Japanese style vegetable curry

I love most kinds of curries, but I find Japanese style curries easier and less exacting to make than Indian style curries. Although it's easy to use cubes from the supermarket, I prefer the flavor profile of making your own roux, which is easy and customizeable. 

It starts with a simple vegetable stew - I like to begin with one onion, a large carrot, and a medium size potato, sauteed in olive oil or butter (or any preferred oil) with a teaspoon of garam masala sprinkled on top. I add half a large, or a small apple peeled, cored, and grated. This gives it a little bit of sweetness that I tend to associate with Japanese style curry. You can add any other vegetable you like here - celery, mushrooms and anything else that's OK stewing for a while. I ultimately add broccoli and green peas, but not until the potatoes have cooked so they don't get too soggy.

Once the vegetables have started to sweat, and the onions are translucent and the spices aromatic, add 4 cups of any flavoured liquid. I like all the options below - powdered boullion, paste boullion, or, if you can find it, dried shaved bonito flakes. If you decide to use the bonito, I'd use 1 cup of bonito stock to 3 cups vegetable stock. If you are making a meaty version of this with chicken, feel free to substitute chicken stock at this point. Once the liquid has been added, leave the pot to simmer on low heat for about 25-30  minutes, or until a fork easily pokes through a potato chunk.

While that's all going on, it's time to make your home-made roux!

If you have limited spices in your home, it's fine to just use packaged garam masala. Just be aware that these mixes can vary a lot in flavour profile and heat. Mine is actually a little hotter than I like it, so I actually change some of it out with some flavourful, but mild spices. For this batch, I used a teaspoon each of ground coriander, turmeric, fennel, fenugreek and about half a teaspoon each of cloves and sweet paprika. This is where you can really customize it - you can add nutmeg, cardamom, mustard seed, star anise, and whatever else you might have on hand. But again, if all you have is garam masala - go ahead and just use that. 

Add about 2-3 Tbsp of garam masala, or a combination of garam masala and spices you like as I did above, to 1/4 cup flour and add it to 3 Tbsp melted butter in a small pot

As the roux develops, it will start to clump together and smell good. You can keep toasting the flour for a deeper color and taste. When it's at the color you like, add 1 Tbsp ketchup, 1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce, and a dash of mirin if you have it around. Keep stirring till it gets nice and crumbly.

At this point, you can leave it for a little bit as your vegetable stew continues to cook. Once the potatoes are fork-piercable, add your quicker cooking vegetables like zucchini, broccoli, or green peas. I only added peas on this particular day. And once they're cooked, it's time to thicken the stew with your tasty homemade roux!

Use a measuring cup to dip out about a cup or two of the stock from your stew, and add it to the roux pot, stirring to remove all lumps. Then add the combined roux/stock back to the simmering stew pot. It will magically thicken! You don't have to add all the roux - in fact, if you think it will be thicker than you want it, you can pat it into a little cube and store it in a container in the fridge or freezer, depending on how soon you think you will need it again. 

Serve over hot short grain rice. You can garnish with some pickled ginger or seaweed flakes, or just eat as it is. 

Japanese style vegetable curry 

For the stew:

1 onion, chopped

1-2 carrots, cut into chunks

1 medium potato, cut into chunks

1-2 tsp garam masala, or to taste

1/2-1 apple, peeled, cored, and finely grated

4 cups stock (chicken, vegetable, or bonito, to taste)

1-2 tsp salt, if stock is not salty enough for you

1 Tbsp oil, butter, or margarine

Add chopped vegetables to heated oil in an large pot. Sprinkle all over with garam masala and sautee on medium heat until onions are translucent and spices become fragrant. Add grated apple and stir to combine. Add stock, scraping if needed if any bits stick to bottom of the pan. Set timer to about 25 minutes and allow to simmer at low heat. Meanwhile, make the roux

For the roux:

3 Tbsp butter

1/4 cup flour

3 Tbsp of garam masala, on its own or with a combination of any of the following spices if you want more aroma, less heat: ground coriander, cumin, fennel, fenugreek, turmeric, sweet paprika, cloves, star anise

1/2 tsp cayenne if you are not a wimp like me and enjoy your curries hotter

1 Tbsp ketchup

1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce

1 tsp or dash of mirin

Melt butter in a small pot at medium low heat and add spices and flour. Stir to combine, and continue to stir, scraping bottom of the pot to form a dark, aromatic roux. When roux is desired colour (I like it a deep golden brown), add ketchup, worstershire sauce, and mirin. Continue to stir until roux looks crumbly. Set aside till vegetables are all added to the curry and done to desired tenderness.

To combine and complete curry:

When potatoes can be poked with a fork, add quicker cooking vegetables, such as mushrooms, broccoli, zucchini, green beans, green peas, etc. When all vegetables are desired level of doneness, scoop out 1-2 cups of stock and slowly add to the roux pot, stirring frequently to smooth out any lumps. While vegetable stew is simmering, pour roux/stock combination into the main stew pot and stir as curry thickens. Adjust seasonings to taste, and serve over hot steamed rice.

Note: as hinted at previously, you can add meat if you want! I find boneless chicken thighs work best. Three to four thighs works well in this recipe. Just cut them into chunks, salt them, and sautee them with the onions first before adding the carrot and potatoes. And just continue on the same way, substituting chicken stock for vegetable stock if you like it better.