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For an incredibly delicious, popular Japanese dish, look no further than Ka-re. Ka-re (otherwise known as curry or curry rice) is a slightly sweet, slightly spicy dish consisting of a thick gravy with stew meat and vegetables typically served with rice.

To make the curry, we first made a curry roux from butter, flour, and a few spices. In a separate pot, we boiled the basic components of the dish; acombination of meat, carrots, onions, and potatoes. Fora little extra sweetness we also tossed in some pureed apple. We kept the roux and the curry separate until the last few minutes and thenadded the boiled medley to the roux.

We served our curry in one of the most popular methods: with short grain rice (however it’s also commonly served on its own or with noodles). The best part of serving with rice is using the leftover rice to make onigiri!

In Japan, it is traditionally considered rude to completely mix together the rice and the curry. Instead, they are served next to each other on the plate, and you mix a spoonful of the rice with the curry before taking the bite. Keep reading below for this delicious recipe…

Japanese Curry Rice

(makes about 4 servings)

Ingredients

ROUX

  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 2 tablespoons garam masala (or curry powder)
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (adjust accordingly for spiciness)
  • black pepper
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 tablespoon freshly ground ginger
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

CURRY

  • 2lbs beef round chuck cut into bite sized cubes
  • 2 teaspoons grape-seed oil
  • 2 large onions sliced thin
  • 2 carrots cut into chunks
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 2 large yukon gold potatoes cut into large chunks
  • 1 small apple peeled, cored, and pureed
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala (or curry powder)

Directions

  1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium low heat and add the onions. Saute the onions until they are golden brown and caramelized (about 30 minutes). Turn the heat up to high, add the beef, and brown.
  2. Add the carrots, water, broth, and red wine. Bring to a boil. Skim off any foam or oil from the top, then lower the heat to medium. Add the potatoes, pureed apple, salt, and garam masala. Simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the carrots, potatoes, and meat are tender.
  3. Meanwhile, to make the roux, melt the butter over medium low heat. Add the flour and garam masala. Stir until you have a thick paste. Add the cayenne pepper and some black pepper to taste. Add the garlic, ginger, tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to combine. Continue to cook until the paste starts crumbling. Remove from the heat and set aside until the meat and vegetables are done cooking.
  4. To finish the curry, ladle 2 cups of liquid into the roux then whisk until it’s smooth. Pour this mixture back into the other pot and gently stir until thickened.
  5. Serve with rice next to the curry.
  6. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted fromSerious Eats