Japanese Curry with Soft Scrambled Eggs
Hello from day 372,238,173 of quarantine. I hope you’re all still holding up well and cooking up a storm! I guess that’s the silver lining to this whole mess. You guys have been cooking and baking so many of my recipes and it makes me so happy every time : ) I personally have never cooked so much before, which sounds weird coming from someone who cooks for a living. In my past life I worked from home... alone, so I would reheat leftovers for lunch or snack on whatever bread or cake I was testing for the book and call it breakfast. Nowadays I’m cooking full meals for Reuben and I, all day everyday because someone doesn’t like cake for breakfast.
Before the world went crazy I already had a decent stockpile of dried instant ramen and million pounds of various rices. If you grew up in an Asian household that’s just the norm. I would feel so vulnerable if I didn’t have AT LEAST 50lbs of rice at my disposal. So we’ve been slowly chipping away at our dried carb stock and mixing it with whatever fresh vegetables and protein we have on hand. That means a lot of rice plates, fried rice, loco moco, hand rolls, and jook. I can’t complain. I could and will probably live off rice until the end of time.
One of my favorite things to pair with rice is curry! I love a good Indian and Thai curry, but Japanese curry is also at the top of my list of comfort foods! Fluffy steamed rice is the perfect canvas to soak up that sweet and earthy sauce. A simple Japanese curry is so easy to make, too! You probably have all the ingredients already in your kitchen, none of which include curry starter cubes!
Thank you, USA Rice, for sponsoring this post!
The Best Simple Japanese Curry
To start your curry you need some root vegetables. Carrots and potatoes are most common and what I’m using in this recipe, but you can also use sweet potatoes, parsnips, or hard squashes. The natural starches will help thicken the curry as it cooks. And for a little flavor boost, you also need some aromatics. I’m using red onion and ginger here. Garlic, scallions, leeks, or another allium would work too! All of these things are cooked in a pot with some oil until slightly tender. Then we add our spices!
Classic yellow curry powder will give the dish, well… it’s curry flavor. In addition to curry powder I also add ketchup (yes!) and dark soy. It’s salty, sweet, and a little earthy from the curry powder. Flour and stock is then added to the pot and left to simmer until thick and the vegetables are tender. About 40 minutes. The flour will gradually help the curry thicken, in addition to the starches in your vegetables.
Once the curry is cooked you’re ready to serve it with a side of rice! Honestly, the rice is the most important part. It’s hard to just eat curry plain without rice in my opinion. I steamed some U.S.-grown long grain brown rice to serve with my curry. I love the nutty flavor and texture of long grain brown rice. It has a wonderful chewy texture - ideal for me! I also like knowing that the rice was grown and cultivated here in the U.S. - so it’s the best quality rice we can get!
You can serve any protein you like with the curry. Pork katsu would be delicious if you can get your hands on some pork. Tofu would be amazing as well. We’ve been having some trouble sourcing protein that isn’t ground beef lately so I served this curry with a tornado egg! Behold my best attempt at one! Soft scrambled eggs are TOTALLY fine though.
Curry up and dig into your rice stockpile : )
Japanese Curry with Soft Scrambled Eggs
Serves 4
2 cups U.S.-grown long grain brown rice
4 cups water
3 tbsp olive oil, divided
½ red onion - thinly sliced
12 oz carrots - cut into 1” pieces
12 oz small yukon gold potatoes - cut in half or quarters
1 ½ tsp kosher salt
1 tsp curry powder
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
4 cups stock - vegetable, chicken, or beef
2 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp sriracha
1 tsp dark soy
4 eggs
Combine rice and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover with a lid. Cook rice for 45 minutes, until cooked through and water has evaporated. Alternatively, cook rice in a rice cooker.
Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large saucepan or heavy bottom pot. Add onions and stir. Cook the onions for 5 minutes, until fragrant and edges are starting to brown. Add cut carrots and potatoes. Toss to mix everything together and continue to cook for 5 more minutes.
Add salt, curry powder, and all purpose flour to the vegetables. Toss to evenly coat the vegetables in the curry and flour. Add water, ketchup, sriracha, and dark soy to the vegetables. Give everything a good stir and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 35-40 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and the curry has thickened.
To make soft scrambled eggs, follow my recipe here. I served mine with a tornado egg!
Once the rice is cooked, fluff the rice with a fork and serve in bowls with a side of curry. Top with pickled vegetables and eggs.