Japanese Curry Udon (Kare Udon)

Ingredients

• 0.5 lb Thinly sliced beef (Hot pot style beef or other thinly sliced meat)
• 0.5 Onion (Sliced)
• 1 Carrot (Sliced)
• 3 cup Chicken broth (Or dashi)
• 1 tsp Instant dashi (Optional; used if using chicken broth)
• 1 tbsp Soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Mirin (Ideally proper fermented mirin)
• 1 square Dark chocolate (For extra richness)
• 2 tbsp Homemade Japanese curry roux (Made from butter, flour, and Japanese curry powder)
• 2 portion Udon noodles (Frozen or fresh)
• 1 tsp Honey (To taste, to soften bitter edges)
• 1 tbsp Oil (For sautéing)

Steps

1. 1

   Heat oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Add the thinly sliced beef and sear until just browned. Remove the beef from the pot and set aside.

2. 2

   In the same pot, add the sliced carrots and onions. Sauté lightly until the onions are translucent.

3. 3

   Pour in the chicken broth (or dashi). If using chicken broth, you may add instant dashi at this point for extra flavor.

4. 4

   Add the soy sauce and mirin to the pot.

5. 5

   Add one square of dark chocolate to the liquid for richness.

6. 6

   Add the homemade curry roux blocks to the pot. Stir continuously until the roux is completely dissolved.

7. 7

   Bring the mixture to a simmer. Skim off any scum that rises to the surface.

8. 8

   Simmer for a few minutes until the sauce has thickened to a consistency between a broth and a sauce.

9. 9

   Add the udon noodles to the pot and cook according to package instructions until chewy and tender.

10. 10

    Return the seared beef to the pot just long enough to heat it back through.

11. 11

    Taste the sauce and add honey as needed to balance the spices and soften any bitter edges.

Notes

For a meatless version, substitute the beef with seared mushrooms or tofu. The homemade roux is a simple mixture of butter, flour, and Japanese curry powder. The author recommends using proper fermented mirin rather than corn syrup-based versions.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• Japanese
• curry
• udon
• noodles
• comfort food
• stew