How to Make Curry Rice

This post is dedicated to a certain friend who asked.

I will go step by step through the curry rice making process. This is intended for the culinarily disinclined, so please bear with me when it gets pedantic!

START
First you need to get a box of curry roux, or the sauce base. There are a zillion different brands out there, so experiment until you find one you like. I like a bunch of curries, but House brand's Vermont curry is a good place to start. However tonight, we'll be making S&B Golden curry. (Don't worry, they all follow the same process. The only thing that might change is the amount of water etc. that you will use. It's all written on the box, so don't worry about it!)

NEXT: A look at the cooking instructions
These are the instructions for the mix we are using today. We will be making a half-recipe (we are only using half of mix in the box), so remember to half all of the ingredients. This translates to the following:

Meat: 250g
Onion: 1 large onion (300g)
Carrots: 1/2 carrot (100g Japanese carrots are shorter and fatter than American ones, BTW)
Potatoes: 1 large potato (I will use 2 medium potatoes)
Oil: 2 tablespoons
water: 800ml (4 cups)
curry roux: 1/2 box

NOTES: 1) I use frozen mixed vegetables in place of the carrot to give a little more nutritional variety, and also because it's easier!
2) You can use any meat you want to. I will use beef tonight.
3) I will explain later, but I almost always use more water than is written on the box.

PREPARING THE INGREDIENTS
Peel away the outer paper-like layers of the onion and cut the remainder into blocks.












Next, peel your potatoes, and cut them into cubes. If you use fresh carrots, do the same to them. You can cut the carrots into discs instead, if you like.











Then cut the meat into cubes as well. (I like to cut my meat when it's half frozen, because it gives the meat a certain firmness that is not there when completely thawed.)

Measure out your 4 cups of water.

Make sure you have your rice cooking in your rice maker.

COOKING TIME
Prepare a largish pot and put the oil in the pot. Turn on the stove and heat the oil. I always use the highest setting. Next put the onions into the pot and fry them until they become light brown.







Add the meat and cook it until it changes color.







Next add the 4 cups of water and wait for it to heat up. You will notice that this ugly foam will rise to the top. That is mostly fat and blood from the meat. You will want to take a large spoon or something and skim this foamy scum off of your brew. If you do not remove this foam, your curry will not taste good at all!

Bring the water to a boil and add your potatoes (and carrots, if you're using fresh carrots). Then cover your pot and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. I always continue to use the highest heat setting for the stove at this point. The amount of time you want to let it simmer like this is ultimately judged by how soft you want your pototoes. The longer you let it simmer, the softer your potatoes will become. Feel free to test the softness of your potatoes periodically.

As I said earlier, I usually use frozen mixed vegetables in place of fresh carrots. I add them after the potatoes are done cooking, and then let them heat up. For me, this usually brings the overall time up to 20 minutes.

Also, since I keep the stove going full blast, it's very common for most of the water to disappear in the form of steam. When this happens, just add more water. It will slow down the process a little, but this can be mitigated if you have a supply of hot water on hand.

FINAL TOUCHES
Once you're done simmering your meat and vegetables, turn down the heat to low. Then add the curry mix. Mix it up until the curry mix melts into the water. Feel free to add water if the consistency is too thick.







YOU'RE DONE! Put some rice on a plate or in a bowl, and scoop out some curry onto your rice. Enjoy! Curry rice is usually eaten with a spoon in Japan.