Black Velvet: a Japanese Beef Curry

Do you have a dish that you have always dreamt of perfecting? I do! In my case, it is Japanese Curry.

Japanese Beef Curry

Japanese beef curry is a well-balanced velvety curry dish that has layers of flavors, without one single flavor overpowering the rest. The easiest and most common way of making Japanese curry is to buy a good pre-made curry base and mix with sauteed vegetables and meat. But of course, the more challenging the better, right? ;) I tried a lot of recipes before developing my own version. I am happy to finally arrive at this Japanese Beef Curry.

Jason's Bowl

Japanese Curry
Serves 4-6
Ingredients

• 1lb beef chuck, cut into 1-2" pieces (can substitute other meats)
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup of flour, separated
• 2 tbsp of oil
• 4 tbsp of butter, separated
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 2.5 tbsp of curry powder
• 1 tbsp of tomato paste
• 1 tsp of minced ginger
• 1 cup of red wine (I used a Bordeaux blend, Merlot would work well too)
• 2 cups of beef broth
• 2 cups of chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 small peeled, pureed, apple
• 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 large potato, peeled and cut into chunks
• 3 tbsp of butter
• 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tbsp worchestershire sauce
• Jasmine rice, for serving
• Cilantro, for garnish

Recipe

1. Season beef chuck pieces with salt, pepper, and flour. Shake off excess flour. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven and brown beef on all sides. Remove beef and set aside.
2. Add 1 tbsp of butter to the Dutch oven and reduce heat to medium-low. Add onions and a dash of salt. Cook onions until caramelized (about 30 minutes).
3. Add minced garlic, 1/2 tbsp of curry powder, tomato paste, and minced ginger. Mix well. Add beef and red wine. Bring to a boil and let it reduce until you have about 1/3 of the original mixture. Add beef broth, chicken broth, bay leaf, and apple to Dutch oven. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Cover and let it simmer for 3 hours.
4. 40 minutes before beef is done, parboil carrots and potatoes (about 10 minutes). Add them to Dutch oven to simmer with beef for the last 30 minutes.
5. For the roux, melt 3 tbsp of butter over medium-low heat in a small saucepan. Add 1/4 cup of flour and 2 tbsp of curry powder, stirring until you have a thick paste. Add cayenne pepper and fresh ground pepper, incorporating them into the roux. Add ketchup and worchestershire sauce to saucepan. Continue to cook until paste starts crumbling. Remove from heat and set aside until meat and vegetables are ready.
6. Ladle some broth from Dutch oven into the paste mixture and stir until dissolved and well incorporated. Now add the roux mixture back into the Dutch oven, stir well to thicken the curry. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve hot, over rice.

Today's Bento: Oxtail Stew, Steamed Rice & Chile-Hot Edamame

Bento basically refers to a lunch box. Most of us probably have some sort of memories associated with packed lunches (hopefully positive ones). Thanks to mom, mine was almost always tasty. My bento usually consisted of rice, meat or seafood, and vegetables. Then, I got a little box for fruit. If you were to make yourself a bento, what would be in it? I know. Hard question.

Here was mine today, and I think I chose well. If you've never tried oxtail stew before, I invite you to try this recipe. It's easy and tasty!

Oxtail Stew & Edamame Bento
served with steamed rice

Oxtail Stew & Edamame Bento
Serves 4
Ingredients
Oxtail Stew

• 1.5lb of oxtails (if you get it from the butcher, ask for oxtails cut into segments)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Olive oil
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 cup of red wine
• 1 cup of beef stock
• 2 whole cloves of garlic (peel still on)
• Pinch of thyme
• Half a bay leaf
• Cilantro (optional, for garnish)

Chile-Hot Edamame

• 1/2lb fresh edamame
• 1 tbsp of peanut oil
• 2 dried red chiles
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1/4 tsp of star anise pieces
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1 cup of chicken broth

Rice

• 4 cups of cooked white rice

Oxtail Stew

Recipe

1. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Season oxtails (make sure oxtails are patted dry) with salt and pepper. Brown meat on all sides in the Dutch oven. Place oxtails on a plate and set aside. 
2. Turn down heat to medium. Cook chopped onions in oven until browned (about 5 minutes). Add back oxtails, wine, stock, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, and 1/2 tsp of salt. 
3. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 3 hours, until meat is tender. 
4. Skim off fat from the surface or refrigerate overnight and discard fat layer the next day. (If you are reheating the next day, reheat first before proceeding.) Remove oxtails from Dutch oven and cook down liquid by half over medium-high heat. Add back oxtails and let oxtails simmer with thickened sauce for 30 minutes. Serve hot. 

Chile-Hot Edamame

Recipe from LA Times

Recipe

1. Peel and rinse edamame under cold water, drain and set aside.
2. Heat a wok over medium-high heat. Add the oil, swirl it around in the pan and heat until hot. Add chiles and garlic and stir-fry until aromatic (about 30 seconds). Add edamame and star anise and fry for 1 minute. 
3. Add the salt and broth and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the beans are very tender, about 7 minutes. Serve in bento with oxtail stew and white rice. Garnish with cilantro if desired.

