Japanese Curry

In a bid to get in some quick and fast, yet satisfying recipes, here is some Japanese Curry, originally posted at my other blog.

There was a time I was absolutely binging on this, since it is incredibly savory, very fast to cook and keeps well :) In US Supermarkets, you can normally find Vermont Style or S&B Golden Curry (Medium Hot) (See also: http://www.sbfoods.co.jp/eng/currystory.html). I prefer the S&B Japanese version, "Hot", from my local Korean store, which has more diverse options.

What it is: Japanese curry powder is a mix of various spices, many the same as that used in India Garam Masala. However, the proportions are different, the spice is pressed into blocks and is super easy to prepare- just add to your main of veggies/meat/tofu, unlike Indian curry.

Here is what I used:

• 1 box of S&B Golden Curry paste (Medium Hot)
• A handful of white mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1/2 lb of chicken, cut to 1.5"-2" cubes.
• 1" dice 1/2 lb green beans
• 1.5" dice 1 small red onion, julienned
• A handful of frozen green peas
• A bunch of green onions, cut small

This is what I did:

• Add about a spoonful of oil to a deep skillet, and heat about a minute.
• Add the onions to the skillet, and fry till golden.
• Now add the chicken and brown on all sides.
• Now add the curry paste cubes, and mix gently. This will take time, and you musnt try to blend in the spice- that'll break up your chicken. Just add 4 cups of water, bring to a boil, cover the pot and reduce to a bare simmer.
• After about 10 minutes, add the mushrooms and green beans.
• In another 10 minutes, add the peas, cover the pan back and let cook for another 5 minutes.
• After the 5 minutes are past, taste the curry for salt- the spice mix already has salt in it. If the curry is too thick, add water, and boil for the right consistency. If it is too thin, simply boil away the excess.
• Once you are satisfied with the thickness of the curry, mix in the green onions, and serve over steamed rice!

Note: The curry keeps well for about a week in the fridge, but does not take well to freezing.

Cooking time: 20 minutes.

Other ingredient ideas:

1- Try using lamb/beef/tofu instead of the chicken.

2- You could also use shrimp/other seafood; just ensure that you add any vegetables that take longer to cook first, and then add in the seafood about 5 (Shrimp) - 8 (fish) minutes before finishing cooking.

3- Instead of adding spring onions in the end, try cilantro- I wouldn't recommend adding fresh basil, since that will strongly alter the curry flavor.

4- When choosing vegetables to add to the curry, make sure you add the longer cooking veggies like squashes and potatoes first, the peppers next, and lastly any herbs or frozen veggies, which will cook the fastest.