00:12Hey guys, it's Yuto here from stashirecipes.com. Today, I'm going to show you how to make the
00:18ultimate Japanese curry. Whether you're starting from scratch or you're looking for a few ways to
00:24improve your curry, you're in the right place. I've got lots of tips and secret ingredients to
00:31help you make your Japanese curry the best it can be. So before I get started, I want to talk
00:37a bit
00:38about Japanese curry root. So first, choosing a brand. I have four different brands here.
00:45They're more than this, but these are probably the most popular. Let's start with golden curry.
00:53This is a well-loved brand. Many Japanese people say it has the nicest aroma and combination of spices.
01:00It's also richer than other brands. It has great flavour. It's a little spicy, but still not too hot.
01:08I recommend golden curry for first timers who can handle some mild spice. You can't really go wrong
01:15with it. Next, I have Vermont. You recognize that the packaging always has this picture of the apple
01:21with honey on the front. As you probably guessed, this roux creates a sweet curry with a slight fruity
01:28kind of taste. If you want to make Japanese curry for your kids or you don't like spicy food,
01:35this brand is really great. Very mild, but still lots of flavour. Next, we have my personal favourite,
01:43Jawa. I have to warn you, Jawa is a lot spicier than the other brands, but it's also rich and
01:50has a bit
01:51of sourness. It tastes great. I'd recommend this brand for people who love spicy food.
01:59Lastly, I have Zeppin. This brand is known for being premium curry. It's a bit more expensive than
02:07the others. The flavour is very rich and has great depth of flavour. I'd say it's a bit spicier than
02:15other curries, but not as spicy as Jawa. I'd recommend this brand for people who want to make curry
02:22with a rich and complex flavour. Next, let's take a look at spice level. There are three main levels,
02:30and all of the brands show the level on the front of the box.
02:34There's Amakuchi. This level is sweet and mild. It's not really spicy at all.
02:41Next is Chukara. This is in the mildly spicy, but not too much.
02:48And lastly, we have Karakuchi, and this is actually hot. These are even different levels of Karakuchi,
02:57usually from level four to six. Six is the spiciest, so be careful.
03:03There are a couple more things to look out for.
03:08Here, this kanji is Sarabun, and the number tells you how many servings you get in one box.
03:15If you take a look at the back,
03:20you find this character Mizu, which means water. It's the only ingredient that shows milliliters
03:27if you forget. This is how much water you should add to your curry to get the best consistency.
03:33And they're all different, so always check the box.
03:37So now, let's actually start making curry.
03:41My first tip is to caramelise the onions. It takes 40 minutes, but it makes a huge difference to the
03:48curry's flavour and colour. So we're going to start with one and a half onions and cut them into slices.
04:21Heat the pan and add one tablespoon of olive oil.
04:25Go in with the onions and fry for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so they don't burn.
04:34Caramelised onions take time and patience, but it's so worth it if you're trying to make a rich curry
04:41with great depth of flavour. And if you want to make the most of your time,
04:48you can make a big batch and then store them in a jar in the fridge.
04:52They can be used for hot dogs or soups and gravy.
04:58So after 10 minutes, lower the heat and add a pinch of salt.
05:02We're going to keep these on the low heat for another 30 minutes.
05:08I know it's long, but just stir it from time to time and add a little bit of water if
05:14it's 13 to stick.
05:18While they're cooking, we can prepare the other ingredients anyway.
05:24But if you don't want to do it, that's fine. You can still use the normal onions.
05:29I'm keeping it simple and using typical ingredients found in Japanese curry.
05:35This is for 6 servings.
05:47I'll start by cutting the meat. We want it to be kind of by size pieces, but not too small.
05:53I'm using beef shank today.
05:56You can also make this curry with chicken, pork or seafood. It's totally up to you.
06:03And next we've got the carrot. Just cut it into rough chunks like this.
06:24And finally the potatoes.
06:25This should be cut into quite big pieces. If they're too small, they cook too quickly and fall apart in
06:33the curry.
