Japanese-Style Beef Curry with Carrots, Potatoes and a Spiced Roux
Inspired by techniques from America's Test Kitchen, Serious Eats and NYT Cooking.
A comforting homestyle Japanese curry with fork-tender beef, carrots and potatoes in a rich gravy thickened with a from-scratch spiced butter roux instead of a packet block.
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Method
- 1
Mix the spice blend. Tip the coriander, cumin, turmeric, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, fenugreek, cayenne and black pepper into the small bowl and stir to combine. Having the blend measured out now means it can go straight into the roux later instead of fumbling with jars while the butter is hot. Set the bowl aside until needed.
- 2
Brown the beef in batches. Pat the beef dry with kitchen paper, then heat 1 tbsp of the oil in the large pot over medium-high heat. Brown half the beef for 3-4 minutes, turning occasionally, until well coloured on most sides, then lift it onto the plate and repeat with the rest. Browning in two batches, rather than crowding the pot, stops the meat steaming in its own juices so it builds a proper crust and deeper flavour.
- 3
Soften the onions and carrots. Add the remaining oil and the onions to the pot, lower the heat to medium-low and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring and scraping up the browned bits stuck to the base. The onions should turn soft and golden; those browned bits are packed with flavour and melt back into the stew. Stir in the carrots and cook for a further 4 minutes to soften their edges.
- 4
Braise the beef. Return the beef and its resting juices to the pot, pour in the stock and water, and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook gently for 1 hour 15 minutes, until the beef is almost tender. The long, slow heat carries the meat well past 63°C, giving the tough connective tissue time to soften.
- 5
Add potatoes and apple. Stir in the potatoes, grated apple, soy sauce and salt, then simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes. It's ready when a knife meets no resistance in the potatoes and a skewer slides easily into the beef, which should now feel fork-tender. The grated apple melts into the sauce as it cooks, adding gentle natural sweetness and body.
- 6
Make the roux. While the stew finishes, melt the butter in the saucepan over medium-low heat, then whisk in the flour. Cook for 10-15 minutes, whisking often and lowering the heat if it colours too fast, until the roux turns a nutty light brown. This slow toasting cooks out the raw flour taste and builds a deep, savoury backbone for the gravy.
- 7
Season the roux. Take the saucepan off the heat and whisk in the grated ginger and the spice blend, stirring for about 1 minute. Working off the heat keeps the spices from scorching in the hot butter, so their aroma stays warm and bright rather than bitter.
- 8
Thicken the curry. Ladle about 250ml of the hot cooking liquid from the pot into the roux, whisking until smooth, then stir it back into the stew. Simmer for 3-5 minutes, stirring and scraping the base, until the sauce turns glossy and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. The beef, braised far beyond the point of being safely cooked through, will be fork-tender throughout.
- 9
Serve. Ladle the curry over bowls of short-grain rice while it's hot. The sauce should cling thickly to the beef, carrots and potatoes rather than pooling thinly around them.
Storage
Cool the curry quickly and refrigerate within 1 hour; use within 3 days. Reheat gently in a pan until piping hot and the centre reaches 74°C before serving; the potatoes can turn a little softer if the curry has been frozen and thawed. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
Equipment
- small bowl
- large heavy pot or casserole (about 5 l) with a lid
- plate
- wooden spoon
- medium saucepan
- whisk
- ladle
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 501 kcal |
| Protein | 27.4 g |
| Carbohydrate | 35.2 g |
| of which sugars | 7.2 g |
| of which free sugars | 0 g |
| Fat | 28.9 g |
| of which saturates | 12.8 g |
| Fibre | 5.2 g |
| Salt | 2.01 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
5.5 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
