Trying Authentic Japanese Curry

Hello fellow foodies!
I hope your weekend is going wonderfully.

Today I'm so excited to share my first experience cooking with authentic Japanese Curry. I've always used regular curry powder from the grocery store in my cooking whenever I need it as a seasoning, so this was a delightful change. A special thank you to my Hive friend, @wittyzell, for bringing this delicious pasalubong from Japan during our last meetup in Metro Manila!

Since the curry box was all in Japanese, Google Lens and Translate were my lifesavers! Plus, Witty was super helpful, answering all my cooking questions. That really gave me the confidence to grab all the ingredients I needed.

List of Ingredients used:

• 500g thinly sliced pork belly
• 3 cubes curry roux
• 1 medium carrot, cubed
• 1 large potato, cubed
• 1 medium red bell pepper, cubed
• 1 pork bouillon cube
• 1 medium white onion, diced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1.5 cups water
• 2 tablespoons oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

With all the ingredients purchased, I promptly began the preparation process, which included washing, peeling, and slicing the vegetables, while also documenting the steps with photographs for the blog.

Procedure:

• Over medium-high heat, I seared the thinly sliced pork belly, until it rendered its fat. Flipped and cooked until nearly done. Seasoned with salt and pepper, then removed from the pan, then set aside.

• In the same pan, I sautéed garlic and onion in oil until fragrant. Added potatoes, carrots, and the pork bouillon cube; cooked 2 minutes; seasoned with pepper.

• I added 1.5 cups of water, ensuring the vegetables were submerged. Then, I brought the mixture to a simmer over reduced heat, cooking for 3 minutes until the potatoes and carrots were tender.

• Once the vegetables were tender, I reduced the heat to low. I then added the three cubes of Japanese curry roux, stirring continuously until they were completely dissolved and the sauce began to thicken. I returned the cooked pork belly to the pan, ensuring it was fully immersed in the curry sauce. I allowed the curry to simmer gently until the pork was heated through and the sauce had thickened to the desired consistency, about 3-5 minutes.

• To retain the crispness of the bell pepper, I added the cubed red bell pepper during the final minutes of cooking. I seasoned it with salt then stirred it in gently, allowing it to cook for about 1-2 minutes, just until slightly softened.

• The Japanese curry is now ready to be served. I ladled generous portions of the curry next to a steaming bowl of hot, freshly cooked rice.
  Enjoy!

It was a really interesting experience! I wanted to taste the Japanese curry as it was, so I just used salt and pepper. Usually, when I cook with regular curry powder, I add sugar to tone down the spice and coconut milk to make the sauce thicker. But this Japanese curry was naturally sweet, probably because of the apple and honey in it. And get this – it thickens all on its own while simmering, no coconut milk needed or slurry!

Did I like it? Absolutely! I've already used the entire box, experimenting with chicken, fish fillet, and tofu curry dishes. The 12-cube box was perfect for four delicious meals.

I'm actually craving it as I write this blog, but after checking the Asian store nearby earlier, maybe I'll just wait for Witty to come back from Japan.

Have you tried it? If not, you should! It's a delicious and easy way to add variety to your meals.

Thanks for reading and see you on my next one!

❤️❤️❤️

_{All photos were taken by me, unless stated otherwise.
The lead image was edited using Canva.}