06:43So the veg is prepared and 30 minutes have passed.
06:48I'm just going to check my caramelised onions.
06:52Look at the colour and I've got to say, they smell amazing.
06:56We can take them off the heat and start making the curry now.
07:01Take a large pot and heat it up on a medium setting.
07:06Once heated, add a tablespoon of unsalted butter. It's just a small amount but it adds to the richness
07:14of the curry and creates a nice flavour on the meat.
07:20Once it's melted, add two cloves of crushed garlic and fry for a few minutes until it's fragrant.
07:34Add the meat to the pan and sprinkle it with salt.
07:38We're just going to seal it to keep the flavours locked in.
07:42If you're not using caramelised onions, I'd add sliced onion now just to soften them up.
07:50Once the meat is browned on the outside, add the carrot and potatoes.
07:56Mix it up and heat for a few minutes before adding the caramelised onions.
08:38I'm going to start to coat it with them.
08:39It's really easy to cook.
08:40It's really nice to cook.
08:40So I'll be back over this first.
08:41My next secret ingredient is red wine. It adds a beautiful depth of flavour and I've seen it often used
08:49in gravy recipes. It pairs very nicely with beef and pork in particular.
08:56It also adds a touch of sourness. If you're using wine in your curry, I recommend substituting 10% of
09:04the water for wine, otherwise it's going to be too much liquid and too sour.
09:11So I'm adding the water. How much water you add depends on the roux you're using and you should always
09:18check the box.
09:19I'm going to use a mixture of different roux, so I'm adding 720ml to the 80ml of wine. That's 800ml
09:29of liquid in total.
09:35Let's bring it to the boil.
09:56As you can see, the colour is already great because of the caramelised onions.
10:02Once it's boiling, bring the heat down to a simmer and leave it to cook for 20 minutes with the
10:09lid on.
10:09Slightly ajar.
10:12Check it from time to time and if there's any foam on top, scoop it out.
10:16Slightly a rarely apart.
10:30As you can see, add contraindes to cook for five minutes with a receiver.
10:31I'm gonna try to pull the lid on the pot.
10:325 gallons of water.
10:35So I want to make sure that I have a bit of your time to start.
10:36I'm gonna need a couple of hours.
10:36I'm gonna need a fucking soft water.
10:45I'm gonna need some air quality.
10:47After 20 minutes, we're going to add the curry roux. I'm mixing it up and using a few cubes
10:53from different brands to create a more complex taste. I've got to say, most families in Japan
11:00do this. In fact, even restaurants do this. It's a way to make your curry a bit unique
11:06and you can make it especially for your own tastes. For this recipe, I mix two cubes of
11:12medium golden curry, two cubes of level 6 spicy jawa and two cubes of sweet vermont. It's fun to
11:21play with different ratios. You can make the perfect curry for you. Mix it up until it's dissolved and
11:30simmer without the lid for 5-10 minutes.
11:44My final and my favourite secret ingredient is instant coffee powder. I add about two teaspoons
11:53every time. It just makes the flavour even deeper, richer and there's a tiny bit of bitterness.
12:01It's just great. Even if you don't like coffee, I recommend it. Your curry won't taste like coffee,
12:07I promise. After 5-10 minutes is up, it should be done. If it gets too thick, you can add
12:24a bit more water,
12:25just a little at a time. If it's not thick enough, then cook it for a bit longer without the
12:31lid.
12:31This will help the excess liquid evaporate. So anyway, the curry is complete. All that's left
12:40is to dish up and enjoy. You can also freeze this curry for up to one month. Just make sure
12:48you take
12:48the potatoes out before freezing and try to use a glass container because plastic ones will get stained.
12:57Thank you very much for watching. I hope you have fun using these secret tips to make the
13:03automated Japanese curry. I'd love to hear your favourite curry ingredients. Leave a comment below.
13:09And for more secret ingredients, check out the blog. The link is in the description.
13:15Thanks again. Happy cooking.
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