Chef David Chang’s term “ugly delicious” is the perfect way to describe curry. Depending on where it is served in the world, curry is typically warm in color (red, brown, yellow, etc.), saucy, with few, if no key ingredients to create color contrast. It’s unappealing. It doesn’t try to woo the eyes. But if you are willing to give it a chance, the first bite will warm your soul. So much so that it’ll make you want to curl up under a blanket and eat a large bowl of it with a big ol’ side of rice!
When I’ve had Japanese curry in the past, it’s been saucy, light on vegetables, with a piece of tonkatsu close by. This version of Japanese curry, however, is chock-full of winter vegetables with no fried cutlet involved. Results were great (obviously), but should you want to add meat into it, go for it!
Adapted from Marion Grasby’s Japanese Chicken Curry
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Japanese Curry (Winter Edition)
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Mains
- Cuisine: Japanese
Description
This version of Japanese curry is chock-full of winter vegetables with no fried cutlet involved. Results were great (obviously), but should you want to add meat into it, go for it!
Ingredients
- 1 white potato, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 small daikon radish, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 carrot, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 box of brown mushrooms, washed, stems trimmed, and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 small crown of broccoli, cut into florets
- Cayenne pepper (optional)
ROUX
- 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
- ¼ cup of all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons of Japanese curry powder
- 2 teaspoons of garam masala
JAPANESE CURRY SAUCE
- 2 tablespoons of neutral-flavored cooking oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 small white or yellow onion, finely diced
- ¼ cup of soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon of honey
- 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar
- ¾ cup of apple juice
- 2 cups of chicken stock
Instructions
- Create the roux by first melting the butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. When the butter starts to foam, add the flour. Stir until the mixture has darkened slightly. Add the Japanese curry powder and garam masala and stir for another 2 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat.
- Make the curry sauce by adding 2 tablespoons of cooking oil into a large pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and season with a little bit of salt. Allow them to cook for 2 to 3 minutes and mix occasionally. Add the roux and mix well so the onions are well coated.
- Cook the hard veggies. Add the potatoes, daikon, carrot, soy sauce, honey, vinegar, apple juice and chicken stock into the pan. Once the curry comes to a simmer, turn the heat to low and let it cook undisturbed for 15 minutes.
- Cook the mushrooms. Meanwhile, preheat another large pan over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil and then add the mushrooms. Stir often and cook for 5 minutes. Season with some salt. Dish up.
- Put it all together. Once the hard veggies have simmered for 15 minutes, add the broccoli and cooked mushrooms into the curry sauce and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes. Adjust the seasonings if necessary, and if you so choose, stir in the cayenne pepper 1/4 teaspoons at a time, taste testing as you go, until the curry sauce meets your preferred level of spiciness. Turn off the heat and serve with steamed rice.
