Kare Raisu
カレーライス·(karē raisu)
The Yōshoku Table: Western-Influenced Comfort
The foil-wrapped block of supermarket curry roux sits on the counter, the Yukon Gold potatoes wait in the sink, and the rice cooker counts down the minutes. In Japan, nobody makes curry roux from scratch on a Tuesday night. Once the foil snaps, the secret lies in a ten-minute water-deglazing trick for the onions. Ladle the gravy over the rice, set out the pickles, and hand out the spoons.
Before you start
Cut the carrots using the rangiri technique.
Rotate the peeled carrot a quarter turn after every chop to create irregular wedges with maximum surface area for the rich curry to cling to.
Soak the potatoes to remove surface starch.
Submerge the potato chunks in cold water for ten minutes before cooking to draw out excess starch and prevent them from disintegrating into mush during the simmer.
Ingredients
- neutral oil1 tbsp
- boneless pork shoulder or beef chuck1 lb
- yellow onions2 large
- carrots2 med
- Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes2 med
- water or low-sodium chicken broth4 cup
- Japanese curry roux blocks3 1/2 oz
- soy sauce1 tsp
- Worcestershire sauce1 tsp
- dark chocolate1 tsp
- cooked short-grain Japanese rice4 cup
- fukujinzuke1/4 cup
Method
- 01
Sear the meat hard on one side to build a deeply savory base.
Heat the neutral oil in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the meat and leave it completely undisturbed for three to four minutes to develop a rich, brown crust and bottom-of-the-pan fond before removing it and setting it aside.
- 02
Caramelize the onions rapidly using the sashimizu water-deglazing trick.
Lower the heat to medium and add the onions. Once they begin to soften, splash in a tablespoon of water; as it evaporates, it rapidly dissolves the sugars and accelerates browning. Repeat this splash two or three times over ten minutes until the onions are deeply amber.
- 03
Simmer the stew until the vegetables are tender.
Return the meat to the pot along with the carrots and drained potatoes, sautéing briefly before pouring in the water or broth. Bring to a boil, skim any rising scum from the surface, then cover and simmer for fifteen to twenty minutes.
- 04
Turn off the heat completely before adding the roux.
This is absolute culinary law in a Japanese kitchen. Dropping roux into boiling liquid forces the starches to seize into chalky lumps; letting the broth drop to a sub-simmer ensures the roux blocks melt into a smooth, glossy gravy.
- 05
Stir in the kakushi-aji, or secret hidden flavors, along with the roux.
With the heat still off, stir in the curry blocks, soy sauce, Worcestershire, and chopped dark chocolate until everything is completely dissolved and uniform.
- 06
Give the curry one final gentle simmer before serving.
Turn the heat to the absolute lowest setting and simmer for five to ten minutes, stirring frequently so the thick sauce doesn't scorch. Ladle generously over hot short-grain rice with a side of bright, crunchy fukujinzuke pickles.
Notes
Embrace the store-bought roux.
Authentic Japanese homestyle curry relies entirely on boxed commercial roux like S&B Golden or House Vermont; making it from scratch is a diaspora myth.
Pick your protein based on the region.
Eastern Japan, including Tokyo, leans heavily on pork, while Western regions around Osaka fiercely defend beef as the standard curry meat. Either works brilliantly here.
From Cook Japanese in America.