Japanese
Kare Raisu
Japanese beef curry with deeply browned onions, tender vegetables, apple, warm spices, and a glossy roux-thickened sauce over rice.
6 servings · 35 minutes prep · 120 minutes cook
Ingredients
Beef Curry
- 1 1/2 lb well-marbled boneless beef chuck, cut into 1 1/4-inch pieces
- 1 1/2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, divided
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp avocado oil, divided
- 1 1/2 lb yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced
- 6 oz carrot, cut into 3/4-inch rangiri pieces
- 1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
- 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 4 cups unsalted beef stock, plus more as needed
- 5 oz Fuji apple, peeled and finely grated
- 1 tbsp Japanese Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp ketchup
- 2 tsp Japanese soy sauce
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 bay leaf
- 12 oz Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/4-inch pieces
Curry Roux
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp Japanese curry powder, preferably S&B
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Rice
- 2 1/2 cups Japanese short-grain white rice
- 2 3/4 cups cold water
Directions
Start the Rice
- Rinse the rice in several changes of cold water until the water is nearly clear. Drain for 10 minutes, combine with 2 3/4 cups cold water in a heavy saucepan or rice cooker, and soak for 15 minutes.
Brown and Simmer the Beef
- Season the beef with 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon avocado oil in a heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the beef in two batches without crowding, 6 to 8 minutes per batch, adding the remaining oil as needed. Transfer the beef to a plate.
- Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions and remaining 1/2 tsp salt, and cook, scraping up the fond and stirring often, until deeply golden and reduced to about one-third their original volume, 25 to 30 minutes. Add the carrot, ginger, and garlic; cook 2 minutes.
- Return the beef and its juices to the pot. Finely grate the peeled apple with the box grater. Add it with the stock, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, soy sauce, honey, and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer, partially cover, and cook over low heat until the beef is almost tender, 60 to 75 minutes. Skim excess fat and foam as needed.
Make the Curry Roux
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring continuously, until the roux is deep golden brown and smells nutty, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the curry powder, garam masala, and cayenne; cook 30 seconds, then remove from the heat.
Finish the Curry
- Add the potatoes to the curry and simmer uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender but intact and the beef is fork-tender and near {{temperature:195°F}}. Remove the bay leaf.
- Whisk 1 cup hot cooking liquid gradually into the roux until completely smooth. Stir the loosened roux into the pot and simmer gently, stirring often, until glossy and thick enough to coat a spoon, 10 to 15 minutes. Add a splash of stock if it becomes tighter than a pourable gravy. Rest off the heat 10 minutes and adjust the salt.
Cook the Rice and Serve
- While the curry finishes, cook the soaked rice according to the rice cooker's directions, or bring it to a boil covered, reduce the heat to low, and cook 13 minutes. Turn off the heat and steam, covered, 10 minutes; fluff gently.
- Mound rice on one side of each shallow bowl and ladle the curry alongside it so the sauce just meets the rice.
