Dish 20) Japanese Curry!!

Howdy Pardners! So I didn't cook much last week because I was super social and busy and ate at restaurants about 4 nights of the week... so i started slacking off a little. Remember how I said that on Thursday at work, I had an exciting food day?? Well it was because the work experience girl Shiho cooked some Japanese food for us for lunch!! Here she is: 

She made Kare (curry) Katsudon! The name means Curry, cutlet and rice. It is one of those easy modern home style Japanese dishes.

My first experience with Japanese curry was in 2003 on my Year 11 school camp. We arrived in Osaka and made our way to our host school in the searing heat on little to no sleep. We arrived during 'Culture festival' (Bunkasai), so the school resembled more of a circus than a school. Culture festival is basically an annual event where students at most schools display their talents. Because most Japanese schools encourage students to join multiple sports and culture clubs, this festival offers them an opportunity to show off their skills to peers, family members, and in my experience - Australian exchange students. Classrooms are re-decorated to resemble shops, gameshows, kitchens, dance halls etc. I remember a verrrrry messy game show involving water and flour.. the place was crazy! But fun! One of the classrooms was transformed into a Curry hut, and I had my first Japanese curry with steamed rice amidst the culture madness. Good times.

My second memorable Japanese curry memory is when I went to Japan in 2008 and kept eating it at cheap 24/7 places like Sukiya. Oh I remember a cool place called Yoshinoya too, mmmm. Cheap and filling. I hear that there is a Yoshinoya in Sydney now... for those who are interested!! Anyway, I recently found out what makes the Japanese curry flavour so distinct. The answer, my friends, is Curry blocks. This is what they look like in packet form:

I bought this after trying Shiho's curry and decided to try my hand at the dish I love ever so much (^_^) It was about $3 or $4 or something from any random Asian grocer, and it makes about 5 serves. You can get bigger packets, mild or spicy and there are multiple brands! Directions were in English with this brand, and it was super easy to follow and make! Here is mine:

Here's what I did...

1) Cook diced chicken in a glug of olive oil until almost cooked, then add chopped onion, potato and carrot and stir for a few minutes,

2) Cover with water and bring to the boil.

3) Turn the heat down and simmer until everything is soft. The packet recommends 10 minutes but i did almost 30 minutes!

4) Turn the heat off, and crumble in the curry block. Stir through until dissolved and return to simmer for 5 minutes until the sauce is thick and fragrant.

5) Serve over rice and bury your face in the bowl until all eaten.

Josh and Maki were around when I made this dish and they absolutely loved it! I think they both were impressed by how simple yet tasty it was.

So now you've met my new friend Shiho ^_^ we have been emailing eachother and practicing our languages! She is studying English here until February so hopefully she can learn some stuff from me - and hopefully not the WRONG stuff. She already asked me what "yo yo yo" means, as she saw it on subarashiiblog's last post. Uh-oh now i'm teaching her gangster slang haha! Anyway, next week we are going out for dinner to eat some Japanese food, hoorayyyy! I told her how I like to call Takoyaki "TakoYUMMY" because I love them so much... and she thinks it is the funniest thing she has ever heard!! She also gave me lots of compliments and my head grew so big that I almost couldn't get on the train after work. But she is right... I AM cute, and funny and smart and my Japanese IS perfect, and i do know EVERYTHING about Japanese food... her words, people. Her words. Hahaha! (^_^)'