Wrapped with Love and Care; Japanese Curry Omu Rice

Memories are tied into what we eat.

In these colder months, Stews are so soul warming and they are definitely welcomed. Each household, each culture has their own rendition of a big pot of stew that is the centerpiece of the table where we gather around to enjoy with our loved ones. Growing up, I always looked forward to Saturday’s dinner, which was 99% of the time- Japanese style Curry stew.

Nowadays, when I make Curry- they might contain more vegetables…

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I wish I could tell you that my mother sourced all of the spices, and made the roux herself, but as with most Japanese home cooks, my mom opted to use the rectangular box of S&B brand ‘GOLDEN CURRY’ roux mix. Inside of the box, were these ice tray-looking plastic with dark brown bricks inside… They suspiciously resembled a Chocolate bar, but they were far from being sweet. Especially the ones my mother used were the ‘Extra-spicy’ ones, since she hated the thought of dumbing down the spice level with apples or bananas, like other moms. She would use the pressure cooker to cook the Beef chuck, Carrots, Onions and Potatoes, and simply plop those spicy curry roux in to melt. The residual heat does the rest, and penetrates the spicy umami into everything it touched, and made the cooking liquid into thick gravy. It was painfully spicy, but we were not allowed to alter mom’s cooking. I had that Curry every weekend until I went to culinary school.

Even at summer camp, us kids would insist on having Curry!

The thing about Stews, is that they taste a whole lot better the next day; Curry was even more so! I was able to detect the sweetness from the carrots, and the earthiness from the potatoes that were masked by the spiciness the night before. I used to love waking up early, before the rest of the family, to grab a carton of eggs, and figure out how to poach them in every method a kid could think of- EXCEPT plopping them directly in water(*I would eventually learn proper poaching method in culinary school, but it seemed like some impossible KONAMI cheat code that I needed to figure out at the time*). After manymanymany failed attempts, I would put my test subjects in varying degrees of doneness in a bowl and then scoop out the curry from the night before onto them. I would then microwave them until they were warm to the touch and began my morning feast - all while watching Tom&Jerry, or Sunday morning Kungfu. It’s a miracle I didn’t get food poisoning, and I was on cloud 9!! I felt like I ‘elevated’ my mother’s creation with my somewhat botched egg cookery. When she eventually woke up and noticed that half of the eggs in the fridge were gone, and the kitchen seemed like the Tasmanian devil tore through it, she would be livid. I still persisted every weekend, regardless.

When I did venture out of the family home, to culinary school in upstate New York -more than missing my high school buddies, I missed my mother’s cooking the most. In particular- the Saturday Curry! Despite having access to classic French cooking as my first meal at school, I felt a real sense of comfort when I savored the Curry my mother had sent me, frozen in a Tupperware that was way too big for the college dorm refrigerator. The roux might not be from scratch, but since I’ve had it religiously for a decade every weekend, it was engrained into my DNA as ‘Taste of Home’. It gave me relief, in every bite. After graduating from culinary school, I sprinted into my career, so I didn’t have many opportunities to go back home anymore. Eventually, I didn’t partake in the Saturday Curry night at all and gradually forgot all about it.

Fast forward to 2006, when Doctors found a tumor under my eye that required surgery. It affected my vision and gave me terrible headaches and nosebleeds. I hated asking for help, but without insurance at the time- I had no choice but to go back to Japan to get operated on. My Japanese was not the greatest, so l received tremendous support from family, relatives and great friends in those uncertain times. I was extremely anxious and agitated with the fact that I had to leave my then girlfriend (Now she’s my life partner) all alone, as well as leave my kitchen post. On top of it all, every doctor I visited left me more confused, and surgeons refused such a risk-filled procedure. I felt helpless, with so much in stake. It seemed like I had to live with this growing tumor in my eye forever or eventually risk partially losing my eyesight.

