Japanese-Style Curry, Inspired by Chef Morimoto

There it was. On page 161 of Mastering the Art of Japanese Home Cooking by Chef Morimoto. A list of ingredients for Karei Raisu, a Japanese-style curry rice, included Vermont Curry. The Welcome to Vermont section on the following page confirmed Chef Morimoto's recommendation to use the boxed curry cubes. 

I am familiar with boxed curry cubes. My Mom sometimes made mayonnaise at home. We rarely ate store-bought kimchi because she made them at home. Japanese-style curry? We always ate curry that came out of boxes. Meat and vegetables were added, but the sauce was never made from scratch. 

Asian Grocery Stores such as H Mart have curry aisles with many selections, which are overwhelming for even this lifetime boxed curry eater. While I flipped through Chef Morimoto's Mastering the Art of Japanese Home Cooking, I craved Japanese-style curry. It had been years since I had made it and didn't have my go-to boxed curry brand, so I gleefully grabbed a box of Vermont Curry to make it at home. 

My version of Karei Raisu, Japanese-style curry rice, is minimal compared to Chef Morimoto's. I had always been a less-is-more kind of gal when it came to Japanese-style curry. So, my minimalist version uses pork rather than beef and without butter, carrots, and kosher salt.

INGREDIENTS

three Vermont Curry cubes, medium hot

three ounces of pork loin, diced

a half of russet potato, peeled and diced

a quarter of yellow onion, diced

one tablespoon of vegetable oil

one and a-third cups of water, possibly more

Heat a pot over high heat. Once heated, add vegetable oil, pork loin, and onion. Sauté until the onions become fragrant. Add one cup of water, potato, and curry blocks. Let it boil for about two to three minutes before adding the remaining water. Reduce heat to medium and let it simmer while occasionally stirring and scraping the bottom. Add more water, two tablespoons at a time, if the curry cubes don't melt completely and start scorching. 

Once the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes, remove from the heat, and serve the curry sauce over cooked short-grain white rice. 

This recipe yields generously two servings of Karei Raisu as an entree. I usually serve kimchi on the side to enhance Karei Raisu.