Most people probably don't associate curry with the Japanese but a recent food survey in Japan suggested that curry and rice is the nation's most popular dish. Curry was introduced into the Japanese food landscape by the British more than a hundred years ago and it has gone from strength to strength. Why do the Japanese love their curry? Part of the reason is the Japanese curry cube - a solid block of curry roux that you can drop into a saucepan of water and a few minutes later, you have a curry sauce. Curry cubes have a much longer shelf life than curry powder and there's no need to mix in other spices - the work is already done for you. I admit though, that I usually add a little extra spice and heat to my Japanese curries but you don't need to if you want a milder, less spicy flavour.
The Japanese have found all sorts of ways to serve curry that might surprise you. Here is one such dish: Omu Curry. You might have heard of Omu Rice. That dish features mixed rice which is folded into an omelette. Omu Curry takes an Omu Rice a little bit further. You get your rice (mixed or otherwise) covered in an omelette and then, you get a curry sauce poured all around the omelette and rice - and voila - you have an Omu Curry! It's a simple dish to create, quite different and I can assure you, it tastes great! One of the distinguishing features of an Omu Curry is the silky texture of the omelette. You could just fry a normal omelette but there isn't too much technique involved in creating this attractive, shiny - just get your pan nice and hot and when your our in your omelette, gently stir it around the pan a few times to stop the bottom cooking too quickly. Keep moving the omelette as it cooks (you can watch this on the Youtube tutorial) and just when the omelette is beginning to firm but is still oozy on the top, carefully slide it out onto your rice. BTW, to make the rice, simply put a serving into a rice bowl and then invert this onto a plate to create a half sphere of rice.
When I make an Omu Curry, I usually make my curry sauce first. For this recipe I used Java curry cubes and some chicken breast but the recipe works well with lots of other combinations too. Once the curry sauce is sitting ready in its pan. I cracks a couple of eggs into a bowl and mix with a little milk and whisk. Then, I plate up my servings of rice. The omelette take about 2 minutes to cook, so the rice doesn't have too long to cool down before it is covered in its eggy coat. Last, I pour the curry sauce around the omelette. s an option, you can transfer your sauce to a large gravy bowl and put it on the table so your diners can serve themselves.
If this recipe has whet you appetite, you can find the Youtube tutorial by clicking Chicken Omu Curry or by scrolling to the bottom of the age. the written recipe is just below.
Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX.
ingredients:
(makes 2 servings)
400g-450g cooked white rice
1/2 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
1 5mm / 1/4 inch slice of ginger, peeled
2 boneless chicken thighs
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tsp mild curry powder
1/2 tsp salt
a little pepper
300ml water
4 tbsp of frozen sweetcorn
4 tbsp of frozen pea
90 - 100g House Java curry cubes*
1 tbsp tomato ketchup
4 large eggs
2 tbsp milk
some parsley for topping (optional)
*this recipe works well with other Japanese curry cubes as well, eg Golden Curry, Vermont Curry etc.
slice and finely chop the onion, garlic & ginger
cut the chicken thighs into bite sized pieces
heat 1 tbsp of oil in a medium sauce pan. add the onion, garlic & ginger. stir fry & for 1 minute
add the chicken breast pieces and fry for another 2 minutes
sprinkle the salt, pepper & curry powder into the saucepan. stir well for a further 1-2 minutes
add the water, sweetcorn & pea and curry cubes. bring to the boil and cook for 5 minutes over a medium heat, stirring time to time
add the ketchup and cook for 5 mins more while stirring occasionally. set aside
next, fill a rice serving bowl with rice. invert this onto a plate and remove the bowl. repeat for serving #2
for each omelette: break 2 eggs into a jug or small bowl. add 1 tbsp milk and mix well
heat 1/2 tbsp oil in a frying pan. pour the whisked egg in. use a chopstick or fork to gently swirl the egg as it firms - this will stop it cooking to quickly underneath and sticking to the pan. as it cooks, use a slice to raise the edge of the omelette to prevent sticking, then, when the omelette is nearly cooked but still shiny and a little oozy on top, use the slice to gently slide the omelette over the rice
repeat for omelette #2
last, pour the chicken curry around the omelette. garnish with the parlsey. your chicken omu curry is ready to serve.
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