Ka-rē.

One of the many cheap thrills that give me great pleasure and satisfaction is when I'm able to use leftover ingredients in my cooking. (This comes after changing lanes without hitting any of the bumps on the lane divider, proportionally distributed veggies in my sandwiches/ burgers, and unmelted ice cream at the bottom of the cone.) Today, I used leftover zucchini and carrots in my fridge to make curry (read: ka-rē) rice - Japanese-style. I had already bought beef, potatoes, onions, and a box of medium-hot Vermont Curry.

So what brought on this sudden urge to make curry for lunch? Today is my last day of eating solids. Concerned with my current weight gain, my mom so generously bought a detox kit for me. For the 1st 2 days of the week-long process, I have to follow a strict regimen of lemon water, rice milk, protein powder and supplements. Then, I slowly reincorporate "normal" food back into my diet. I'm not looking forward to it at all. But, I must not allow my mom's money to have been spent in vain.

One pearl of wisdom I would like to impart to my loyal blog followers (yes, all 5 of you) is that when making Japanese-style curry, brown the meat in oil first. Then, add the root vegetables, which take longer to cook (i.e. potatoes and carrots). Saute for a few minutes, and then add the remaining vegetables. *Now, here's where I deviate from the instructions on the back of the curry box. Before adding the water, add half of the allotted curry blocks into the pot. As you continue to saute, you will notice the curry starting to break down. Then, add the water and bring it to a boil. The difference that I've noticed is that this additional step intensifies the color and flavor of the curry.

Pour over rice and serve!


いただきます~
("Ii-ta-da-ki-ma-su." Translation: "I humbly receive" = Let's eat!)