Making Japanese Curry (カレーライス)

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO1250
“Pot of Curry” Cedar Park, 2021

The cold weather continues, but so does the hot comfort food. Tonight’s dinner is classic Japanese curry over steamed rice (カレーライス)!

Each pot of curry is made a little differently, depending on ingredients we have on-hand, as well as how spicy we want it. Instead of just showing the finished product, here’s a general overview of the preparation… we don’t have exact measurements – we pretty much eyeball everything for this curry.

First, cook the veggies. This time, we started with garlic, then added onions, carrots, and a diced tomato.

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO1000
“Veggies for Curry” Cedar Par, 2021

After the veggies are softened, add warm/hot water to a “good” level. We had some potatoes in the pantry, so we added some potato chunks. See, you gotta just go with the flow on this recipe. 😄 Cover and cook until the potatoes are just about done.

While it was simmering, we cooked some sliced pork in a pan. It’s pretty greasy, so cooking it before adding to the pot is important.

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO1600
“Protein for Curry” Cedar Park, 2021

Next, we added the meat to the veggie stew, then covered and let it simmer for a little while longer until the potatoes were done.

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO1250
“Basic Stew” Cedar Par, 2021

After all that simmering the meat and veggies’ flavor has really come out. 😛

Now it’s time for the curry. Tonight, we used a mix of three different types. The total was about 9 pieces.

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO800
“Curry Blocks” Cedar Park, 2021

The final step is to spice it up (if desired). We used some Scotch Bonnet hot sauce (about a tablespoon) and dried chili powder (about a teaspoon).

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO1250
“Pot of Curry” Cedar Park, 2021

Once all the curry is dissolved into the stew, it’s ready to eat! We like it over steamed rice, with boiled egg, and picked radish. Koa added cheese a la Coco Ichibanya.

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO2500
“カレーライス” Cedar Park, 2021

If you make Japanese curry, I’d love to know your technique! 🍛

またね~

Curry Nite

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4.5, 1/100 sec, ISO1250
“Japanese Curry” Cedar Park, 2020

As mentioned in a previous post, the cooler Autumn weather* means we get to enjoy Autumn food**! Tonight it was a big pot of Japanese Curry, also know as Curry Rice (カレーライス)! A family favorite for sure, especially paired with the perfect side dish: Macaroni Salad. Yummm!

* 96° F here in Texas
** we actually eat it year-round, but it feels special in Autumn

Japanese Curry

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/100 sec, ISO1600
“Japanese Curry” Cedar Park, 2020

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Tonight was curry nite at the Fujimoto house! When Mariko mentions in the morning that we’re having curry, I look forward to it all day – that’s how much I love the dish. And I’m sure she gets tired of me saying, “It’s curry nite!” several times during the day. 😀 But hey, curry is something to celebrate!

This time, the curry had sliced pork in it, which was delicious. A month or so ago I thinly sliced a large piece of pork using our meat slicer. It takes a while to slice a large piece of meat and requires a small amount of elbow grease, but it’s much cheaper than buying pre-sliced pork from H-Mart. We portion out the sliced pork into 200-gram stacks, then freeze for later use. It’s a nice system!

I hope you had a nice, relaxing day.

またね~

Curry Time

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/125 sec, ISO1600
“Pork Curry” Cedar Park, 2019

Tonight we had Japanese curry カレーライス, made with pork. But what made it special was that this recipe is a favorite of Mariko’s friend, and includes plenty of fresh puréed apples. The sweetness tasted great, but I had to add a Serrano pepper (not pictured) from the garden to my curry to bring up the heat level to my liking. 🌶️ 🔥 😄

Now that the weather is changing, it’s time for our favorite Japanese cool-weather foods: curry, oden, and nabé. Those are good anytime, but especially welcome in the colder months.

またね~