Recipe: Kare Raisu
Photo by Alyssa.
This week, Boston put on its fall sweater and I actually listened. Instead of my usual scramble for the last few quarts of sungolds, okra and corn cobs at the farmers market — a symptom of my annual denial that summer is over — I reached for potatoes, carrots, and apples to make Alyssa’s easy, comforting Japanese curry. A curry that works year-round, the ghee + apple + ginger combination makes it particularly well-suited to satisfy any fall flavor cravings. Don’t be scared to improvise on the vegetables; the aromatic curry roux works with any medley. Serves 4 people.
Adapted from Sonoko Sakai’s Japanese Curry.
Ingredients
2 TBSP Ghee
2 ea Yellow Onions, sliced thin
1 TBSP Ginger, peeled + grated
3 ea Carrots, peeled + sliced into 1/4-inch coins
4 Cups Chicken Stock (sub vegetable stock to make vegetarian)
3 ea Potatoes, peeled + cubed
1 ea Apple, peeled + grated
1 TBSP Honey
1 Cup Peas
1 TBSP Tamari/Soy Sauce
Salt & Pepper to taste
Japanese Curry Roux
½ Cup Butter
½ Cup AP Flour
2 TBSP Japanese Curry Powder, such as Sonoko Japanese Curry Powder or S&B curry powder
Process
In a 5-quart Dutch Oven (or bigger), melt the ghee in a dutch oven on medium heat and add the sliced onions, season with 1 tsp salt.
When onions are translucent and fragrant, stir in the grated ginger and carrots and cook for 3-5 minutes.
Add 4 cups of chicken stock and raise temperature to medium high heat and bring to a simmer.
Once boiling, stir in the potatoes, grated apple and honey.
Lower to medium heat and simmer, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes.
ROUX: During this period of time, melt the butter in a nonstick pan on low/medium heat.
ROUX: Whisk in the flour and stir constantly until lightly brown (it may burp at you, be careful).
ROUX: Add the curry powder and continue to whisk over a medium heat.
ROUX: Turn off the heat and pour all of the curry roux directly into the dutch oven.
Stir until combined. Mix will slightly thicken, that is a good thing.
Add your peas.
Season with soy sauce and add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve over steamed white rice.
PAIRING:
Taru (cedar-aged) sake or a Shacksbury Lo-Ball Cider if you’re really feeling fall.
