Japanese Beef Curry

Written by on in Main Course (Entree), Meat, Recipes

This was one of my favorite meals growing up (and it still is). It’s sweet, it’s savory and it can be made spicy (if you’d like). The meat and vegetables stewed in the thick curry sauce served over a steaming side of rice is one of my favorite things. I made this so often in grad school, my housemates called this the “Yuri Curry.”

Japanese Beef Curry

Yuri
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

Main Ingredients

  • 1 lbs Stewing Beef
  • 1/4 cup Flour
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 1/8 tsp Black Pepper
  • 3 Carrots
  • 4 Golden Potatoes
  • 4 Garlic Cloves finely minced
  • 1-2 Medium Sized Onions Thickly sliced
  • 1 tbsp Neutral Oil

For the sauce

  • 1/2 tsp Minced Ginger I use the kind that comes in a tube
  • 1/8 tsp Salt
  • 1/8 tsp Pepper
  • 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper (optional - if you like it spicy, you can also add more)
  • 1/4 tsp Cinnamon (optional)
  • 1/4 tsp Coriander (optional)
  • 1/4 tsp Cumin (optional)
  • 1/4 tsp Curry Powder (optional)
  • 1/4 tsp Tumeric (optional)
  • 2 cups Water
  • 1 Bay Leaf
  • 2 cubes Japanese Curry Roux

Instructions
 

Prepare the ingredients

  • Gather all the ingredients
  • Peel the garlic cloves and mince finely
  • Peel the onion and slice into thick pieces
  • Peel the carrots and chop into bite size pieces
  • Peel the potatoes and chop into bite size pieces - once chopped, I add the cut pieces in a bowl with water to let the starch drain
  • If needed, cut the stewing beef into bite size pieces *
  • Put ¼ c of flour, ¼ tsp salt and ¼ tsp of pepper on a plate, then mix
  • Dry the pieces of beef in a paper towel, then dredge the pieces in the flour mix

Brown the beef

  • Heat the oil in a big pot
  • Brown the beef on all sides in small batches
  • Set the browned meat aside on a plate (don't worry about any red spots. The beef will continue to cook in the curry)

Add the veggies

  • Once the meat is browned and removed, add the onions in the same pot, add the ¼ tsp of salt and pepper and let soften - don’t worry if there are browned bits of the beef on the bottom
  • Once the onion starts to sweat, add the garlic and ginger
  • Once the onion is soft, add the carrots, drain the potatoes and add to the pot, stir all together
  • Add all the spices into the pot and put the browned beef back in (including any of the red “meat juice,” stir together

Begin to form the sauce

  • Add in the 2c of water to the pot and throw in the bay leaf (you may need less water - the goal is to have enough water to cover the whole mixture)
  • On medium-low heat, let the water come to a boil - the goal here is to let the vegetables soften
  • Once the pot comes to a boil, turn the heat down to low. Break the package of curry roux along the indentations on the container. Add in 2 pieces of the roux to start (you can add more to thicken or if you want more flavor)
  • Make sure to stir the mixture until the roux block is melted into the mixture
  • Let the whole mixture simmer on low heat until the veggies are soft (30min minimum)

Notes

  1. Curry roux (pictured left) can easily be found in most grocery stores in the Asian section. If you can't find it in a store near you, you can also find it on Amazon.
  2. I find that most stewing beef comes in a variety of sizes. I try to cut the beef into similar, bite-size pieces so it all cooks at the same time.
  3. Curry is a dish that gets better over night, as all the veggies absorb more flavor - having said that, a slower and longer simmer can help simulate some of that.