Dish of Japanese Curry
(click to enlarge)

Japanese Curry


Japan   -   Karē Raisu
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 10 cups
***
2-1/4 hrs
Yes		 Extremely popular in Japan. The Japanese learned it from the British navy, adapting it for their own navy, army, and schools. See also Comments.

1
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6
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1/3
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3
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1/4
2
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1/2
1/4
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ar
#
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oz
oz
cl
in
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oz
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T
T
c
T
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T
T
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T
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Chicken or (1)  
-- Vegies
Onion
Carrot
Garlic
Ginger
Potato
Apple
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Oil
J Curry Pwd (2)
Broth (3)
Soy Sauce
-- Roux (4)
Butter
Flour, allpurp
Miso (5)
J Curry Pwd (more)  
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Salt
Pepper
-- Serve With
Steamed Rice (5)
Do Ahead   -   (20 min)
  1. If not on hand (and not using Curry Roux Blocks), prepare Japanese Curry Powder.
PREP   -   (40 min)
  1. Cut CHICKEN into pieces about 3/4 inches on a side. If using Beef or Pork, cut into strips 1/4 inch thick, about 1/2 inch wide, and about 1-1/2 inches long.
  2. Chop ONION small. Peel CARROTS and cut into 1/2 inch slices. If quite large, cut slices in half. Mix.
  3. Crush GARLIC and chop fine. Slice GINGER very thin and chop fine. Mix.
  4. Peel POTATOES and cut into 3/4 inch chunks. Hold in cool water until needed.
  5. Grate APPLE small. Add to Potatoes to keep it from browning.
RUN   -   (1-1/2 hrs)
  1. in coverable sauté pan (3 quart) or similar, heat Oil. Stir in Meat and fry stirring until it has completely lost its raw color. Remove from the pan and set aside.
  2. Stir in Onions and Carrots. Fry until Onions are translucent.
  3. Stir in Garlic mix for about 1 minute.
  4. If not using Curry Roux Blocks, stir in 2 T Curry Powder and fry stirring for about 30 seconds.
  5. Drain Potato mix and stir in with Broth, Chicken, and Soy Sauce. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes.
ROUX   -   (10 min concurrent - or can be made ahead)
  1. Meanwhile:   In a pan, melt BUTTER and stir in FLOUR. Fry stirring over moderate heat until the Flour is a dark blonde color to form a Roux.
  2. Stir in 2 T Curry Powder and Miso. Slowly add 1 cup of the Simmering Broth, stirring vigorously. Simmer 1 minute.
  3. Stir Roux into the simmering pan with Salt and Pepper. Simmer another 20 min stirring often. Adjust consistency with Water if needed. Keep in mind it will be thicker when served than it is in the pan. It should be reasonably liquid for serving with rice.
  4. Serve with Steamed Medium Grain Rice.
NOTES:

  1. Chicken:

      Weight is skinless, boneless and with excess fat removed. I use thigh/leg meat because its flavor and texture is far better than that of breast meat. Beef and Pork are also much used.

  2. Japanese Curry Powder:

      The Japanese modified British Curry Powder to their own tastes. For an example see our recipe Japanese Curry Powder. S&B Asian Curry Powder is available in North America, but it is a little bland. See S&B Curry Powder for details. If using Curry Roux Blocks, skip the Curry Powder.

  3. Broth:

      Chicken Broth is often used, but Dashi Broth and Mushroom Broth are also used.

  4. Roux:

      In Japan, crushed Curry Roux Blocks are most often used - about 3/4 of a 220gram block for this recipe. Making the Roux fresh provides better flavor, better control, and is not much more trouble.

  5. Miso:

      Red is most common, but White or Mixed can be used. Miso can be had from any Korean market, or a Japanese market if you can find one.

  6. Rice:

      The correct rice is medium grain. Japanese rice is scarce and very expensive in North America, but California rice is quite acceptable and much is exported to Japan. I use the high quality Kokuho Rose brand from Koda Farms.

  7. Serving:

      Most commonly, Karē is served over rice or beside rice (my preference). It is usually accompanied by Pickled Ginger (see photo) or Fukujinzuke (Pickled Vegetables for Curry).

  8. Comments:

      Karē can be made with Pork, Beef, or Chicken. Karē with rice is just "Karē", or "Karē Raisu". Karē over Udon noodles is "Karē Udon". Karē stuffed into bread is "Karē Pan". KatsuKarē is a Panko coated Pork Cutlet (Tonkatsu) over Rice and with Karē beside or over it. For this the vegies are usually cut smaller than with other Karē dishes. Kaigun Karē is "Navy Curry", where it first became popular. There are many variations, but most commercial products are a bit bland.

  9. History:

      The British invented Curry Powder (there's no such thing in India). The Japanese learned about it from the British Navy and adapted it to Japanese tastes. It was adopted by the Japanese Navy, and then the Army. It also found it's way into school lunches and other institutional settings. After the war it became wildly popular with the general populous.
  10. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch ar=as required tt=to taste
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