Vegetarian Japanese Curry ベジタリアンカレー

• Gather all the ingredients.
  

To Make the Homemade Curry Roux

• Preheat a small saucepan over medium heat. Then, add 3 Tbsp unsalted butter and melt it completely. Once the butter is melted, add 4 Tbsp all-purpose flour (plain flour).
  
• Reduce the heat just slightly. Combine the flour and butter by stirring continuously with a silicone spatula. The mixture will start to fuse and swell but will eventually become more liquid in form. Now, reduce the heat to low and stir for 15 minutes to cook the flour.
  
• The mixture will darken to a chocolate color after 12–15 minutes.
  
• Then, add 1 Tbsp Japanese curry powder and mix well.
  
• Next, add 1 Tbsp garam masala and ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional).
  
• Mix well to combine and cook, stirring, for 20 seconds. Transfer the roux to a bowl and set aside.
  

To Prepare the Ingredients

• Cut 1 onion in half and cut each half into 4 wedges.
  
• Cut 2 Yukon gold potatoes into quarters and soak them in water to remove the starch, for about 10 minutes. Tip: For Yukon gold potatoes, I leave the peel on.
  
• Cut ⅛ kabocha squash into 1-inch (2.5-cm) cubes.
  
• Cut 1 carrot in the Japanese rangiri style. Grate the ginger and measure the amount 1 tsp ginger (grated, with juice).
  
• Cut ½ red bell pepper and ½ yellow bell pepper into small strips.
  
• Discard the tough bottom ends of 8 asparagus spears (you can snap off the tough end with your fingers) and cut them diagonally into 2-inch (5-cm) pieces.
  
• Cut 1 Japanese eggplant in half crosswise and cut each half into wedges. Soak them in water for 10 minutes to remove the astringency and prevent discoloration.
  
• Cut off the ends of 4 king oyster mushrooms (eringi) stems and cut the mushrooms into 1- to 2-inch (2.5- to 5-cm) pieces.
  
• Discard the bottom of ½ shimeji mushrooms and separate them into clumps. Cut 4 button mushrooms in half.
  
• Cut 1 tomato into 6 wedges.
  

To Cook the Curry

• Preheat a large pot (I used a 4.5 QT Dutch oven) over medium heat. Once hot, add one-third of the 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil. Then, add the dense vegetables (onion, potatoes, kabocha, and carrot) to the pot. With a spatula, mix and coat the vegetables with the oil, about 1 minute.
  
• Add the grated ginger and mix. Cover with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Let the vegetables steam for 15–20 minutes (we use the steaming method to keep the ingredients‘ shape instead of the boiling method). Meanwhile, you can start stir-frying the vegetables (Step 6).
  
• Once in a while, shake the pot so the ingredients at the bottom don‘t burn. After 15–20 minutes, insert a skewer and check if the vegetables are 80% cooked.
  
• Add 3 cups vegetable stock/broth and 1 bay leaf. Bring it to a boil on medium heat.
  
• Once boiling, skim the scum and foam on the surface and cook for 3 minutes. Insert a skewer to check that the hard vegetables, like the potatoes and carrot, are done. Once the vegetables are cooked through, turn off the heat.
  
• Preheat a large frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, add another one-third of the olive oil. Then, add the eggplant.
  
• Cook the eggplant pieces until nicely brown, about 8–10 minutes, and transfer them to a plate.
  
• In the same pan, add the remaining olive oil. Then, add the bell pepper and asparagus.
  
• Sauté the vegetables until tender, about 6–7 minutes. Season with Diamond Crystal kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper and transfer them to the plate.
  
• In the same pan, heat 1 Tbsp unsalted butter and sauté all the mushrooms, about 4 minutes.
  
• Season with Diamond Crystal kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper and remove from the heat. Set aside.
  
• Bring the pot back on the stove over medium heat and bring it to simmer. Once the broth is simmering, remove the bay leaf from the pot (optional). Add the mushrooms to the pot.
  
• Add the vegetables to the pot and gently mix it all together. Tip: Instead of adding all the vegetables, I recommend reserving some of the colorful vegetables for toppings later.
  

To Make the Curry Sauce

• When the broth is heated through, turn off the heat. Gradually add a small amount of the homemade Japanese curry roux (or 1–2 cubes store-bought roux) to your ladle along with some hot broth. Let the roux dissolve completely in the ladle before releasing it to the broth. Repeat to dissolve the remaining curry roux. Taste the sauce and adjust by adding more broth or more curry roux (I used all the homemade roux). Then, turn the heat back on and bring it to a gentle simmer again.
  
• Grate 1 apple and add it to the curry (adjust the amount of sweetness as you like). Mix gently without breaking up the vegetables.
  
• Taste the curry (it’s very important!) If needed, add more apple and season with salt. Sometimes, just a pinch of salt can bring out more flavors.
  
• Taste again. When you‘re done adjusting the seasoning, add the tomato. Now, the curry is ready to serve!
  

To Serve

• Divide 4 servings cooked Japanese short-grain rice and place to one side of each individual serving plate. Pour the curry on the other side. Add a few colorful vegetables you saved on top of the curry.
  

To Store

• You can keep the leftovers in a glass airtight container (to avoid stains) and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and in the freezer for a month. The texture of the potatoes will change in the freezer, so you should take them out before freezing. Defrost the frozen curry in the refrigerator for 24 hours before you want to reheat it.

To Reheat

• Leftover curry sauce will thicken into a paste as it cools, so it tends to burn while reheating. To avoid this, stir ½ cup (120 ml) water or more into the leftover sauce until loosened. Then, gently reheat it on low heat. If the sauce seems thin, continue heating with the lid off to reduce the sauce.