You'd think the Japanese would have come by their curry via India. Nosiree, Bob-san. Our mates the Brits took it from India and sailed with it to Japan in the late nineteenth century. In an early show of the ingenuity and love of convenience they would later gain renown for, the Japanese soon developed make-at-home versions of the sauce. When cooked, these curry mixes look more like medium- to dark-brown gravy and are a touch thinner than the various curries you'll find in Indian restaurants in the U.S. They're also milder than Indian curries and are on the sweet side. Common brands found in the States include S&B and House.
Japanese curry sauce is served over rice, no surprise, and is known there as karei raisu, or "curry rice"—as you may have guessed. As you may not have guessed, it is eaten with a spoon, not chopsticks.
So how did a Kansas-raised gaijin come by this dish? From a college housemate whose mom is Japanese. At some point back in the mid-'90s, at one of the various apartments we lived in, he cooked up a batch of curry (using an S & B mix, as per his mom's recipe) and let me try it. At that point, karei raisu (pronounced "ka-ray rye-su," with the Japanese combo r/l sound) became my third-favorite food (pizza and tiny hamburgers, of course, holding down spots one and two).
Those of you familiar with curry rice will note that my version of the stuff looks a little different than that served in Japan or at Japanese restaurants here. My friend's mom didn't know how to cook when she came to the U.S., so her Japanese cooking is more like, uh, Midwestern-Japanese fusion. Call it "hanbaaga helper." This stuff, made from 30 or more different spices, is delicious and strangely addictive. Fortunately, it's quite easy to feed such an addiction, if you find yourself hooked on the stuff.
Start with a box of curry sauce mix (right). S&B seems to be the most commonly available brand and is available in mild, medium, and hot. House Foods has several styles—Vermont, Java, Kokumaro, among them—also available in mild, medium, and hot varieties. For a more authentic version, I guess you'd have to follow the instructions on the box. I'm going to detail how my Japanese-Midwestern fusion version is made:
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Not only is Japanese-style curry delicious and easy to make, it's perfect for feeding a lot of people—or for getting several meals out of one cooking session; it can be easily frozen in individual portions for reheating later. To make it, you need carrots, potatoes, and onions (above).
First, I sauté the onions in butter. It's probably not very Japanese, but hey, neither am I. I like to think the butter gives the sauce an extra richness, but who am I kidding? it's probably undetectable.
After the onions start to sweat and get tender and translucent, I add the ground beef. In this case, Creekstone Farms 90% ground sirloin. One pound here. (Don't worry, weight worrywarts: It's for a batch with 10 servings.)
S&B is my go-to curry mix. House brand curry is another popular mix. It's cold outside, so I used the hot variety. The curry-sauce mix comes in a plastic tray (above left) and looks like a bullion-cube candy bar. I don't recommend eating it like one. Doesn't the plastic tray look like a Barbie-size bathtub full of frozen gravy? One box makes one batch that serves five, but tonight, I made a double batch. The bar is segmented for easy break-apart action (above right).
After the meat is browned, I add potatoes, carrots, and the specified amount of water. You can add more or fewer veggies, but I know I've got it just right if the water comes up to the level of the vegetables in the pot. Bring to a boil.
Once pot starts to boil, add the sauce chunks. Here, two packages' worth of sauce mix for a double batch.
The sauce takes on the color and appearance of dog food (or worse) as the paste chunks dissolve and get mixed in. Trust me: It tastes much much better than anything a dog would eat—well, maybe not a dog spoiled by its owner. At this point, reduce the boil to a very gentle simmer.
Oh, did I mention you need rice for this stuff? Yeah. You do. It's best to start cooking about 2 cups' worth of rice in a rice cooker around the same time you add the curry candy bar to the curry pot. That way the white stuff (or brown, I guess, if that's your deal) is ready around the same time the curry sauce is.
The finished sauce thickens and the vegetables become tender after a 15- to 20-minute simmer. Remember to stir occasionally so the sauce doesn't burn and stick to the bottom of the pan.
The finished product. Mmm. Oishii desu!* Put about 1.5 cups rice in a bowl, ladle about 1.5 cups of the finished sauce mix over it, and itadakimasu!** And don't be an aho*** and eat this stuff with chopsticks. Nihonies don't play dat. Get yourself a spoon instead, and dig in.
FURTHER READING
Favoring Curry, Robert Sietsema [Village Voice]
This Is Wrong [Yongfook]
Yohshoku: Japanese-style Western Cuisine [I Was Just Really Very Hungry]
Japanese Curry Story [S&B Foods, Inc.]
House Foods Curry House Restaurant
And now, the text-only recipe, for those of you who don't like pictures...
JAPANESE CURRY, GAIJIN-STYLE
makes about 5 servings
2 tablespoons butter or cooking oil
1 medium onion, cut into half-moon slivers
3/4 pound ground beef
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
2 large potatoes of your choice, peeled and chopped
1 box curry mix
3 cups rice (Kokuho Rose works well)
1. Heat oil in a medium stockpot over medium-high heat. Add onions, and sauté until translucent.
2. Add beef, and cook until browned.
3. Add carrots and potatoes, and pour in as much water as the package instructs, typically 2.5 to 3 cups. Bring to a boil.
4. Break up curry-mix bar and add to boiling pot. Stir as curry chunks dissolve and mixture takes on dark-brown shade. Lower mixture to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, prepare the rice. If you have a rice cooker, aces! If not, prepare it on the stove according to package instructions.
6. Spoon about 1.5 cups cooked rice into a bowl, ladle about 1.5 cups curry sauce over rice. Serve.
7. Repeat step 6.
IMPROMPTU JAPANESE LESSON
* oishii desu = "It's delicious!"
** itadakimasu = Literally, "I will receive." An expression of appreciation uttered before eating a meal.
*** aho = (n.) Fool
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It's been a while, eh? I've been busy at the day job helping launch a new magazine and have been working on some backend issues on Slice and AHT. I finally feel like I've got some extra time.
I've had Mr. Rahman's fare for my last four lunches after having been introduced to it by Ed Levine last Wednesday. So far I've had the cheesesteak, lamb on pita, chicken on pita, and again, today, the cheesesteak.
Meltdown in the foodblog world: Two recent dustups in the last week, week and a half.
<< Hobo sign meaning "Good food here, but you have to work for it."
I just got off the phone with the girlfriend, who was talking about making her "special food, like Roger Ebert." Something to do with the fact that the film critic's diet consists only of food he prepares in his rice cooker: 
Seven things to do before I die
Seven things I say most often
