Tuesday, September 14, 2010

food blog

My mother is from Okinawa, Japan and has a love for cooking and for feeding people.  If you have left her house without a full belly and some leftovers to take home, she will be disappointed. She has taught me how to prepare many dishes and one of my most favorites is Japanese curry.  It's very similar in color, smell and taste to Indian yellow curry but I believe it's way better.  The rich, spicy aromas of this curry permeate the entire house and overflow into the neighborhood.  You start with chopping all your vegetables and meat into bite sized portions and then sauteing them in some oil.  You can use 1 pound of chicken, beef, shrimp or tofu, whichever you prefer.  Chop 1 yellow onion, 2-3 carrots, 1-2 green bell peppers and 2 potatoes and brown everything together.  Then you add 2 1/2 cups of water to the pot and add the magical curry cubes.  The curry is hard and is made by S&B, which is a Japanese company.  You can find this curry at any Japanese market like Mitsuwa or Najiya.  San Diego has a great selection of Japanese markets off of Balboa near the 163 freeway.  I highly recommend visiting any one of these stores.  They have a great selection of fresh sushi to go,  candies and crackers,  teas and soft drinks, toys and even dishes and plates all made in Japan.  Simmer all the ingredients adding more water and/or curry to taste and serve over rice. I also would recommend a nice Japanese beer to go along with this dish like Kirin, Asahi or Sapporo.  This dish is a crowd pleaser and I tend to make this to take to parties and whenever I have family over.  Enjoy!  Here's a link to the Mitsuwa market...http://www.mitsuwa.com/tenpo/sand/eindex.html