How to Make Japanese Beef Curry – Simple Weeknight Dinner

 

I have really been enjoying watching a girl on YouTube lately. Linna in Japan.  Her food always looks delicious. I especially enjoy watching her grocery shopping and seeing what she purchases for her family.

I have always been a grocery store tourist.  Any time I have traveled outside of my country, the grocery stores local to where I am visiting are places I really want to go!  I guess I am a real foodie at heart, and I find the differences in food culture to be really interesting!

I had no idea until I started watching Linna that the Japanese also enjoyed curries. This was new to me. My brother lived in Japan for four years and is married to a Canadian Japanese girl. I was familiar with a lot of their food but not with curry.

 

I really enjoy Indian Curry and wanted to make a Japanese Curry to see what differences there were between the two cultures when it came to this dish.  I found a recipe here and decided to give it a go, although on a much smaller scale.  I did make a few amendments to the cooking times, etc.  I like my beef in a stew/curry to be very tender, and I didn't think that it would end up very tender using their suggested times. My additions were perfect.

Essentially this is a bit of a beef stew, with tender chunks of beef, potato, onions, and carrots in a flavorsome rich curry broth/gravy.  I didn't find it to be overly spicy or hot, although you could certainly add a bit more heat if you wished to do so.

Altogether this was a rich and delicious meal that I really enjoyed along with some rice. It is something I know I will make often. I love beef stew. I love curry. I love LOVED this!

 

WHAT YOU NEED

TO MAKE

JAPANESE BEEF CURRY FOR TWO

This is a small batch recipe. To make more servings simply double or triple the ingredients.

• 8 ounces (1/2 lb./227g) lean stewing beef, trimmed of fat and cubed
• 1 onion, peeled and diced
• 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into chunks
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
• 1 cube (50g/1.76g) homemade curry roux (you can find that recipe here)
• 1 1/4 cups (300ml) water
• 2 TBS red wine
• 1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp grated gingerroot
• 1/2 tsp grated peeled garlic
• 1/2 tsp beef stock
• 1 TBS vegetable oil for frying

 

I used really lean stewing beef. I did cut off any visible fat or silver skin on the edges. It's not something that I enjoy eating.  

I used a smallish to medium sized onion and cut it into a small dice. My carrot was about 9 inches long. I peeled it and cut it into 1-inch chunks.

I used medium sized white potatoes. As you are going to be serving this with rice, you don't really need a lot of potato.  I cut the potatoes into quarters, so had 8 nice chunks.

The curry roux is really a simple make.  I suggest making this the day before so that it has time to dry. You can keep any leftovers of the roux in the refrigerator for up to 2 months or in the freezer for up to 4 months.

 

HOW TO MAKE

JAPANESE BEEF CURRY FOR TWO

This is really no more difficult than it is to make a tasty stew.

1. Heat the vegetable oil over medium high heat in a medium sized saucepan. Add the onion and the garlic. Cook and stir until very fragrant. (Don't let it brown.)
2. Add the diced beef. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and the edges are sealed. Scoop out to a bowl and set aside. (It doesn't need to be really brown, but you do want the edges sealed to seal in the flavor.)
3. Add the carrots, and potatoes to the pan. Stir fry over medium heat to seal the edges. Scoop out to a bowl. (This helps to seal in the flavor and helps the vegetables to keep their shape in the curry.)
4. Return the beef and any juices to the pan.
5. Add the red wine and the beef stock powder. Let reduce for several minutes and then add the water and Worcestershire sauce. (If you don't like or have wine, you can use additional water.)
6. Cover tightly and leave to soften the beef for one hour. Add the vegetables back to the pan and cook for a further 20 minutes until the vegetables and meat are both very tender.
7. Whisk in the curry roux. Stir through until it dissolves and thickens up the sauce. Cook for several minutes.
8. Serve hot with some rice on the side. (Sticky Sushi rice is traditional. I did not have any of that so used Basmati.)

 

FLAVOR VARIATIONS FOR

JAPANESE BEEF CURRY FOR TWO

• You can add a knob of butter to the sauce right at the end prior to serving.
• Add cayenne and or black pepper for extra heat.
• If you find it too spicy, add a touch of milk or some honey to tone it down a bit.
• Use ground beef rather than cubed stewing beef. In this case the simmer time for the beef will be quite a bit shorter. I would only simmer it for about 15 minutes before adding the vegetables and continuing.
• You can also use chunked sausage meat rather than the beef. Again, this will not need to simmer for as long as stewing beef.

 

HOW TO STORE

JAPANESE BEEF CURRY FOR TWO

Any leftovers can be kept, covered in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for two to three days. It can also be frozen, properly wrapped for up to three months. The texture of the vegetables may alter a bit, but it will still be good.

 

A FEW OTHER

CURRY RECIPES TO ENJOY

I happen to love curry of any kind. Here are a few other curry dishes which I enjoy making and eating!! I can promise you that neither one of them is complicated or requires outrageous ingredients.

COCONUT CHICKEN CURRY - Comfort with a twist. Rich, creamy and gently spiced. This is the kind of dish that feels indulgent, yet comes together in just half an hour. Tender strips of chicken in a rich coconut milk, orange and mango sauce. Topped with toasted flaked almonds or cashews for crunch. A beautiful balance of flavor and texture.

LAMB ROGAN JOSH - Warm spices, tender lamb, and a touch of tradition.  This dish is pure comfort in a bowl. Melt-in-your-mouth, tender pieces of lamb in a rich and delicious sauce. Moderately spiced. A swirl of creamy yogurt at the end adds richness without heaviness, making it perfect for cozy nights or impressive dinners.  Serve with fluffy pilau rice and crisp poppadoms for the ultimate experience.

 

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Yield: two servings

Author: Marie Rayner

Japanese Beef Curry, for two

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 1 H & 35 MTotal time: 1 H & 50 M

Tender beef and vegetables, simmered to perfection in a delicious curry sauce. This goes wonderfully with rice.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces (1/2 lb./227g) lean stewing beef, trimmed of fat and cubed
• 1 onion, peeled and diced
• 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into chunks
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
• 1 cube (50g/1.76g) homemade curry roux (you can find that recipe here)
• 1 1/4 cups (300ml) water
• 2 TBS red wine
• 1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp grated ginger-root
• 1/2 tsp grated peeled garlic
• 1/2 tsp beef stock
• 1 TBS vegetable oil for frying

To Serve:

• hot cooked rice

Instructions

1. Heat the vegetable oil over medium high heat in a medium sized saucepan. Add the onion and the garlic. Cook and stir until very fragrant.
2. Add the diced beef. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and the edges are sealed. Scoop out to a bowl and set aside.
3. Add the carrots, and potatoes to the pan. Stir fry over medium heat to seal the edges. Scoop out to a bowl.
4. Return the beef and any juices to the pan.
5. Add the red wine and the beef stock powder. Let reduce for several minutes and then add the water and Worcestershire sauce.
6. Cover tightly and leave to soften the beef for one hour. Add the vegetables back to the pan and cook for a further 20 minutes until the vegetables and meat are both very tender.
7. Whisk in the curry roux. Stir through until it dissolves and thickens up the sauce. Cook for several minutes.
8. Serve hot with some rice on the side.

Notes

To make the curry roux you will need:

3 TBS curry powder

3 TBS butter

3 TBS plain flour

1 TBS tomato paste/puree

1 tsp honey or sugar

1 tsp garlic salt

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