Curry and rice

Continuing with my love of Japanese food, one of my favorite Japanese dishes is a good curry and rice (karee raisu). It's something that's quick to fix, nutritious, warm and comforting, and the family loves it. The ingredients are very basic and I always have them on hand. When I have no idea what to make for dinner, I whip up a quick curry and rice and everyone's happy.
Japanese curry has an interesting history. S&B Foods, the first company to produce a Japanese-made curry powder, has a lovely page on their website dedicated to the Japanese curry story. Do read it; it's an interesting bit of cultural and culinary history, and will help you to better understand this wonderful dish.

I'm not providing an actual recipe here - sometimes I use S&B's packaged curry mix, which you can find in Asian supermarkets and many grocery stores, but when I do make curry from scratch I never know exactly how much of what I put in it. The first time I made curry and rice, about 8 or 9 years ago in an electric skillet in my college dorm room, I didn't use a recipe, and I still don't to this day. The basic ingredients are listed below; experiment and taste until you come up with something you like.

The basics:

• Beef, chicken, or pork (beef is the most traditional and tastiest)
• a few carrots and potatoes
• an onion
• beef or chicken boullion
• yellow curry powder, mild or hot, to taste
• cornstarch or other thickening agent

It's pretty straightforward: Chop up the meat, carrots, potatoes, and onions. Cook the meat in a large pan with a little oil; when it's done, add the veggies and cook about 5-7 minutes more, covered. Add the boullion and bring to a boil. Mix cornstarch with a little water and stir into pot. Add the desired amount of curry powder. Simmer about 20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Serve with rice.

Fix-you-up chicken soup.

Anyone who knows me well enough knows I love Japanese food. Most of those people also know that my family (particularly the man of the house) do not. Sure, he'll eat yakitori when cornered into taking me to a sushi bar, and he likes gyoza as long as there's no cabbage in them, but he won't touch most everyday Japanese staples. The thought of eating traditional miso soup, made with fish stock and sea vegetables, repulses him. It's a great, healthy meal or snack and I wish I could just hold him down and pour it down his throat, but he's too big for me to beat up.

Right now, however, he's sick. Since sick men are worse to be around than colicky babies, I decided to take matters into my own hands and make some chicken soup. Miso chicken soup, to be exact. There are those that don't believe in the power of chicken soup when you're sick, but it's a simple fact that salty liquids help keep you well-hydrated, and being hydrated plays an important part in getting better - just ask my mother. Miso is not only salty, but it is also made from soybeans and brown rice, the general health benefits of which cannot be touted enough.* It is also tasty and adds a lovely layer of complexity to the flavor of any dish, which never hurts. Combine it with other delicious and nutritious ingredients, and you have a soup that's sure to perk you up any day.

Fix-you-up chicken soup

2 tsp sesame oil
1 1-inch knob of ginger, peeled and cut in half
2 large cloves of garlic, crushed
1 small onion, diced, preferably a sweet variety
1 cup carrots, sliced or julienned
1 cup potatoes, diced
a generous splash of sake, preferably Gekkeikan
2 cups chicken broth or boullion
4 cups water
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 large handful of brown rice
1/4 cup brown miso (akamiso) paste**

Heat oil on medium-high in a large pan. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring briskly, about 30 seconds. Add onion, carots, and potatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes. Deglaze the pan with sake and cook an additional minute before adding broth, water, chicken, and rice. Simmer soup about 20 minutes, or until chicken is well-cooked and vegetables and rice are tender. Remove chicken and dice; return to pot and add miso, stirring well to dissolve. Serve in a big bowl with a warm blankie and box of tissues.

* I am not a health professional, and make no claims about the health benefits of eating the above soup. It just makes me feel better when I eat it. But while you're online, why not Google the health benefits of garlic, soybeans, ginger, brown rice, and the other ingredients in this soup?

** White miso makes a good substitution if brown is not available. Miso paste can be found in Asian or Japanese grocery stores, many health food stores, and some grocery stores. Real miso is completely gluten-free.