Hi everyone,
Can you believe it? Its finally raining here in L.A.! I was starting to get worried that it was creeping back into the 80s here and I would quickly lose what little of a Winter we have here. As it is an off day for me (finally!) I thought that there would be no better of a day to cook my comforting yummy Tokyo Curry.
Back when I had a Hurry Curry restaurant near me, I would get the Tokyo Curry which was a ground meat curry prepared to the consistency of a chili. It was hearty and delicious. Now I make it from time to time with my favorite ingredients. I particularly love this recipe because it gets a good amount of veggies into a hot steamy meal. You can add as little or many varieties you desire.
Please keep in mind that the list below can be changed to your liking. I literally just grabbed whatever was in the fridge to use. I don't think there's really a wrong or right way to make Japanese Curry. I know that everyone that cooks it has there own way of making it.
Some tips that I will tell you that seem to help me.
1)Add a little wine in to mellow out the flavors. Sometimes the curry has a bit too much of a 'from the box' taste for me. The wine helps that immensely; as does a little bit of tomato sauce. 2)Match your veggies. Consider your veggies and how they pair with each other. As easy as it is to throw in a bunch of stuff, it might not give you the best results. 3) Put in things at different times. You could technically throw everything in a once and let them boil, but I've found that adding in the ingredients separately give a mix of firm and soft texture adding interesting levels to the dish. 
I also love to add Okra to my Asian cooking. It's just so aromatic and add a nice thickening agent to my sauces. My favorite pairing with Okra by far has to be a good hot bowl of Korean Jjajangmyeon (blackbean noodles)! They also add interesting color and shape to dishes.
Ingredients List of Rainy Day Tokyo Curry:
20-30 minutes
Prep: 10 min, Cook: 15 min
- 1/2 package of cubed curry sauce mix (I used House)
- 1/2 lb of ground meat of choice (I used chicken, but I'm sure a soy substitute would work.)
- 5oz of firm tofu cubed
- A medium onion grated (Gotta love an old fashion cheese grater)
- 2 Tbsp minced garlic
- 2 medium peeled and grated carrots (again, cheese grater)
- Okra thinly sliced (I put in about a handful)
- 1/4th cabbage thinly sliced
- 1 can of kernel sweet corn
- 1/2 can of tomato sauce
- 3tbsp cooking oil (I use Canola)
- 2 bay leaves
- salt and pepper for taste
- a dash of cooking wine (anything will do, I used a mix of white and marsala)
- About 3 cups of water or tea (You'll need this as the curry blocks absorb the moisture.)
Garnishes: (all optional)
- Brown Rice
- Boiled Egg
- Fukujinzuke Pickles
- Black Toasted Sesame Seeds
Heat your oil in a large pot with bay leaves. After it reaches a good heat, add your ground meat, onions, and garlic to pot and let them simmer. At this time you can begin adding some wine and seasoning. Let it simmer until the meat looks slightly browned.
Next add shredded carrots and cabbage. Open and drain your corn and add in as well. If the mix looks a bit dry, don't be afraid to add water here and there. I used some day old steeped tea for a little kick. Let the veggies simmer on medium heat until the cabbage starts to get a little clear.
Turn down your heat if bubbling and add your tomato sauce and curry. Break the curry into block and let them simmer in, stirring and folding the mixture until they melt. Pour in water or tea in the pot as needed as the curry sauce will begin to take moisture and get thick. When adding your tomato sauce, add in by the table spoons and taste often. You don't want the tartness to over power the curry. Adding a little more wine to taste will help keep the bitterness at bane. When mixture starts to look even, add a little water or tea to make it slightly runny and cover pan for 5-8 minutes to let it mix.
Lastly add your tofu cubes and your Okra bits and cook until okra gets a little dark. This will be for about 5-10 minutes depending on your simmering heat. Stir occasionally to make sure nothing sticks to the pan. Serve with rice and garnishes. I love my curry with Fukujinzuke; a sweet and salty pickle made of daikon radishes. Leftovers also go great in an omlette!
Enjoy!
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