Hi everyone
I’m making a recipe and it says to use 1 box of the roux. Using a whole box seems like alot. Does it mean the whole box or 1 square
What other way can I make vegetarian japanese curry? With or without the roux
I usually use 4 squares; 1 square per person
This is the answer. 1 square to 300ml water works well.
Also the blacka and gold box is best!
Hello, I’ve had both of these boxes and they do mean one entire box (I’m surprised there are so many comments and no one is answering your question).
My recommendation is to halve the amount of liquid and meat, while keeping the vegetable amounts the same, and use half a box of curry roux (note: I always use a whole carrot, I’ve never use half). One box includes two packets with 4 vaccuum sealed cubes in each, so half a box is much easier to make than a quarter.
The flavor is the same, and it’s great. I’ve tried it and can confirm that if you use any less it’ll be a bit too watery. Likewise, if you use less than half then that means any leftovers will no longer be sealed (unless you use scissors while peeling off the plastic to preserve the seal on half a packet)
Here’s a source where you can double check the recipe.
Also, trust me when I say it isn’t too much. It produces a crazy amount of curry. Half a box is enough for one dinner, plus two servings of leftovers, for a single guy like myself. A full box is basically designed to feed a family.
My favorite recipe to make is this Japanese chicken curry with rice (cooked with star anise, cloves, cardamom, and a bay leaf). My friends used to love it. This is reminding me to make it again. Lasts for days if you make too much!
I always do just carrots, potatoes, and sautéed onions. You can do fried or sautéed tofu instead of chicken like I use, and I bet it would be just as amazing!
Happy cooking!
I’ve used these, and made it by the instructions. A tip. You have to stir a lot to get the squares to dissolve nicely instead of gloopily clinging to the veggies/meat/whatevers. Just keep stirring and stirring.
I use one square per serving I’m making.
These are so good. But they are never as spicy as I expect them to be
These are good tips. I gotta get some potato starch tomorrow so I might grab some of these for experiments
I recently saw “Extra Hot” at the local Asian market, so I picked it up. Still not that hot. Next time I may throw a couple of dried arbol chilis in.
Japan doesn’t like spicy food for the most part. In the last 10 or so years they’ve gotten a little better about it, but it used to be that just about any restaurant with a “extremely hot” option (for ramen or whatever) would have a barely detectable level of heat. Just about the hottest thing you could commonly find was tabasco.
I find that it stands for spice-level, not heat-level. And that spice-level is how much of the general spices they add, not chili spices.
If it’s chili spice you’re looking for, an Indian curry might work out better than a Japanese curry
What does your recipe say about the other ingredients, especially the liquids? The whole box is for 1200ml water, but you can use a quarter of that “chocolate bar” with 300ml or two quarters with 600ml.
Buy WHY is the medium hot one green and the mild one orange!? That’s the opposite of what it should be.
The hot one is golden, BTW.
Maybe Japanese peppers are backwards
The back of the box should have some info on the number of squares needed by proportion. Match it up with the serving size of the recipe you’re following.
Follow the instructions on the curry box. It should break apart into pieces like a chocolate bar.
You can also just add one square at a time and keep tasting it until it’s the strength you want.
Start by boiling potatoes, carrots, onion. When they soften add roux. It’s a pretty forgiving recipe
頑張って！
I’ve been using these for years, and have found that slicing up the squares can help a lot with getting them to melt properly. Undissolved curry-square can be a bit on the nasty side.
Also, these contain a lot of palm oil unfortunately, so you probably want to add them right at the end of the cooking process.
Go to an Asian grocer and get the House Java curry blocks. It’ll pretty much ruin the golden curry roux cubes for you.
Edit: I usually cut the roux cubes up and mix it with boiling water in a bowl and whisk it to avoid lumps. Here’s a recipe I use as a base (but in a pressure cooker). Isn’t vego but can be modified. Makes heaps of great curry.
Confirm Java is the best roux one can reasonably get outside of Japan
My additions to the box recipe: I cut the veg a bit smaller, I brown the veg a bit (including potatoes, but you have to have a dry starchy potato type like russet for this to work otherwise precooking it will lead to it just becoming mush during the boil and thickening the sauce), add honey and some kind of neutral hot sauce because Japanese “spicy” is like not even a little spicy. I actually now use one of those ultra extreme spicy 10 billion scoville capsicum extract sauces, literally a few drops in a pot makes it decently spicy and otherwise adds no flavor.
Unless you live alone you might as well make the whole box in one recipe imo. It keeps for several days, reheats easily, and it’s one of those “tastes better day 2 and 3” kind of meals. The only thing is that freezing it doesn’t work so well (sort of). Freezing busts up the cell walls in the potatoes so even if you use a dry starchy potato like above it will turn to mush once you thaw and reheat. It’s not bad, but it does change the texture with a thicker sauce and much less potato “chunks” (some bits usually survive).
