Japanese Curry

What a beautiful fall/winter-ish day! We had the pleasure of breakfasting with our dear friends mother this morning, where we enjoyed brie French toast and fresh coffee (cue drooling now). After she hit the road, we spent the rest of the morning wandering through the beautiful farmer's market, dog-watching and took a long walk through Colonial Williamsburg with cups of hot cider in hand. We enjoyed all the fresh air and people/dog-watching in our cute little colonial town, especially since the Christmas decor is beginning to hit the doors and markets of the colonial part. We debated buying the supplies to make our own fresh wreath (pinecones, oyster shells, lotus pods, etc.) but passed for today, since we're about to leave town for Thanksgiving. But it was the perfect morning for a relaxing Williamsburg walk and to rekindle some of the reasons why we love this charming little town.


After taking in all the fresh air, we did a little shopping before coming home to start meal-planning for this week. That's when I remembered it would be a grand idea to throw up a blogpost, before we head out for me to work the tailgate for the last home game this evening. So here it is - Japanese curry! This was a divine recipe and while it looks like there are a lot of steps, as long as you get all the parts going at the right times, it's not a difficult recipe to make - it's more challenging to coordinate timing then make any of the food. This curry was a rockstar recipe, particularly if you like a thicker curry sauce and you're not a huge fan of Indian food but enjoy Asian dishes. And the pork! Everything is better fried, says my inner Southerner. But really, in this case, it really was quite divine and I would eat this pork with this curry or otherwise. So find some Japanese curry roux and give this a shot!

Cooking Notes: For the curry, we lacked a carrot and raisins, so we omitted them from this rendition of the curry. We also could not find several of the toppings recommendations, so we can't speak to the value they add to the dish.

Japanese Curry (serves 4; adapted from Buzzfeed)
Curry
1 tbsp grapeseed oil
1 onion, chopped
1 large potato, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
5 cups water
1 240g package Japanese curry roux (see picture for brand)
1 serving short-grain rice, per person
Pork Cutlets
4 boneless pork chops
1/4 cup flour
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
~1 cup veggie oil
Scallions, to top (see original recipe for other suggestions)

Begin by making the curry. Measure out and prep/chop all the ingredients so you are prepared to cook. Heat the grapeseed oil in a dutch oven (or heavy-bottomed pan), then saute the potato and onion until soft and lightly browned. Add the water, then break up the curry blocks and drop them in. Stir then simmer over low heat until the veggies have softened, about 10-15 minutes. The curry can continue to simmer on low heat while you prepare the rest of the meal, so stir occasionally!

While the curry simmers, make the pork. Place flour on a plate or in a pan; do the same with the bread crumbs. Beat the egg in a bowl large enough to dip the pork cutlets into. Generously sprinkle each with S&P. Coat each cutlet with flour, then dip into the beaten egg. Follow by coating with breadcrumbs, then set aside.

Pour enough oil into a cast iron skillet (or small frying pan) to make a 1/2 inch pan fry, or approximately half the thickness of the pork. Heat to around 350 and test-drop a mixture of flour/egg/crumb to see when it sizzles. Fry the pork for about 2-3 minutes per side, until golden brown (do this in batches if necessary). When done, place on a paper-towel lined plate. Turn off the heat once all are fried and allow to cool before properly disposing. Once cutlets cool, slice them into 1"-thick strips.

Place a scoop of cooked short-grain rice into one half of a bowl; ladle the curry into the other half. Lay the sliced pork over top and sprinkle with chopped scallions. Enjoy!

Recipe: Buzzfeed: How to make the best Japanese curry