I have written about Japanese curry before and had a recipe for homemade curry sauce in a past column. Cook’s Illustrated created a blend of spices with miso as an ingredient in their curry bricks. Miso adds the umami flavor the curry brick. These refrigerated bricks can be frozen for up to three months.
According to Sonoko Saiki, author of “Japanese Home Cooking: Simple Meals, Authentic Flavors” (2019), “No single spice should stand out.”
Japanese Curry-Roux Bricks
Makes two 4-ounce curry-roux bricks
Cook’s Illustrated
Mix in a bowl:
1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1-1/2 ground coriander
1-1/2 ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground fennel
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground brown mustard
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Melt in a 10-inch skillet over low heat:
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (one stick)
Turn heat off. Sprinkle over butter and whisk until smooth:
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
Return the skillet to medium heat and cook, whisking frequently, until the flour mixture is a light golden color, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and immediately add spices. Add:
1 tablespoon white miso
Whisk until well combined. Transfer mixture to a loaf pan and smooth into an even layer.
Refrigerate until fully set, about 30 minutes. Run a knife around the edges on the pan to release curry brick. Cut into two pieces. Refrigerate in the refrigerator for one week or freeze for up to 3 months.
Now you can make Japanese Curry with your homemade curry-roux bricks.
Kare Raisu (Japanese Curry Rice with Chicken )
Serves 4
Cook’s Illustrated
Toss in a bowl:
2 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat until shimmering
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Add and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are browned, about 8 minutes:
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 onion, chopped, about 1-1/4 cups
Add and cook stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds:
2-1/2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
Add chicken and cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken is no longer pink, about 3 minutes.
Add:
2-2/3 cups chicken broth
Add
1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces, about 1 cup
Simmer over high heat. Adjust heat to maintain gentle simmer and cook until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
Add and stir gently, scraping curry from the bottom of the pot and simmer until liquid thickens, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste:
1 (4 ounce) curry-roux brick
2 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Divide rice evenly among 4 shallow bowls, spreading it to cover half of each bowl. Divide curry evenly among the bowls, making sure to ladle curry next to the rice.
4 cups cooked Japanese short-grain rice
Sprinkle with
2 scallion, sliced into thin bias
Serve with:
Fukujinzuke
Fukujinzuke is a traditional mixture of sweet, tart pickled vegetables, which when eaten together with the curry. It balances the curry’s savory, earthy flavors.
The rice is very important to this dish. After all, it is half of the meal! Use a short grain white rice. Washing is very important as it removes starches, which are called amylose, on the surface of the rice. Removing the amylose greatly improves the texture of the rice. The cooked rice is also more fluffy than poorly washed rice. Washing the rice grains also separates the grains so they will not stick together..
To rinse rice, cover the raw rice with cool water, gently wash it with your fingers until the rice becomes cloudy. Pour the water out, add cool water, repeat the washing until the water comes out clear. This may make four or more washings.
Curry was introduced to Japan during the Meiji Restoration in the mid to late 1800s when it opened its borders up to foreigners. The British were already loving curry, being influenced by the many Indians living in Great Britain.
My grandchildren are very happy with just cubed carrots and curry. Just cook about 3-4 cubed carrots in the chicken broth until tender and add the other ingredients to finish.
Email Audrey Wilson at audreywilson808@gmail.com.