AMERICURRY » Karen

Curry Cat

Karen — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 18:30:00 +0000

Let's face it, the waft of homemade Japanese curry is irresistible. But to this house cat, curry rice is pure ecstasy.

Dine on curry with bunnies at Usagi to Cafe

Karen — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:12:54 +0000

Japan is full of oddly themed eateries but Usagi to Cafe really is a bizarre, albeit adorable, venture. Almost everything in Usagi to Cafe is rabbit themed- from the wall decor to the rabbit-shaped curry...but the main attraction is live rabbits. Eighteen "staff rabbits" are available for petting and cuddling before or after meals. Guests are even allowed to bring their own bunnies to "mingle" with the staff. BYOB, guys! An ITN news feature video clip:

Usagi to Cafe's website also features a squeal-worthy photo and stats gallery of their staff bunnies. Check out this little guy here (his name is Melon!):

Next time you're in Japan, hop on over to Usagi to Cafe to enjoy a nice steaming plate of Japanese curry along with cuddly rabbit pals.

Curious to Try: Yamagata Cherry Curry

Karen — Tue, 26 May 2009 19:36:30 +0000

It's no mystery that one of the star ingredients in sweet Japanese curry is fruit. Just read the ingredient list on a box of store-bought curry roux and you'll come across ingredients like apples, raisins, dried dates, and even bananas. All very sugary, but mild in flavor. Surely, I could not possibly imagine incorporating anything citrusy or tangy into Japanese curry. Or could I?

Watashi To Tokyo spotted an intriguing variant of Japanese curry on the Yahoo! Japan marketplace: cherry curry. Yes, Yamagata Sakuranbo Karē's pink-tinged sauce is not only flavored with cherries but actually has actual plump gems of cherries in it! One might ask, "who thought of adding tart cherries to Japanese curry?!" Well, Sakuranbo Karē is a proud local product of the Yamagata Prefecture, Japan's largest cherry producer, and this curious curry is described as having a wonderful and mildly tangy flavor. To be honest, I'm both afraid and intrigued.

Japan is probably the only country that heavily markets gender-specific foods. While dark chocolate Pocky and extra-thick-cut Doritos are explicitly labeled as man-food, savvy marketers are targeting the ladies with foods that are sweet, tangy, or pink. So it's no surprise that the pink-colored cherry curry has graced the pages of Japanese women's magazines.

Make your own Japanese curry ice cream

Karen — Sat, 09 May 2009 00:06:01 +0000

Tremendously popular food blog Not Eating Out in New York featured a wonderfully kooky recipe today for a Japanese curry flavored ice cream with fresh slivers of carrots churned in. Even though I'm an adventurous Indiana-Jones-type ice cream eater, I can understand how most folks want their savories far away from their pristine bowls of sweet dairy joy, and thus, probably cannot comprehend curry in their sweets. But curry has been making couple of high-profile cameos in the dessert world, specifically in the realm of boutique chocolates. Unfortunately for Americurry, it's usually always Thai or Indian but never Japanese. One would think Japanese curry's creaminess, sweetness, and penchant for fruity ingredients like raisins and apples would lend well to a dessert item.

Alas, huzzah! Thanks to Cathy Erway and her research, we're delighted to see someone creating and perfecting a wondrous Japanese curry dessert recipe (and it only costs a grand total of $3.85 to make at home!):

Curry Carrot Ice Cream Recipe from Not Eating Out in New York

Go Go Curry debuts curry eating competition

Karen — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 19:12:34 +0000

New Yorkers rejoice! Forum user Copperchef informed us that Americurry's fave Go Go Curry is holding the first annual Curry Rice Eating Championship in America!

Oh, I know what you're thinking, "I get to eat massive amounts of the most delicious Japanese Curry Rice in America? How hard could that be?"

Well, hard.

Thanks to Nathan's famed Hot Dog Eating Contest and its spawns of championship eaters like Sonya Thomas and Takeru Kobayashi, New York City has become the arena and the training ground for this serious sport. That said, I expect no less from Go Go Curry, and from the looks of it, the rules seem pretty hardcore. One in particular caught me eye:

• If water is put into your plate, you will be disqualified.

I am thoroughly impressed that Go Go Curry actually thought of this. Before I even read the rules, I came up with the strategy of mixing curry rice with water and chugging the whole darn thing (similar to dunking hot dog buns into water to eliminate chewing time.) Well, there goes my idea. I'm excited to see what kind of eating tactics people will come up with.

For those who are thinking of participating, Go Go Curry is holding the preliminaries on certain dates between 4/15 and 5/20. Registration fee is $20. Very detailed registration details and contest rules are on their website.

For those of you who want to witness the potential awesomeness/horror of this momentous event, email ggc@notionsunited.com or call Go Go Curry (212) 730-5555 to reserve your audience seats for the Finals.

Gambatte!

Recipe: Korokke, Potato Croquettes

Karen — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 23:08:29 +0000

Japanese curry’s traditional juicy pork katsu chapeau poses a dilemma for me. As a vegetarian, my curry topping options are slim. I can either just eat curry rice with no toppings, or I can eat curry with thrill-free, benchwarmer toppings like plain vegetables.

But there is one vegetarian topping that is just absolutely divine: the potato croquette (korokke). Creamy mashed potato patties laced with butter and onions, deep-fried in a crispy panko jacket; as satisfying as meat katsu but not made of 50% batter like veggie tempura. Croquettes are mythical in the sense that they rarely show up on Japanese curry menus in America. Heed my advice, stop chasing the dragon and make them yourselves. It’s mind-blowingly simple.

Ingredients (Makes 6-8 croquettes):

3 large Yukon Gold potatoes, quartered and peeled
1/2 white onion, diced
4 tbsp butter
1 cup of panko
1 cup of flour
2 eggs beaten
4 cups of vegetable oil (depends on pot size , have a bottle of oil on standby)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Drop potato pieces in and boil potatoes until tender. Strain and set aside.

2. Melt 2 tbsp of butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Sauté dice onions in melted butter until onion pieces are soft and translucent.

3. Combine the potatoes, onions, and remaining butter in a bowl. Mash with fork, or if you’re fancy, a potato masher. Salt and pepper to taste.

4. This is the hard part: restrain yourself from eating the potato-onion mixture. Surprisingly difficult, but focus, and you’ll get through it.

5. Rub some vegetable oil over your hands and shape the potato mixture into the size of generous golf balls. Flatten them slightly with your palms. Beware of cracks and air bubbles or else they might explode due to expansion.

6. Set up your breading station: a dish of flour, a bowl of beaten eggs, and a dish of panko. Prepare your patties in this order; dredge with flour, dip in egg wash, and coat in panko.

7. Heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat. When the oil reaches ~350F, fry patties until golden brown. Remove from oil and set aside on paper towels to drain excess oil.

Look at that. Friggin awesome.

See, when I was growing up, the only type of croquettes I ate were Taiwanese knock-offs that came in a freezer bag. They tasted like Elmer’s glue and moldy potatoes. Homemade croquettes are far superior, and totally glue-free.