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.
