Japanese Curry Day (カレーの日)

January 22nd is Japanese Curry Day!

Japanese curry “karé” is regarded as a comforting soul food family dish.

The history of curry in Japan goes back to the Meji period (1868-1912) and was actually introduced by the British Imperial Navy. Curry was first introduced into Japan when England colonized India.

The British navy adapted Indian curry to suit their own tastes, as a hearty meal for its sailors using curry spice powder and making a kind of curry-stew with meat, carrots, potatoes etc and shared this version with Japan.

It was not until the early 20th century that the mild, thick, and sweet yōshoku (western influence) style curry made its way firmly into ordinary Japanese households and chain restaurants and became the most popular and loved food in Japan.

The first curry powder spice blend was created in 1923 by Minejiro Yamazaki, who would later found S&B Foods and its this that I will be using to create an authentic tasting Japanese style curry for Japanese curry day with out any of the additives that you sometimes find in the curry roux cubes which were invented in the 1950’s.

Now a classical dish of japanese cuisine japanese curry comes with its own regional variations modified to use seasonal and local ingredients.

I decided to stick to the Hokkaido style curry of onion, carrots and potatoes for this dish.

There is a word in Japanese “Kakushi Aji” 隠し味  also written かくしあじmeaning (Hidden Flavour) those subtle  ingredients that play a key role in enhancing the overall taste of a dish. Aomori Prefecture is famous for apples and apples are commonly used as that “hidden ingredient” in Japanese curry to bring out the sweetness. So with this in mind this is how to make a simple Japanese curry for curry day.

Ingredients

1-2 carrots chopped in to rolling wedges a cutting technique called rangiri (乱切り)

1-2 potatoes chopped into large pieces around 2 inches in size

1-2 white onions sliced into thick wedges

1 large apple peeled and grated

A knob of butter (1 inch size piece)

1 tablespoon of tomato ketchup

1 tablespoon of tamari or soy sauce

1 tablespoon of maple syrup or agave

Curry paste ingredients

2 teaspoons of S&B curry spice

1/2 teaspoon of Cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon of garam masala

1 tablespoon of kuzu root

Method

Prepare your vegetables and apple and gather the rest of your ingredients.

Melt the butter on low heat and gently sauté the onions to lightly caramelise. Add the potatoes and carrot and Kakushi Aji  ingredient in this case apple and sauté.

Add the ketchup, tamari and sweetener, and add enough water to not submerged completely.

This is called hita hita (ひたひた) in Japanese. Put the lid on the pan and simmer gently until you can push a toothpick through the vegetables but not falling apart. You may need to add a little extra water while they are simmering so that the vegetables do not stick to the bottom.

While the vegetables are simmering prepare your curry spice paste.

As I explained I am using the Japanese curry  spice powder by S&B this is a spice blend of Turmeric, Coriander, Fenugreek, Cumin, Orange Peel, Pepper, Chili Pepper, Cinnamon, Fennel, Ginger, Star Anise, Thyme, Bay Leaves, Cloves, Nutmeg, Sage, Cardamom. This can easily be purchased on line or from your Japanese supermarket.

To thicken the  curry I am using kuzu root. Kuzu or Kudzu starch is a Japanese powdered root. Kuzu is a wonderful thickening and jelling agent and is highly valued in the macrobiotic diet for having many health benefits. Kuzu root has great nutritional and medicinal value and is especially good for the digestion, regulating blood sugar and high blood pressure to comforting cold and flu symptoms. Kuzu has been commercially produced in Japan from as early as the 1600. Did you know the kuzu root is one of the largest in the world? Make sure when buying kuzu that is 100% and not mixed with other starches to get the best medicinal effect.

You should be able to purchase it on line from places like Clearspring.

To make the curry paste add the kuzu root to a bowl (it normally comes in chunks so grind it down to a powder form using a pestle (or suribachi). Add the cayenne, garam masala and S&B curry spice powder and mix to combine.

When your vegetables are done add a little hot water to the vegetables again to barely submerge and keep simmering. Add a little cold water to your Kuzu spice blend to make a runny paste and pour into your vegetables and keep stirring. The curry will start to thicken as you heat and stir. Add more hot water to get your desired consistency.

You can serve the traditional way with just plain Japanese rice.

Or add extra vegetables and pickles if you wish.

Curry House CoCo Ichibanya is the first and very popular curry chain in Japan. If you’re struggling to find a vegan meal when travelling in a more remote area of Japan look out for their distinctive famous yellow and brown logo.

They offer a vegan curry which you can customise with vegetables and spice level be warned they get very spicy!

There are also many vegan cafes that offer their own version on their menus have you had curry in Japan and if so what was your favourite ?

You may of come across several versions of Japanese curry:

karé raisu カレーライス curry with rice, katsu karé カツカレー, curry with pork cutlet, karé udon カレーうどん, with udon noodles, which can also be  replaced with ramen.

Why not try making your basic curry and adding any of the above. (A vegan version of katsu curry can be made with textured soy protein or tofu in a crispy panko style breadcrumb)

This curry makes the  perfect family meal that is even better as left overs the next day.