I made some Japanese curry the other night, using S&B medium hot Golden Curry roux. All I had on hand was onion, baby carrots, and red garnet sweet potatoes. I simmered the veggies just a little too long; the carrots were soft, but not mushy, but the sweet potato completely disappeared. That wasn’t my intent, but the end result was was delicious!
I got to thinking that the roux couldn’t be all that difficult to make, but when I googled recipes for it, most all of them involved several steps and whole spices and seeds that I don’t normally keep on hand. Not a PITA, really, but less convenient than I care for when I get the urge for kare raisu. So, for the first time, I looked at the ingredient list on the box.
I was most pleasantly surprised! There were only four ingredients that were chemical-sounding: malic acid, MSG, disodium something and disodium something else. Turns out that none of these ingredients are carcinogenic, poisonous, or likely to cause any serious side effects (Chinese restaurant syndrome has been proven to be an urban myth). Malic acid occurs naturally in pears and apples, and the disodium whatevers are flavor enhancers that add umami. Actually, the only ingredient that was questionable is palm oil, which isn’t one of the “good” oils, I’ve heard.
Japanese curry roux has become readily available in the States. It can be found in the “Asian” or int’l aisle in many supermarkets and is conveniently packaged in little squares that allow you to make exactly the amount you want, even just a single serving. You can wrap the shelf-stable leftover squares in plastic wrap, and they’ll keep for a long time. They come in varying degrees of spiciness from mild to super hot. And it’s not very expensive at all!
I’m gonna call commercial Japanese curry roux a big win! I’m waiting for Indian versions!
Oh, and one hack: squeeze about a tblsp of Kewpie mayo into a small bowl and temper it with the hot broth before you add the curry squares, then add it after the roux has completely dissolved. It makes the curry smoother and creamier. Super good!
I got to thinking that the roux couldn’t be all that difficult to make, but when I googled recipes for it, most all of them involved several steps and whole spices and seeds that I don’t normally keep on hand. Not a PITA, really, but less convenient than I care for when I get the urge for kare raisu. So, for the first time, I looked at the ingredient list on the box.
I was most pleasantly surprised! There were only four ingredients that were chemical-sounding: malic acid, MSG, disodium something and disodium something else. Turns out that none of these ingredients are carcinogenic, poisonous, or likely to cause any serious side effects (Chinese restaurant syndrome has been proven to be an urban myth). Malic acid occurs naturally in pears and apples, and the disodium whatevers are flavor enhancers that add umami. Actually, the only ingredient that was questionable is palm oil, which isn’t one of the “good” oils, I’ve heard.
Japanese curry roux has become readily available in the States. It can be found in the “Asian” or int’l aisle in many supermarkets and is conveniently packaged in little squares that allow you to make exactly the amount you want, even just a single serving. You can wrap the shelf-stable leftover squares in plastic wrap, and they’ll keep for a long time. They come in varying degrees of spiciness from mild to super hot. And it’s not very expensive at all!
I’m gonna call commercial Japanese curry roux a big win! I’m waiting for Indian versions!
Oh, and one hack: squeeze about a tblsp of Kewpie mayo into a small bowl and temper it with the hot broth before you add the curry squares, then add it after the roux has completely dissolved. It makes the curry smoother and creamier. Super good!