Japanese Curry

This recipe is to add on to Jen’s great curry collection that she sent out a few weeks ago.  Japanese curry is different from other curries in that it is not typically spicy and has a slight sweetness.  It tastes like a thick, savory stew with curry flavor.  Most people use pre-made curry roux, but I prefer to make it from scratch since it hardly takes any additional effort and I can decide which ingredients to put in the pot.  

Ingredients:

for the roux

4 tablespoons butter

7 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons curry powder (or more depending on your liking)

1 to 2 tablespoons of garam masala, if you can find it

for the stew

1 tablespoon cooking oil

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 onion, thinly sliced

3 large carrots, peeled and thickly sliced

3 potatoes, peeled and diced

1 large apple, peeled and grated or 1/4 to 1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce

5 cups of beef stock ( you can use vegetable stock/broth for a vegetarian option)

1 pound of cubed, raw meat (beef is typically used, but meat can be omitted)

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Make the roux: melt the butter in a pan, then add the flour.  Stir, stir, stir until the roux become a deep tan color; this may take about 20 minutes.  You can multitask and start browning your meat and cooking your vegetables  in between stirring the roux.
2. Make the stew: 
1. heat the oil in a deep pot, then add the onions and garlic.
2. once the onions are translucent and the garlic has softened, add the meat, carrots, and potatoes.  Cook until the meat and potatoes have browned slightly.
3. Add the grated apple or applesauce and the beef stock.  Simmer for about 20 minutes.
4. Pour 1 cup of the simmering stock into the roux pan.  Stir to make a paste.
5. Add the paste to your stew and cook, stirring, until it thickens.  
6. Season with salt and pepper.  Serve over rice.  Enjoy.