Ask Japanese families what they eat most often at home and curry rice will be near the top of the list, ahead of dishes the rest of the world thinks of as more Japanese. Curry arrived in the Meiji era by way of the British, appeared in Japanese cookbooks in the early 1870s, and was taken up by the Imperial Navy as a practical, nourishing meal for sailors. It never left the galley: the Maritime Self Defense Force still serves curry on Fridays, and the port city of Yokosuka has made navy curry its local specialty. Few national dishes can claim to have been kept on schedule by a fleet.

Japanese curry is its own creature, closer to a rich stew than to the curries of India: thick enough to coat a spoon, mild, a little sweet from slowly cooked onion and grated apple, and savory from a splash of soy. Most homes use boxed roux blocks, but a roux of butter, flour and curry powder made from scratch takes ten minutes and tastes brighter. It is the meal for a race that starts at an awkward hour on the other side of the world, because it is better reheated than fresh.

Steamed rice

Ingredients

• 2 cups (400 g) Japanese short grain rice
• 2 1/4 cups (530 ml) cold water

Method

1. Put the rice in the sieve set inside a bowl and cover it with cold water. Swirl the grains with your hand for 10 seconds, lift the sieve out and pour the cloudy water away. Repeat three or four times.
2. Tip the drained rice into the saucepan, add the 2 1/4 cups (530 ml) of cold water and leave it to soak for 30 minutes while you prepare the curry.
3. Put the lid on and bring to a boil over medium high heat. As soon as you hear it bubbling and see steam escaping, turn the heat to the lowest setting and cook for 15 minutes without lifting the lid.
4. Take the pan off the heat and leave it covered for 10 minutes. Then gently turn the rice over with a damp spatula, cutting through it rather than stirring, so the grains stay whole.

Homemade curry roux

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons (55 g) unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup (45 g) all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Method

1. Melt the butter in the small saucepan over low heat. Add the flour and stir constantly with the wooden spoon for 8 to 10 minutes, keeping the heat low so it toasts slowly and evenly.
2. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the curry powder, garam masala and cayenne if using. Stir for 30 seconds; the heat of the pan is enough to wake the spices without burning them. Set aside.

The curry

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb (680 g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) neutral vegetable oil
• 2 medium yellow onions
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 inch (2.5 cm) piece fresh ginger
• 2 medium carrots
• 2 medium waxy potatoes, such as Yukon Gold
• 4 cups (950 ml) chicken stock or water
• 1/2 sweet apple
• 1 tablespoon (20 g) honey
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) ketchup
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) Worcestershire sauce

Method

1. Sprinkle the chicken with the salt. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in the large pot over medium high heat, add the chicken in one layer and leave it for 3 minutes, then turn and cook 2 minutes more. Lift it onto a plate; it does not need to be cooked through yet.
2. Turn the heat to medium low, add the remaining oil and the onions with a pinch of salt. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes and scraping up the brown film. If they start to catch, add a tablespoon of water.
3. Stir in the garlic and ginger for 1 minute. Add the carrots and potatoes and stir for 2 minutes so they are coated in the onion.
4. Return the chicken and any juices to the pot. Pour in the stock, add the grated apple, honey, soy sauce, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce, and bring to a boil. Skim off any gray foam with the ladle, then lower the heat, half cover, and simmer gently for 20 minutes.
5. Turn off the heat. Put the roux in a bowl, add a ladle of hot broth and whisk until smooth, then stir this back into the pot. Repeat with a second ladle if any lumps remain. Turn the heat back to low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often and scraping the bottom so it does not stick.
6. Taste and add salt a pinch at a time. If it tastes sharp, add a teaspoon more honey; if it is too thick, loosen with a splash of water.

More from Japan