Japanese Curry Rice

Ingredients

• Japanese curry roux · about 100g0.5 box
• Pork or beef · bite-size250 g
• Onions · sliced2
• Potatoes · large chunks2
• Carrot · large chunks1
• Water3.5 cups
• Cooking oil1 tbsp
• Cooked rice · to serve
• For depth (optional)
• Butter1 tbsp
• Apple or honey · grated, for sweetness1 tbsp
• Soy sauce1 tsp

Steps

1. Slice the onions; cut the potato and carrot into large chunks and the meat bite-size.

2. Heat oil and saute the onions until well browned — the key to sweetness and depth.

   ⏲ 8 min

3. Add the meat to brown the surface, then add the potato and carrot and stir-fry together.

   ⏲ 4 min

4. Pour in the water, bring to a boil, skim the foam, and simmer over medium-low 15 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

   ⏲ 15 min

5. Turn off the heat and dissolve the curry roux completely. (Adding it while boiling makes lumps.)

   ⏲ 2 min

6. Simmer again on low 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Finish with butter, grated apple, and soy sauce. Serve over rice.

   ⏲ 8 min

Tips & Variations

The basics behind this dish

• Browning and the Maillard ReactionMeat fails to brown for one of three reasons: it is wet, the pan is cool, or you put too much in at once. Plus how the brown film stuck to the pan becomes your sauce.
• Cooking Meat: Temperature, Resting, and Cutting Against the GrainDoneness is a core temperature, not a number of minutes. What resting actually does, how to handle a thick cut, and why the direction you slice changes the texture.
• Knife Skills: Grip, Cuts, and Why Size MattersHow you hold the knife matters more than how fast you cut. The pinch grip, the claw hand, and why uniform size is a cooking decision rather than a cosmetic one.