A Spoonful of Sofrito: A pinch of advice that will add a lot of flavor to your life.
Homemade Japanese Curry Rice!
Sofrito Lovers,
I love curry! It can be South Asian curry, Caribbean curry, Irish curry, or Ann Curry I don't care, I love it all! That's why when I came across this amazing recipe for Japanese curry on Serious Eats I knew I had to share with all of you.
Honestly, I've never had the pleasure of tasting Japanese curry. I've had Chinese curry and some Korean curry spiced dishes, but the Japanese recipes have always alluded me...until now!
As you know, I'm slowly getting back into cooking and this my wonderful Sofrito Lovers is going to be one of my future cooking challenges. I'll document the process for you! Wish me luck!
If you try, let me know! Now go taste for yourself! ¡Buen provecho!
Japanese Curry Rice Recipe
I ate a lot of Japanese curry growing up. My Japanese father was the preferred cook of the household, and he would make curry rice at least once a week. Because Japanese curry roux blocks weren't readily available, he made Japanese curry from scratch.
My father simply sautéed meat, potatoes, carrots, and onions, seasoned with salt and pepper, added water, and when everything was cooked, he would add a mix of flour and curry powder dissolved in water to the pot. And it was good! Not to mention a great novelty to all my friends who'd come have dinner at home.
Indeed, I grew up thinking curry was an original Japanese dish—I had little idea of its South East Asian roots. It was only when I left home for college in the US that I started frequenting Indian and Thai restaurants—and discovered the convenience of Japanese curry blocks. It was also only then that I realized that my father's method was somewhat imperfect since the flour didn't get properly cooked (and often the curry was lumpy). When I discovered roux sometime later, I started to improve on my father's curry method.
My father simply sautéed meat, potatoes, carrots, and onions, seasoned with salt and pepper, added water, and when everything was cooked, he would add a mix of flour and curry powder dissolved in water to the pot. And it was good! Not to mention a great novelty to all my friends who'd come have dinner at home.
Indeed, I grew up thinking curry was an original Japanese dish—I had little idea of its South East Asian roots. It was only when I left home for college in the US that I started frequenting Indian and Thai restaurants—and discovered the convenience of Japanese curry blocks. It was also only then that I realized that my father's method was somewhat imperfect since the flour didn't get properly cooked (and often the curry was lumpy). When I discovered roux sometime later, I started to improve on my father's curry method.
