Japanese Curry

My fiancee and I were in the mood for curry. Not the usual Indian or Thai curry (delicious as they may be) but Japanese curry, or カレー, which is slightly different from either its Indian or Thai cousins.

In Japan, Japanese curry is a stable and is served with tonkatsu, chicken katsu, tenpura of various imaginations-the list goes on. I love Japanese curry. It perfect for a late night snack or on a cold winter night.

I scoured the internet for recipes. My fiancee landed upon this one, by the Japanese Food Report, which is an excellent blog on all things relating to Japanese food. This recipe is really good, and the curry turned out perfect. I think the addition of the roux is what really made the dish!

As with all beef, I highly recommend you get it from a good place. I have found good deals at Whole Foods and Marin Sun Farms.


Ingredients
1 white or yellow onion, large, cut into slivers
10 grams ginger, finely grated (about 1/2 tablespoon)
2 garlic cloves, finely grated
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into wedges
Beef or Lamb, 1/2 a pound, cut into stir fry chunks
Salt & pepper for the beef
2.5 tablespoons butter
5 cups beef or lamb stock
1 tablespoon salt
300 grams potatoes, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces

For the Roux
4 tablespoons butter
7 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons curry powder (I used Vietnamese curry powder, but Japanese or Madras curry powder would work)
2 tablespoons garam masala


Procedure

Season the beef with salt and pepper.

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and stir fry for a few minutes, until the onions wilt and turn soft and yellowish.

Add the garlic, ginger, carrots and beef. Stir fry for around 5 minutes, until the beef browns, and the onions become translucent. Add the stock and salt, and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In the meantime, make the roux.  In a skillet, melt the butter and add the flour. Stir constantly with a whisk until the butter and flour mix entirely, around 20 minutes. Its important to continue stirring, otherwise the roux will burn! Now, when I made my roux, my butter began to clump up, but it still turned out okay! After 20 minutes, add the curry powder and garam masala. Stir for another 30 seconds, until their aroma is released. Turn off the heat. Add a laddleful or 2 of stock to the pan and mix to incorporate. The mixture should appear like a paste. 

Add the roux to the stockpot and stir to combine. Add the potatoes and simmer on low heat, uncovered, for 1 hour, or until the beef cooks and becomes soft and the curry thickens. Give it an occasional stir. When the potatoes are cooked through and soft, the curry is done!

Serve with Japanese rice and a side of fukujinzuke, or Japanese red pickles.

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