Japanese curry: Simple and Delicious!

amirm

Banned
Apr 2, 2010
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One of my favorite dishes to eat when I go to Japan is Curry. Yes, I said curry! Most people have not heard of Japanese curry because it is not served often in US and what is served, is usually awful. In Japan, the everyday restaurants and specialty curry shops server it and it is an incredibly hearty and tasty food. Flavor-wise, it is curry with somewhat sweet flavor -- uniquely different than Indian or Chinese curry.

Curry came to Japan via the British which at the time, ruled India: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_curry

Fortunately, it is dead easy to make at home. Japanese have perfected the art of packaging the key ingredient which is a curry flavored gravy. The package looks like chocolate bar and is sold in various levels of hotness by many asian grocery stores:



The simplest mean is to fry some chopped onions in a pressure cooker. Then add some cubed beef, add just enough water to cover, and then cover and bring up the pressure. Turn off in 10 minutes and let the pressure drop by itself to zero. Open the lid, add your favorite vegetable such as carrots and mushrooms. With the former, you may want to zap it again under pressure for 5-8 minutes to get them tender quickly.

Then add the content of the curry package. But here is a useful hint: use a knife and cut lines while the material is in its tray packaging, making them into smaller sections of half inch each. If you don't do this, they may not dissolve fully. Then put them in the pressure cooker. Stir and they will dissolve and thicken. The consistency you are looking for is twice the thickness of a regular gravy. If it is too hard, then you have added too much sauce for the amount of water you have in there. Just add a bit of the water at a time until you are able to stir it. If it is too runny, then add another package (we buy the smaller ones so that we can do this easily).

You can make the same dish with chicken (thighs would be best), or shrimp. If you don't have a pressure cooker, you should go and get one :). But for now, you can cut the meat into smaller pieces and cook it longer.

You serve this with plain rice. We like to use Japanese (sticky) rice. Even though this dish originates from India, I find that the flavor of Indian/long-grain rice interferes with the enjoyment of the curry. Japanese rice is more or less flavorless and absorbs the curry very nicely. Here is a nice picture of what it looks like when finished:



Japanese serve pickles on the side. I usually go for "Gari" which is the pickled ginger that is served in Japanese sushi bars. In Japan, they serve small pickled onions which I enjoy but I have not gone looking for them here.

Anyway, if you have a rice cooker, this dish is the simplest and easiest meal to make at home. It is incredibly tasty for the amount of time it takes to cook. No, it is not as good as what you get in Japan in a good restaurant but pretty close.

Here is a google search on the online sources of the sauce if you can't find it locally: http://www.google.com/products?rlz=...esult_group&ct=image&resnum=3&ved=0CDMQzAMwAg

Enjoy and let me know if you try it.
 

amirm

Banned
Apr 2, 2010
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Seattle, WA
Well, in the next life, I will make sure whoever partners with me to start a forum likes curry and we make that a condition of anyone joining said forum!!! :D :D

Let us know if your wife ever tries this simple recipe.
 

jadis

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Apr 28, 2010
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I love Japanese curry for the most of my life. Thinking about it makes me hungry. Whether it's beef, pork (katsu), or shrimp (the best), and a cup of steamed white rice, it makes my day!
 

Johnny Vinyl

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
May 16, 2010
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I hate curry. My wife, Donna, loves it.

What is it that you don't like about it? And just so you know, there are literally hundreds of curry blends. A curry gets confused with being a dish, when in fact it's a spice blend.

John
 

mullard88

Well-Known Member
Jun 5, 2010
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My wife and daughters are Japanese curry lovers like myself. I remember our tour guide took us to a curry restaurant in Mount Fuji. The guide told us that the emperor eats curry there once a year. Also, in Ginza, in the Shiseido building, they serve great Japanese curry. It was a surprise to me as I only knew Shiseido as a cosmetic company.
 

amirm

Banned
Apr 2, 2010
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Seattle, WA
Just about every commercial building has a floor dedicated to food. One of my favorites in Japan is to go to the basement of Japanese stores and feast my eyes and pallet on all the incredibly well decorated food and grab a cheap/good lunch.

Here are some examples:

pickled seaweed:


Eal:



Strawberries ($68 for that box!!!)