The only better thing I’ve found is to make a roux from scratch but honestly it’s not that much better (and probably worse until you dial it in) but a lot more work. The roux is like $4 a box at my local market and making it is like an entire Saturday plus way more money in ingredients especially if you don’t have a well stocked spice rack
Some Japanese people swear by adding some chocolate to curry.
After trying it, they’re not wrong.
Instant coffee works too
Chocolate is one of my seven secret herbs and spices in my chili. It really bams up the bitter flavor in a nice way, without giving an over-weaseled texture to he dish.
Bam!
- Instant coffee, or just ultra-finely ground.
- Baker’s chocolate
- Shredded apple
Actually all three.
you should try adding chocolate and brown sugar to chili.
you will literally win chili competitions with it.
Hey that was my comment gimme back my comment.
Um try… Fuck I don’t want to give away all my secret ingredients and I don’t want to get out of bed.
I think we’re all fancy enough here to make our own chili paste out of peppers instead of using default McCormick bullshit chili powder. My default 5 gallon pot uses around 4 new Mexicos (fruity), 3 anchos (earthy), 2 Californias (I forget it’s late)and 4 or 5 arbols (heat). Boil some water in the kettle, put it in a pot and steep for 15. Put on some gloves, pull the stems and as many seeds as you’d like and then puree a blender. In short :Figure out whatever ratio of peppers you like (your nose is your best guide. Put your final blend together before you soak and smell em. That’s what you will get) , then figure out how much you add to how much chili you’re making. Measure, document, measure, document, &c. so’s the next time you don’t waste as much. If you didn’t make enough chili paste, go ahead and add a little chili powder it won’t overpower what you made, but like homemade is better.
Some people may argue about beans. Fuck em. They can enjoy your bean stew while we have your chili.
Like a chunk of a candy bar, or unsweetened cocoa powder? Because the powder is pretty cool for other things, too. I put a couple heaping tablespoons in my Chili. It gives it a richer, molé vibe.
Baking chocolate, or cocoa powder.
This is a common ‘secret’ ingredient in Cincinnati chilli too.
No it’s not. At least not in the big three chili parlor chains here (Skyline/Goldstar/Dixie). I haven’t ever run across anyone who adds cocoa to their chili and I’ve lived here for 30+ years.
Not one who will tell you their secret ingredient at least
Now you know one 👋
I’ve never heard of these products. What exactly is Japanese curry, and what does it taste like?
Imo it taste much better and the texture is better too, more “velvety”. There are variants of the photo that are sweeter/have apple flavour. I like the stock standard Java stuff. I added a link to the recipe I started with initially in the original comment since there’s a few of replies.
It’s much less spicy than most other curry. Even the “hot” versions are like barely detectable heat. It also often has apple and honey added for sweetness, and I would say it’s saucier than other curries. It’s good if you approach it as its own thing, but very different from like a British-style curry and even more different from anything you would find in India.
The product in the picture is a curry roux block, which looks a bit like a big Hershey chocolate bar with squares that can be broken off. It’s like a sauce concentrate. You start cooking your meat and vegetables in a pot, add just enough water to cover everything, then add cubes of roux. The roux has everything necessary to make a complete sauce, but lots of home cooks have their own blend of things they add to adjust, like the aforementioned grated apple and honey, or ginger, garlic, mirin, tonkatsu sauce, etc.
I’m not sure how to describe it, but its way different from my expectations and I feel like one day I’ll eat or drink something and say “it tastes kinda like japanese curry”
Some people recommend mixing Java and Golden.
Didn’t knew about this brand, will look for it next time I go shopping.
Thanks for the tip, I’m gonna try this.
I had no idea something like this actually exists. Thanks for enabling me to know!
I save a link on Dinner By Dennis where they share all the different types of Curry around the world and a little history of the dish.
Here is the link https://dinnerbydennis.com/the-complete-curry-recipe-guide/
I made that stuff a ton backpacking across Japan, it means one square unless it’s supposed to serve four people.
I usually used 1 to 2 squares each meal for myself, feel free to add a first cube, mix it in, then add more until you get to your desired consistency.
If it’s just you and a single meal, all 8 pieces is probably going to be too much.
I like to use a bit of my own blend with half to stretch out the box. But in your case just use the whole box. I like to cut the bars into small pieces then smoosh it into a powdery kind of texture so that the flour incorporates much easier and smoother into the pot. I also just remove meat from the dish.
Bonus: add a bit of Worcestershire sauce and a teaspoon of honey.
I also just remove meat from the dish
Worcestershire sauce
I’m not sure if you’re removing the meat because you’re a vegetarian but if so, you should be aware that Worcestershire sauce is made with anchovies.
I’m mostly vegetarian, it’s a bit complicated.
No judgment here! Just wanted to make sure it was an informed decision.