A Twist on a Japanese Favorite: Sesame Dorayaki

I remember visiting Japanese shopping centers with my mom when I was younger. The underground level was always a bustling food court that had everything from shabu shabu to beautifully decorated mochi. I could easily spend hours wandering the food halls and sampling a myriad of snacks.

Sesame Dorayaki

One of these delicious desserts was Dorayaki. Dorayaki was basically sweet red bean paste filling sandwiched between two small sweet and fluffy pancakes. These were usually freshly made and served hot.

I made Dorayaki with a sweet sesame paste filling instead. They turned out so well that I told myself I would be making these again soon (with ice cream).

Sesame Dorayaki
Makes about 4 Dorayaki
Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 90g of all purpose flour
• 70g of sugar
• 1/2 tsp of baking soda
• 1/2 tbsp of honey
• 1/2 tbsp of melted butter
• 20g of cold water
• 20g of milk
• Cooking spray
• Sesame filling: 1/2 cup of roasted black sesame, 1/8 cup of brown sugar, 1/8 cup of softened butter

Recipe

1. Beat egg in a medium bowl until bubbly. Add sugar and honey. Continue to beat until thickened slightly. 
2. Add baking soda and milk into the bowl and mix well.
3. Sift flour and add flour to mixture. Let it stand for 15 minutes.
4. Add butter and water to the mixture and stir until well incorporated. 
5. Heat a small nonstick pan over medium heat and coat pan with some cooking spray. Ladle 1 tbsp of batter onto the pan and let it cook until the surface begins to bubble. Flip and cook the other side until the pancake is well browned. Repeat with remaining pancakes.
6. With a mortar and pestle, mix sesame filling ingredients together until well incorporated. Taste and adjust sugar or sesame level if necessary. 
7. Spread some paste on top of one pancake and cover with a second pancake. Enjoy your Dorayaki!

Dessert or Entrée: Salmon Mousse with Teriyaki Glaze

I realize that there are those who enjoy eating something savory first thing in the morning (my husband), like a breakfast sandwich or a plate of pasta, and those who prefer to stick with oatmeal and pastries. I am of the latter. I have managed to convince myself that my stomach enjoys starting the day with the taste of sweetness. My dilemma usually begins on some weekends when I wake up so late that it is pretty much past lunchtime. Today is the day I found a solution for my problem.



Salmon Mousse with Teriyaki Glaze, Cheese Wafer Crisp, Cream Foam
served with Freshly Baked Focaccia Bread

 Now if I can trick my stomach into thinking that it is eating a dessert but really it is a salmon fillet with teriyaki sauce and focaccia bread, I think we may finally be able to make peace. I made a salmon mousse that is flavored with a little bit of mirin and soy sauce, accompanied by a rich teriyaki glaze. I served the salmon mousse with a freshly baked focaccia bread. A parmigiano-reggiano wafer crisp and a little bit of cream foam topped the mousse.

The salmon mousse is both flaky and creamy and the teriyaki glaze has the perfect texture and flavor for this mousse. Teriyaki glaze is very easy to make - all you need is soy sauce, mirin (a Japanese sweet wine), and sugar. I used 1/4 cup soy sauce: 1/4 cup mirin: 1 tbsp white sugar, and I heated the sauce in a pan. As it cools on the plate, it hardens slightly to form a beautiful glaze. The perfect Sunday brunch.

New! Teriyaki Chicken Bowl

I wonder how many times I walked up to a food court vendor in a mall, feeling very indecisive about what my hunger means, and resorted to "Can I have a chicken teriyaki bowl, please?" Yup. Countless times. I do ask for brown rice when they allow substitutes, though.

As I pay for my order, I stare at a plastic round bowl being filled with a few scoops of brown rice, a few pieces of glazed teriyaki chicken strips, a small scoop of steamed broccoli, and a few slices of steamed carrots. The staff slaps on the transparent round cover, throws in a pair of chopsticks, and hands the heavy packed bowl over to me. As I stare at my teriyaki chicken bowl, I get excited about the sweet, juicy flavor of teriyaki marinated chicken while knowing that those steamed broccoli and carrot pieces will have no flavor whatsoever.

Teriyaki Chicken Bowl - teriyaki rice sandwich, broccoli pesto, and spicy carrot purée

After a great workout tonight, I was feeling motivated. I vowed to make a memorable and unique teriyaki chicken bowl full of flavor. I created a vertical teriyaki bowl with teriyaki chicken sandwiched between two stacks of brown rice. I always found it impossible to have to mix the teriyaki chicken into the center without making a mess. I made an easy teriyaki marinade and sauce with mirin, sake, soya sauce, sugar, and corn oil. The teriyaki bowl is topped with creamy broccoli pesto and served with spicy carrot purée. One bite into the dish and I knew the flavors worked perfectly together as I had imagined. Finally! No more plain teriyaki chicken bowl - until I find myself hungry at a food court again, that is.