Tea!!!



Japanese plum pickles:



And 50 more pretty shops like this:



Boy, I need to make it to Japan again :).
 

jadis

Well-Known Member
Apr 28, 2010
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Right, just like the department store SOGO. They have a branch in Hongkong, at the Causeway Bay area. The basement in fact has all kinds of Japanese food. The problem now is your shopping bag! LOL My son and I saw to super delectable looking round puffy things called MOCHI. And boy, from that time on, my son have been craving for it. It tastes even better than it looks.
 

JackD201

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
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Manila, Philippines
Gawd I'm drooling.
 

muralman1

New Member
Jul 7, 2010
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Sacramento Ca
What is it that you don't like about it? And just so you know, there are literally hundreds of curry blends. A curry gets confused with being a dish, when in fact it's a spice blend.

John

I have eaten a variety of curry dishes reluctantly, usually when we are out eating at an Indian restaurant. There is something about curry taste that doesn't agree with me at all. Now, if curry was to be blended in with other flavors...... Perhaps.
 

muralman1

New Member
Jul 7, 2010
479
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Sacramento Ca
I love Japanese food sensibilities. It is so much more gratifying than plying the grocery stores we have in my city. Luckily, we have a farmer's outdoor market that supplies us with ripe strawberries, tomatoes, and just about any fruit. With a lot of Thai, Viet, and Cambodians moving into Sacramento has increased the food varieties tremendously. At Viet stores you can find sub $2 lunches of marinated chicken, spiced rice, and cucumber salad.
 

Johnny Vinyl

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
May 16, 2010
8,570
51
38
Calgary, AB
I have eaten a variety of curry dishes reluctantly, usually when we are out eating at an Indian restaurant. There is something about curry taste that doesn't agree with me at all. Now, if curry was to be blended in with other flavors...... Perhaps.

That's a fair comment and I understand it completely. I personally like a good curry dish, but not too often. I think I feel somewhat like you do, but with Mexican and South Amercan foods. My tastebuds (and body) just can't get used to chillies in their various incarnations.

John
 

amirm

Banned
Apr 2, 2010
15,813
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Seattle, WA
I have eaten a variety of curry dishes reluctantly, usually when we are out eating at an Indian restaurant. There is something about curry taste that doesn't agree with me at all. Now, if curry was to be blended in with other flavors...... Perhaps.
Japanese curry is rather different than Indian. It has stuff like Apple juice, maple syrup, etc. Not going to say you will like it for sure but it only shares a slight hint of the Indian spices it is based on. It is like an American stew but with a bit of curry flavor added to it. It is sweet, hearty and thick. So it is curry blended into other things.
 

muralman1

New Member
Jul 7, 2010
479
0
0
Sacramento Ca
Japanese curry is rather different than Indian. It has stuff like Apple juice, maple syrup, etc. Not going to say you will like it for sure but it only shares a slight hint of the Indian spices it is based on. It is like an American stew but with a bit of curry flavor added to it. It is sweet, hearty and thick. So it is curry blended into other things.

In that case, I will walk over to this great Japanese restaurant and ask for a curry dish...... No fear.
 

jadis

Well-Known Member
Apr 28, 2010
12,351
5,461
2,810
Manila, Philippines
Japanese curry is rather different than Indian. It has stuff like Apple juice, maple syrup, etc. Not going to say you will like it for sure but it only shares a slight hint of the Indian spices it is based on. It is like an American stew but with a bit of curry flavor added to it. It is sweet, hearty and thick. So it is curry blended into other things.

That's right. In thinking about it, there is something 'missing' when I eat Indian curry with their 'pita' bread. The added sweetness in the Japanese curry makes it addicting. I used to have a Japanese curry dish every week before. The drawback is I get to eat more Japanese rice in the process.
 

JackD201

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
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You can afford the extra carbs Phil. I envy you. :)
 

jadis

Well-Known Member
Apr 28, 2010
12,351
5,461
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Manila, Philippines
You can afford the extra carbs Phil. I envy you. :)

That's a good news/bad news thingy, Jack. My acid reflux has been making a comeback these few months. I am told by my doctor not to eat full meals but more meals with less servings per day. I actually lost even more weight with this kind of 'arithmetic'. LOL
 

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