Slow Cooked Japanese Beef Curry
Slow Cooked Japanese Beef Curry
Serves: 8-9
Curry is one of the staple foods in Japan and is commonly made at home with packaged curry sauce mix that generally comes in three spice levels, mild, medium and hot. Different proteins such as beef, pork, chicken, or seafood can be used based on your preference for the day. This recipe uses chunky beef stew meat which requires a longer cooking time to tenderize the meat. I use a slow cooker to make this dish, but a pressure cooker can also be used which could result in a much shorter cooking time. If you choose to cook on a stovetop without a slow cooker or pressure cooker, you will need to be very attentive throughout the entire cooking time. I like using a slow cooker because it is easy to use, and I enjoy the savory aromas throughout the day. The cooking process is quite simple, mostly involving in cutting vegetables and sautéing them with meat on a stovetop for a short time until the meat is browned. Then, water is added, and the stew is cooked in a slow cooker for about 4-5 hours. The final step is to add the curry mix to the slow cooker, then gently stir and let it simmer for about 7-10 minutes, making sure it doesn’t burn. I recommend cooking extra so you will have enough leftovers for the next day to enjoy richer and more integrated curry flavors. When you plan to have a relaxing day at home, try making this curry effortlessly with a help of your slow cooker!
Note: If you decide to use other proteins such as chicken, shrimp, fish, or tofu, a slow cooker is not needed as they cook much quicker than chunky beef stew meat. Simply cook them on a stovetop, adjusting the heat level and cooking time as needed, and follow the instructions on the curry sauce package.
Ingredients:
1.5 to 2 pounds of chunky beef stew meat
A box of Japanese curry sauce mix with your preferred spice level
2 large onions
2 carrots
450 grams of daikon
1-2 tablespoons of oil
Necessary tools:
slow cooker
Directions:
1. Wash all vegetables, peel the skins, and cut them into one bite size pieces.
2. Add cooking oil in a large pot and start sautéing the vegetables and meat on the stovetop.
3. When the meat color turns brown, pour in several cups of water in the pot based on the amount specified on the package of the curry sauce mix. Raise the heat and cook the ingredients until the boiling point. At this point, turn off the heat and transfer the stew to a slow cooker. Do not add the curry mix at this point.
4. Cook the stew in the slow cooker for about 4 to 5 hours until the beef is completely tenderized.
5. Take the pot back to the stovetop and add the curry sauce mix to the stew before turning on the stove heat. Please note that Japanese curry sauce mix looks like a large chocolate bar. Break them into pieces before adding them into the stew.
6. Stir the curry gently until the sauce mix is completely melted in the stew. Once it is melted, slowly warm up the curry over low heat and remember to constantly stir the curry sauce to avoid any burning. Let the curry simmer for about 7-10 minutes and then the curry is ready to be served.
7. Pour the curry on top of rice and enjoy!
