Japanese Beef Curry From Scratch

Learn how to make Japanese curry from scratch using simple ingredients and expert techniques. Discover a step-by-step recipe for homemade curry with detailed instructions. Perfect your comfort food cooking skills with this delicious and authentic Japanese curry dish. Workshop details and additional resources available.

I love Japanese curry, but I don't love those ubiquitous packages of Japanese curry mixes, which are highly processed with junk ingredients. I recall tasting a top-notch curry at a tiny shop in Tokyo that had nothing processed about it, and watching a chef in Fukuoka conjure up from scratch an amazing Japanese curry with shako (a monstrous shrimp-like crustacean). So I know it can be done. But how? Well, I reached out to a cook on Skype at her home in Chiba Prefecture and over the course of two hours, she walked me through her curry technique, with me showing her things to check out over Skype video (hilarious).

Compared to curry mixes, I'm amazed how much better the scratch version tastes, so delicious. And the scratch curry lookes so much more appealing, sans thickeners and stabilizers. So I urge you to cook curry from scratch yourself!! (Make a monster batch and freeze the leftovers, they reheat well.)

For the recipe, the conversions from metric to US customary units are as follows:

• Beef: 300 grams is approximately 10.6 ounces
• Onions: 400 grams is approximately 14.1 ounces
• Ginger: 10 grams is approximately 0.35 ounces
• New Potatoes: 300 grams is approximately 10.6 ounces

Now, let's rewrite the recipe with these conversions:

# **Japanese Beef Curry**

## Ingredients:
- 12 ounces beef (brisket, short ribs, or other cuts), cut into bite-sized cubes  
- Salt and pepper for seasoning  
- 2 1/2 tablespoons butter  
-14 ounces onions, thinly sliced  
- 0.35 ounces ginger, finely grated  
- 2 cloves garlic, finely grated  
- 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into wedges, rangiri style  
- 1 large apple, peeled and coarsely grated  
- 5 cups beef stock  
- 1 tablespoon salt  
- 11 ounces new potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces  

### For the roux:
- 4 tablespoons butter  
- 7 tablespoons flour  
- 2 tablespoons curry powder  
- 2 tablespoons garam masala  

## Instructions:
1. Season beef with salt and pepper.
2. In a large stockpot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions, ginger, garlic, carrots, and beef. Cook for 5 minutes until onions are translucent and beef is browned. Add apple, beef stock, and salt. Simmer for 20 minutes.
3. For the roux: In a skillet, melt butter and stir in flour. Cook, stirring continuously, until it reaches a deep tan color, about 20 minutes. Add curry powder and garam masala, stir for 30 seconds. Mix in some cooking liquid to form a paste.
4. Add the roux paste to the stockpot. Add potatoes and simmer on low heat for about 1 hour, or until beef is tender and curry is thick. Serve with Japanese short-grained rice.