From-Scratch Japanese Curry Roux Blocks

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

The boxed roux bricks that make Japanese curry so easy are just browned butter-flour roux, a warm curry spice blend, a little sweetness and a hit of savoury backbone. Made at home you control the toast on the roux and the heat of the blend, and the payoff is a glossy, clinging curry sauce with far more spice fragrance than the supermarket version. One batch makes eight blocks — half for tonight's curry over rice, half chilled or frozen for a 25-minute weeknight dinner later.

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp Japanese-style or Madras curry powder
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/2 tsp ground fenugreek (optional but distinctive)
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, or more to taste
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

• 8 tbsp unsalted butter (1 stick)
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (95 g)
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tsp granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp chicken or mushroom bouillon powder
• 1/2 tsp MSG (optional)

• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 lb boneless chicken thighs or beef chuck, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 large yellow onion, sliced
• 2 medium carrots, cut into thick coins
• 2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
• 3 1/2 cups chicken stock, dashi or water
• 1/2 apple, peeled and grated
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 4 cups cooked short-grain rice, for serving

Instructions

1. Combine all the spice blend ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to break up any lumps. Toast them in a dry skillet over medium-low heat for 60 to 90 seconds, stirring constantly, just until the kitchen smells strongly of curry — do not let them smoke. Scrape immediately back into the bowl so they stop cooking.
2. Melt the butter in a heavy 2- to 3-quart saucepan over medium-low heat. Once it stops foaming, sprinkle in the flour and whisk to a smooth, loose paste.
3. Cook the roux over medium-low to low heat for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring and scraping constantly with a heatproof spatula. It will go from pale and sandy, to smelling like piecrust, to the colour of peanut butter, and finally to a glossy milk-chocolate brown. Pull it at milk chocolate — any darker and it turns bitter and loses thickening power. If it is browning in under 15 minutes, lower the heat.
4. Off the heat, stir in the tomato paste, then the toasted spice blend, sugar, salt, bouillon powder and MSG if using. Return to the lowest heat for 60 to 90 seconds, stirring, until the mixture is thick, fudgy and fragrant and the tomato paste has lost its raw edge.
5. Line a 8x4-inch loaf pan or a small square container with parchment and scrape the roux in, smoothing the top to an even 1/2- to 3/4-inch slab (or divide among 8 wells of a silicone ice cube tray). Cool 20 minutes at room temperature, then refrigerate at least 1 hour until firm.
6. Lift out the slab and cut it into 8 equal blocks. Wrap in pairs; keep refrigerated up to 1 month or frozen up to 4 months. Four blocks thicken and season about 3 1/2 cups of liquid for 4 servings — use them straight from the freezer.
7. To make the curry: heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high. Brown the meat in a single layer, 4 to 5 minutes without moving, then stir and cook 2 minutes more. Add the onion and cook 5 minutes until softened and lightly golden.
8. Add the carrots, potatoes and stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a bare simmer, cover, and cook 20 minutes for chicken (or 90 minutes for beef chuck), until the potatoes are tender.
9. Turn off the heat. Ladle about 1 cup of the hot broth into a bowl, add 4 curry roux blocks, and let sit 1 minute, then whisk until completely smooth. Pour the slurry back into the pot, add the grated apple, soy sauce and Worcestershire, and stir gently.
10. Simmer uncovered over low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often so the bottom does not catch, until the sauce coats a spoon and looks glossy rather than floury. Taste and adjust with salt or a pinch more cayenne, and serve over short-grain rice.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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