On Saturday, I was craving for curry rice after watching a drama and the characters were having that for dinner! Haha! So, I bought the ingredients to make it! ^^ This is a really simple dish and you can make it in...maybe half an hour's time! So, I highly recommend you to try!
(4 servings!)
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon of oil
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 onion
- 2 potatoes, peeled
- 2 carrots, peeled
- 1/2 a stalk of cauliflower, broken into small pieces
- 5 stalks of spinach (just because I love spinach muahaha!)
- 750ml water
- 1 box of Japanese curry cubes
- 5 tablespoons of Applesauce
- 2 cups dry rice, rinsed 3 times (Japanese rice would be great! But if you do not have it, Jasmine rice is fine too. ^^)
- 3 cups water
1) Using the blade of the knife, place it flat over the garlic cloves and smash them with your hand over the blade! Haha! Yes! Do that for best flavour of garlic! Then chop it into small pieces.
2) Peel away the skin of your onion and cut it into large chunks. Here's a very comprehensive step-by-step guide to cutting an onion. Please stop at page 5 for this recipe.
3) After peeling your potatoes and carrots, chop them into sizeable chunks. How big should they be? Well, just imagine the size of them you would enjoy eating in your curry. I do not recommend them to be chopped too small or you won't know what you are eating. I like to know that I'm eating a potato when I'm eating potato, and carrots when I'm eating carrots. Also, I really recommend to put those carrots in there even if you don't like them because somehow in curry, the sweetness of the carrots really come through!
4) Heat your oil using a medium fire. Here it comes! Throw in your garlic and onion. Fry them till you can smell this awesome fragrance. Now you're cooking!
5) Careful not to burn them! Throw in your potatoes and fry them around!
6) Next, throw in your carrots.
7) And finally, throw in the cauliflower.
8) Let the vegetables mingle together in the frying pan while you wash the spinach and chop them into 3 or 4 parts!
9) Prepare your water according to your curry's instructions. I'm using Java curry, one of the more popular ones in Japan. It has a very rich and robust flavour because of their spices used. This is a spicy blend.
Though this is a vegetable Japanese curry which I had initially thought would be a great recipe for vegans/vegetarians, I forgot to check the ingredients of the curry cubes I bought!
If you are a vegetarian/vegan, there are vegetarian/vegan Japanese curry available really. Please check the ingredients before you buy it home if you are very particular about what you put into your body.
Java curry is not vegetarian/vegan, so please do not buy this brand if you are one. ^^"
So, anyway, my box says 750ml water is needed. So I measured 750ml of water and put it in a metal pot. Boil it over a high flame.
10) When the water is boiling, transfer everything in your frying pan to the water. Turn down to a medium flame. Let the vegetables simmer a bit in the water.
11) Break your curry cubes into pieces (It looks like a chocolate bar), and put them gently into the water. Turn to a small flame and stir until the cubes dissolve.
12) I added applesauce to my curry to round up the flavour. It gives a layer of sweetness to the spicy curry and if you are making this for children, it's very likable indeed! Here, you can learn how to make your own applesauce. ^^ Cheaper than buying a whole bottle outside.
13) Add in spinach last. It cooks really quickly. Cover your pot of curry, let it simmer for about 5 minutes more. You are done. :)
BONUS! HOW TO COOK RICE!
I actually suggest you to cook it before you cook the curry. Here's what you do!
As the Japanese curry is a recipe for 4, here, I will teach you how to cook rice for 4.
1) Wash the rice 2~3 times. Pour away the water along with the impurities.
2) Add in clean water.
Now, simple trick here is to place your hand over the rice and fill water until it just completely covers your hand. You can't go wrong with this one. I know there is another finger test thing...but...I really don't get that. Haha!
If you're a measurement person, 1.5 cups of water to every cup of rice should be right. That is if you are making steamed rice, not congee or porridge.
3) Put it in your rice cooker. Remember to press "Cook Rice" when you close your lid to the rice cooker! Now, let it do the cooking job for you while you handle your curry. :)
For the curry, you can add in anything you want!! Please do not feel limited by my recipe. I was just craving for spinach and cauliflower in my curry. ^^"
If you can eat meat, feel free to add things like minced pork/chicken.
Get more ideas here~! ^^
Have fun impressing your boyfriend or family or friends! Not that difficult, huh! ^^
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