Back to Curry
Last February, I wrote a three part series about Japanese curry. First, I experimented with making fukujinzuke, the fermented pickle usually served with curry. In the next post, I wrote how curry came to Japan and evolved to be something distinctly Japanese. Then, I explained how to make a gluten- and additive-free curry roux at home, with recipe for a delicious chicken curry that you can make in an Instant Pot. Finally, there was the funky curry-flavoured kraut, for those who wish to ferment their curry and keep it in their fridge to snack on at any time.
Now that the cycle of the seasons have brought us back to braise and stew weather, I decided it was time to make another batch of curry roux. On a stormy new moon in November, my friend and I were scheduled for a nighttime harvesting expedition. Digging medicinal roots in the cold November earth seemed like the kind of activity that demanded a hearty meal in preparation, and this Japanese beef curry recipe fit the bill to a tee.
What is Roux and Why Bother Making Your Own?
Roux (pronounced roo) is a thickener for sauces, soups and stews, made by cooking flour (usually wheat flour) in fat (usually butter, lard, or other rendered fats) at low temperatures until the flour begins to change colour. Heating the flour deactivates the enzymes that encourage clumping when they are mixed with liquid. Roux is also a more stable thickener than simple starch slurries, and has the additional advantage of imparting a nice nutty flavour to dishes thanks to the browning of flour.
Roux makes curries smoother and tastier, but it is also a time consuming process. It was in 1954, when Japan’s large food corporations started introducing solid curry roux blocks, that making curry at home suddenly became very convenient and accessible to people across Japan, propelling its rise to popularity. Unfortunately, these blocks contained not only flour and fat, but also a whole slew of flavour and colour enhancers, and preservatives.
The practice of making curry roux has not entirely disappeared though, and the process is easy to master. All it takes is butter, a starchy flour, a few common spices and a bit of patience.
Strange Seasonings?
- Baking Soda: According to chef and food writer J. Kenji López-Alt, increasing the pH of your food with a tad of baking soda is an excellent way to speed up the Maillard reaction, the set of interactions between sugars, proteins and enzymes at high temperatures that adds color and flavour to food. I read about the idea on Amy and Jacky’s blog, and decided to add a pinch to my onions before pressure cooking them to sweet, brown perfection. Baking soda also hastens the breakdown of cell wall by weakening pectin, the “chemical glue that holds vegetable cells together,” resulting in softer onions.
- Molasses, Tomato Paste, Tamarind Paste, Anchovy Paste: These are all components of Worcestershire sauce (and its Japanese iterations), a common ingredient in Japanese curry. Each of them provides concentrated elements of umami, sweetness and acidity. By using the individual ingredients, I can add umami and depth of flavour without sacrificing my commitment to whole foods.
Joëlle
Serves 4
Layer in the flavour! With red wine, caramelized onions and homemade curry roux, this Japanese beef curry packs a spectacular punch. Gluten-free and additive-free.
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Ingredients
- 2 lbs. (937g) beef chuck
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp beef tallow
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup red wine
- 1/2 cup bone broth
- 1 tbsp tamari
- 1 tbsp molasses
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp tamarind paste
- 1 tsp anchovy paste
- 8 dried shiitakes
- 2 bay leaves
- 1.5 lbs. (680g) yellow onions and shallots, thinly sliced
- 3 tbsp (45g) unsalted butter
- ⅓ tsp baking soda
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Set your Instant Pot to Saute mode, and wait a moment for it to fully warm up. Melt butter and add sliced onions and shallots, baking soda and salt. Sauté until the onions start to sweat, about 5 minutes. Press cancel to turn off the Instant Pot and screw on the lid.
- Making sure the Steam Release Handle is turned to the Sealing position, set the Pressure Cook program to cook for 20 minutes on high pressure.
- After the program is over, do a Quick Release and remove the lid.
- Turn the Instant Pot back to Saute Mode, and cook, stirring constantly, until most of the moisture has evaporated and the onion mixture has reached a thick puree-like consistency.
- Turn off the Instant Pot and transfer the puree to a container. Clean the liner and place it back in the pot.
- Set your Instant Pot to Saute mode, and wait a moment for it to fully warm up. Melt cooking fat and spread it around to fully coat the bottom of the liner.
- Brown beef chuck shoulder on all sides (about 5-6 minutes per side). Set browned meat aside on cutting board.
- Add garlic to the pot and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Deglaze the pot with red wine, and press Cancel to turn off the Instant Pot.
- Cut beef chuck into 3-5 cm cubes (1.5-2 inches) and place them back in the pot, along with
- bone broth, tamari, molasses, tomato paste, tamarind paste, anchovy paste, shiitakes, bay leaves and caramelized onion puree.
- Screw the lid back onto the Instant Pot. Making sure the Steam Release Handle is turned to the Sealing position, set the Pressure Cook program to cook for 33 minutes on high pressure.
- Let the Instant Pot do a natural release, and take the lid off.
- Turn the Instant Pot back to Saute mode and reduce the sauce until it has reached your desired consistency (I like it very thick!).
- Stir in curry bit by bit, tasting as you go, until the flavour is just right.
- Serve with short-grain white rice, steamed vegetables or a combination of the two, and fukujinzuke or shichimi togarashi kraut (optional).
Calories
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References
López-Alt J. Kenji. (2015). The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking through Science. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
The Culinary Institute Of America (Cia). (2002). Professional chef. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.
Guidance and Inspiration
Pressure Cook Recipes — Pressure Cooker Beef Curry (Japanese)
❤ Thank you Amy and Jackie!
