? It makes wonderful quick suppers or lunches!

Let's make some curry! First, gather together your ingredients. I am using pork, potatoes, onions, carrots, cabbage, garlic and ginger.

Prepare your vegetables by peeling and chopping them. Defrost the meat if necessary and chop it into bite sized pieces. Soak the peeled potatoes in cold water for 10 minutes to reduce the starch.

Add meat to a preheated pot or pan. When it has fried a little, add the veggies and cook until they absorb the oil. Then add water to cover them and let it boil for awhile.

When the ingredients are cooked, cut a few blocks of curry roux and add gradually to the water. You need to stir carefully to prevent burning. Burnt curry is not savable! You may need to add more water or more roux, depending on your thickness and taste preference.

Serve the curry in a single bowl along side steamed rice. Delicious! Don't forget to freeze the leftovers or refrigerate them if you are going to eat it for lunch the next day. In Japan they say that the flavour of curry improves if it can sit in the refrigerator overnight. Try it for yourself! Curry roux blocks can be purchased from most mainstream grocery stores in the asian section. The most popular brand is called Glico or House. Try it for yourself!