Seeing how depressed I was, my parents took me to see my hometown and then made a pit stop at this tiny curry shop. It was a shoe box of a place, with only four seats that faced the kitchen. I sat directly in front of the stoves where the Chef made this magical omelet(*Omu-rice*) stuffed with buttery rice pilaf, with oozing rich egg, and almost a Demiglace-like umami bomb of a Curry that blew away any negativity I had stuck in my head. That dish reminded me of all the ambitious dreams I had every weekend as a kid, -making eggs and Curry. Each bite brought back hope. I pressed on after our meal there, for another few weeks scouring hospitals all over Japan and finally found an amazing surgeon that would operate on my eye. I was able to make full recovery, and before heading back to the states, I requested my mother to make her Curry. It’s so amazing how memories are tied into what we eat; I was immediately transcended to the weekends of my youth. My family doesn’t hug, but mom’s Curry really felt pretty close to it.

The Curry Omu rice that saved me

I won’t mimic my mother in preparing homestyle Japanese Curry every weekend. However, when I do feel stuck with doubt, or with the recent health issues- I would prepare this Curry Omurice- kind of like the one I had 19 years ago that gave me so much strength and hope. After a bite of it= no matter what life throws my way, I somehow feel like it will all work out… And it does!

Below is a recipe for the Curry omurice.

-Curry Omu Rice-

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the curry

AP flour- 1 Tbsp

Beef Chuck, cut into bite size cubes- 8 oz

Onion, chopped fine- 6 oz

Garlic cloves, peeled- 4 cloves

Carrots, peeled and cut to bite size - 5 oz

Thyme, fresh- 1 sprig

Bay leaf - 1

Canola Oil- 1 Tbsp

Unsalted butter- 1 tsp

Garam Masala curry powder - 1 Tbsp

Madras curry powder- 1 tsp

Tomato Paste- 1 tsp

Beef stock- 2 cups

Demi-glace- 1 cup

Bulldog sauce- 1 tsp

Salt&black Pepper- To taste

For the omelets filling

White rice, cooked and warm- 4 cups

Unsalted butter - 1Tbsp

Parsley leaves, Chopped fine - 1 Tbsp

Salt&black pepper- To taste

For the omelette

Whole eggs- 8

Whole milk- 1 Tbsp

Dashi- 4Tbsp

Unsalted butter- 4Tbsp

Salt- To taste

For the toppings (**all optional**)

Pickled curry Mustard seeds

Fukujinzuke( Pickles)

Micro greens

Bulldog sauce

Instructions: **Pre-heat oven at 350F**

1. Season the beef, with salt and pepper, and sprinkle flour and mix.

2. Turn the stove on high heat and place a medium sized soup pot(oven proof). Place oil and butter and once It’s hot and golden, add in the meat, and distribute evenly. . Get a nice sear on the meat.

3. Add in the onions, Garlic and the Carrots, along with the herbs. Cook until golden color and season with salt and pepper.

4. Add in the curry powders and the tomato paste. Mix and cook(*don’t burn!*) until crust/fond forms on the bottom of the pan.

5. Deglaze with Beef stock and Demiglace. Bring to a boil and skim any skim that floats to the top. put a tight-fitting lid, and place in the middle rack oven for 1hour, or until the meet is soft. Add in the Bulldog sauce and set aside at a warm place.

6. Prepare the Omelet filling by melting butter and Parsley. Mix the rice and a Tablespoon of the Curry from the previous step. Adjust seasoning accordingly.

7. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs with milk, Dashi until smooth. Season lightly with Salt as needed.

8. Prepare Four plates and set them to the left of the stove (*you’ll find out why*). Heat a nonstick pan on medium high and melt a tablespoon of butter. Make sure it coats all areas. Add 1/8cup or so of the egg mixture, or until it covers the pan surface. Cook and allow to gently coagulate without a hard sear. Once the edges become set, but the center of the pan still with runny egg mixture, add to the center of the pan- a cup of rice filling in a football shape.

9. Turn the heat lower and gently begin the process of tapping and encircling the rice with the barely set egg. Do use a spatula or a chopstick. Just be gentle to not poke holes into the egg.

10. Once it’s halfway covered, turn off heat. Get one of the plates on your left, and gently roll the rice and egg, so that by the time they hit the plate, rice is completely encased by the egg. Shape them, if necessary- to keep that football shape. Keep this plate warm, while you repeat three more!

11. Once the omurice are all done, place toppings if you like, and pour the hot curry sauce all around. Enjoy while it’s hot!