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 Kare Raisu, a Japanese-style curry rice, that 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 it 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 can be overwhelming even for this lifetime boxed curry eater. While I flipped through Chef Morimoto’s Mastering the Art of Japanese Home Cooking, I found myself craving Japanese-style curry. It had been years since I had made it, and without my go-to boxed curry brand, I gleefully grabbed a box of Vermont Curry to make it at home.

My version of Kare Raisu, Japanese-style curry rice, is minimal compared to Chef Morimoto’s. I have always been a less-is-more kind of gal when it comes to Japanese-style curry. My minimalist version uses pork rather than beef and omits butter, carrots, and kosher salt.

Ceramic bowls were wheel-thrown and glazed by me.

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 cubes. Let it boil for about two to three minutes before adding the remaining water. Reduce heat to medium and let it simmer, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom. Add more water, two tablespoons at a time, if the curry cubes do not melt completely and begin to scorch.

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

This recipe yields a generous two servings of Kare Raisu as an entrée. I usually serve kimchi on the side to enhance the dish.

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More recipes:

Stir-Fried Tteok (Korean Rice Cake)

Ojingeo Bokkeum, aka Korean Spicy Stir-Fried Squid

The Tomato Sauce

Bibim-Soba

French Miso Lamb

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