Japanese Curry.

The recent weeks have been marked by whirlwind of events that took me switching locations from Philadelphia to Chicago, between periods of night work in the hospital to days of unending mathematical formulas trying to figure out the dollars I need to pay the US Treasury. It was March to April when the two most inevitable landmarks of human life reared its ugly head to me – death and taxes – one after the other.

I lost a dear friend of mine who is an admirer of my cooking – Ron Sy. He didn't have the best of health to begin with perhaps due to his extreme weight for which I may be partly to blame. But though he existed in this world for merely three years beyond a half-century that he was able to extract flavors from and experience them on his palate, he has mentioned in his final days that he "does not have any regrets." In that case, it seems that good eating is synonymous to the myriad of great tastes that one can paint on the relatively limited tissue in the mouth capable of its immersion – the tongue.

I was just able to file my taxes which I wrote three checks to three collection agencies each representing the Federal and two State treasuries. And though I believe in paying taxes is a noble act of civic duty; the parting of hard earned money after the many additions and subtractions in a sea of rules that dictate whether to select line 5 or put zero until my eyes swirl left my mind yearning for something pleasant yet complex – hearty as family but not very predictable. It is comfort food in a different way.

My sister then mentioned - "Mmmm...Japanese Curry." I nodded in agreement. What makes this an unusual type of curry is that it is pungent as the Indian variety yet sweet as it is bit fruity. It is Japanese in its look with the dainty cubed vegetables and potatoes as it is also European with its shimmer and thickness of sauce. One with notice the myriad of flavors that gel as one as there are the differences in textures as it glides on the tongue.

The reasons for the above lie in the history of Japanese Curry. I found out through some readings is that as with curries from other non-Indian countries – curry is nothing more than a stew usually employing the spices of what the Indian original have. Brought to Japan by the British which then adapted it from their former colony, it was part of food for their armed forces. And what they had then was the British version exported to Japan who then adapted it and made a version of their own. Thus different countries would have their own versions of the curry. In fact, the word "curry" is generic and came from the Sanskrit word pertaining to "stew". And what makes the different versions unique is the employment of local spices and methods of cooking and thus Indonesian/Malaysian curry has a different flavor but somewhat reminiscent of the Philippine version; the Chinese more employ the spice as part of stir fry and the Thai version has more chillies with coconut milk and a hint of lemon grass. What is very interesting is that Curry tastes differ slightly from the Indian subcontinent as goes to the nearer region but becomes significantly different when it reaches afar.
And therefore the main point of this is the spice. When I was a child, I used to look at "curry powder" when actually, there is no such thing for the spices involved in making this mix differ from one region to another. But usually, if one were to analyze it, the following I found, are common: fenugreek, coriander, cumin and turmeric. Among these, I find that turmeric needs to be a bit more as it gives that yellowish color to curries. However, how one would want their proportions of these spices is up to the taste of the individual. In actuality, the term for "curry powder" which is more of a British-English origin is "masala" meaning, "spice".

So now for "Japanese Curry Powder". The well-known brand of this is by the Japanese brand, S&B known for their sauces, condiments including mayonnaise. And in the ingredients label, I find that their curry powder or "masala" contains the following: turmeric, coriander, fenugreek, cumin, orange peel, pepper, chili pepper, cinnamon, fennel, ginger, star anise, thyme, bay leaves, cloves, nutmeg, sage and cardamom. This combination is what I find interesting: it has the traditional Indian components (turmeric, fenugreek, coriander, cumin, fennel, ginger, nutmeg and cardamom), yet there are British components (thyme, bay leaves, cloves and sage) and lastly Japanese/Chinese components (cinnamon, ginger, star anise and orange peel). In fact, the Asian ingredients are what is found in that flavoring powder very popular in Southern Chinese meat dishes – Wu Xiyang Fen or "Five Spice Powder" also known in Hokkien as "Ngo Hiyong".

With the British bringing their cuisine to Japan, some of the Western style influences are incorporated within the preparation of Japanese Curry. What I find very interesting is the use of the French style roux in thickening the sauce. As you will see in the following recipe.


Japanese Style Beef Curry

• 2 pounds or roughly 1 kilo beef chuck or brisket (brisket is heartier but fatter as well)
• 2 small carrots, peeled and diced (Asian carrots are larger and fatter – so use only one)
• 1 large potato, peeled and diced
• 1 medium can peas (or ½ pound bag frozen peas)
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded, cored and sliced into small I cm. Square pieces
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 1 small head garlic, peeled and chopped
• 1 small apple, peeled, cored and shredded (good substitute: about three large tablespoons of apricot jelly or half a cup of apple sauce)
• 2 tablespoons Chunou sauce (it seems this is a "medium thick sauce" that has taste of ketchup/wostershire sauce, source: http://www.justonecookbook.com/pantry_items/tonkatsu-sauce/ and http://food52.com/recipes/17048-vegetarian-okonomiyaki-with-homemade-chuno-sauce Because the label of the real thing is "Vegetable and Fruit Sauce" if one thinks about it, it is ketchup!"
• 1 stick butter
• 1 finger sized ginger, peeled and chopped
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 tablespoons masala (curry powder)
• 2 teaspoons Five Spice powder (Ngo Hiyong or Wu Xiang Fen)
• 2 bay leaves

A word on masala powder. While one can buy the prepared curry powders in the supermarket, I usually make them with the following proportions:

• 2 turmeric
• 1 fenugreek
• 1 cumin
• 1 coriander
• 1 dried indian chilli
• If I have it, I would add: 1 cardamom

Put all in a spice blender and blend to a powder.

1. First, the art of mise table. Be sure all ingredients are cut and organized in groups in respective sizes as above. I guess, the Japanese are very strict about this for food is not just a survival tool rather it has to be properly pleasing to the eye.
2. Boil enough water that when the beef chunks are added, it covers the meat. Tenderize the meat remembering to remove as much foam as possible. Once tender, set aside.
3. Melt half a stick of butter and saute the garlic, onions and ginger until translucent. To this, add the spices – both masala and five spice mix - and saute further. If needed, lower the heat so that the spices are barely caramelized but not burnt. Burnt spices are a no-no for they emit an unpleasant flavor.
4. Add the beef and its broth and simmer. Add the carrots, potatoes, shredded apple (or apricot jelly), Chonou sauce and bay leaves and simmer further.
5. Once boiling, on a separate pan, melt the other half stick of butter. To this saute the flour until bubbly.
6. Getting about a two cups of the broth from the braising meat, slowly add to the flour-butter roux to create a thick smooth mixture which in turn, is added to the simmering stew. This will thicken the whole curry beef.
7. Lastly, add the peas which cook quite quickly. Ladle this on top of hot rice or udon. Serve hot.

Variations of this could be without beef, use some chicken or vegetable stock. This would result in a vegetable with broth sauce which could be served on top of Japanese style fried cutlets such as pork - "tonkatsu" which is then served on top of rice.

And one word I could describe this –YUMMY!!!