For curry lovers

Japanese people love their curry. Recent data shows that, on average, Japanese eat curry twice a week. There are many curry shops everywhere in Japan, and their total takings in 2013 was about $710 million. It’s quite amazing.

Of course, my family except for my husband (I guess, he didn’t grow up eating it) loves Japanese curry very much. Curry is one of the most popular meals cooked in Japanese homes.

I discovered recently that the best way to cook Japanese curry is in a slow cooker. I used to cook curry in an iron pot the night before and finished off making it on the next day.

So it took long time to prepare. But since I got this wonderful slow cooker, I can now prepare it in the morning and it will be ready when I get home. (I altered the recipe to suit for cooking in a slow cooker). According to my son (he loves my curry) it was the best curry I ever made.

Japanese Curry in a slow cooker

Serves 4

Ingredients:

500g chuck steak or chicken thighs or pork (trim fat)

1 large brown onion, chopped small

3-4 medium size potatoes, wash, peel and cut them into 3-4cm chunks

1 carrot, peeled and cut as rangiri*

1 apple, peeled and cored then finely grated

1 tbs oil

500ml beef stock or enough to just cover the vegies

150g curry blocks (You can buy them at Japanese grocers)#

1-2 tbs curry powder

Pinch of salt

Pepper for taste

Method:
1. Coat diced beef with curry powder, leave it about
30 minutes or overnight in the fridge.

2. Fry onion in a frypan until brown. Add potatoes,
carrots, onions and grated apple in a slow cooker.

3. After searing the meat, put it on the vegies in the slow cooker.
Add soup stock.

4. Grate the curry block finely (I used a cheese grater)

 

5. Put the lid on, cook on low for 8-9 hours. Serve with rice.

#These are Curry blocks you can get at Japanese grocers and even some supermarkets now in Australia.

Rangiri* 
Turn the carrots while you cut (see pic below). Turn diagonally and align the angle of the cut while turning the carrot in the foreground. It will improve the taste by increasing the number of cross sections.