Slow cooker Japanese beef curry
Mild, sweet and deeply savory, the thick Japanese curry stew of tender beef, potatoes and carrots that Japan grows up on, spooned over rice.
- 540 min total
- 35 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 6
- About $3.87 a serving
- 620 calories
- Good the next day
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 6 servings.
- 2 yellow onions, sliced
- 2 carrots, cut into chunks
- 1 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1½-inch chunks
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- 1 apple, peeled and grated
- 1½ lb stew beef
- 3 cups beef broth
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups long-grain white rice
- 3 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp curry powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
From your pantry
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp salt, divided
- 3 cups water
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
Each serving has about 620 calories, 32 g protein, 86 g carbs and 17 g fat, and costs about $3.87 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No Yukon Gold potatoes? Russet potatoes or red potatoes work.
- No stew beef? Chuck roast works.
- No beef broth? Bone broth works.
- No honey? Maple syrup works.
- No long-grain white rice? Jasmine rice or basmati rice works.
- No butter? Ghee works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the onions, cut the carrots and potatoes into chunks, the garlic, and the ginger and apple.
Slice. Slicing means cutting food into flat pieces of about the same thickness. Even slices cook evenly, so none are raw while others burn.
How you’ll know: Lay a few side by side: they’re close to the same thickness from one end to the other.
Mince. Mincing means chopping something into the tiniest pieces you can, smaller than a grain of rice. Tiny pieces melt into the dish, so you get the flavor without biting into a chunk of garlic.
How you’ll know: Every piece is tiny and about the same size, and the pile starts to look almost like a paste.
Grate. Grating means rubbing food across the holes of a grater to make fine shreds or flakes. It spreads cheese, garlic or ginger evenly through a dish so it melts right in.
How you’ll know: Even shreds fall off the back of the grater, and you stop while the piece is still big enough to hold.
Put the beef, onions, carrots, potatoes, garlic, ginger and apple in the slow cooker. Add the broth, soy sauce, ketchup, honey, Worcestershire and ½ teaspoon of the salt and stir.
Dolly’s tip: The grated apple, ketchup and honey are what give Japanese curry its gentle sweetness.Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours, until the beef falls apart when you press it.
Timer: 450 min
Food safety: Steak, pork chops and other whole cuts are safe at 145°F in the middle, then let them rest for 3 minutes before cutting.
About 30 minutes before serving, the rice and bring it, the water and the rest of the salt in a .
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
High heat
Cover, turn the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes, then leave it covered off the heat.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
the butter in a small over low heat, stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes, until it smells nutty and turns light tan. Stir in the curry powder and garam masala for 30 seconds.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Low heatTimer: 3 min
Dolly’s tip: This spiced paste is exactly what the curry blocks sold in Japanese stores are made of.Ladle a cup of the hot curry liquid into the skillet and until smooth, then stir it all into the slow cooker.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Cover and cook on HIGH for 20 to 30 minutes, until the curry is thick and glossy.
Timer: 25 min
Taste for salt and spoon the curry over the rice.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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