Paleo Japanese Beef Curry From Scratch

Today we are making one of my favorite meals, Japanese Curry. Japanese Curry? You probably thought curry was from India. Or maybe Thailand. Who knew the Japanese had their own signature take on curry? Japanese Curry is a meat and vegetable stew simmered in velvety smooth, sweet and mildly spiced curried gravy traditionally served over sticky white rice. Mmmmmm.... Did you say gravy? 

Japanese Curry belongs to the group of Japanese foods that have origins in European cuisine, called Yohshoko. It was introduced to Japan in late 1800 by the British and originally it was Western-style stews mixed with curry powder. The Japanese adapted curry to their own version, Curry Rice (Kare Raisu, カレーライス).

Curry is BIG in Japan and is a popular comfort food served in restaurants, schools, and in most Japanese homes. It is so popular it is unofficially Japan's national dish due to the sheer volume of packaged Curry mix sold every year.  Heck, the Japanese Navy even serves it every Friday for lunch. 

Japanese Curry sauce is most commonly made from instant curry roux, available in block and powder forms. Typically the mix comes in segmented bars like chocolate that you break off and add to a boiling pot of sautéd meat and veggies. Unfortunately, commercial Japanese Curry bases contain ingredients like wheat flour, palm oil, carmel color, monosodium glutamate, and other mysterious chemical flavorings and preservatives. So while it makes an amazingly rich, curry-bomb stew, it is not exactly Paleo-friendly. This recipe is wheat-free and gives you all of the flavor without the carbs or guilt.

Curry Rice is traditionally served with rice. So if you are including grains in your Paleo journey, then go for it. But, if you are omitting grains from your diet, then follow the recipe to make Paleo-friendly Cauliflower Rice.

So, here we go...

Paleo-Friendly Japanese Beef Curry From Scratch

Serves Four

Ingredients:

1.5 pounds organic beef stew meat, cut into bite sized cubes3 medium onions, minced

2 potatoes, peeled and chopped (substitute sweet potato or turnips for lower carbs)

2 medium Carrots, chopped
4 cups organic Beef Broth
1 organic Red Apple, peeled, and puréed

1 thumb sized piece of Ginger, puréed

2 cloves Garlic, puréed

1 large head of Cauliflower to make "rice"

For the Curry Roux:

3 TBS organic, pastured Butter

1/4 cup Potato Flour

2 Tbs. S&B Curry powder

1 Tbs. Garam Masala

1 Tbs. organic Ketchup

1 tsp. Worscester Sauce

2 tsp. Organic Honey

1 teaspoon sea salt

Preparation:

Start by making the Curry Roux.

To make the curry roux, mix together the curry powder, garam masala and Potato Flour. Next, melt the butter in a small pan on med/low heat, and slowly stir in the curry/starch mixture with a whisk. Continue to slowly whisk the mixture until it becomes slightly aromatic, about two minutes. Stir in the the ketchup, worcester, and honey, and saute until it turns into a thick paste. Remove the roux from the heat and set aside. Voila! This is your home made S&B curry brick.

Now it's time to make the stew. In a large pot, brown the onions in 1 Cup of Beef Broth. Sauté the onions until they are golden brown and caramelized (about 15 minutes). You may need to add a little water or broth as the liquid cooks off.

Add the meat and fry until it is lightly browned.

In a food processor, or food chopper, puré apple, ginger and garlic. Add to pot.
Add carrots and potatoes and the remaining 3 cups of beef broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered until the vegetables are tender.

When the carrots and potatoes are cooked, it's time to add the curry roux. Slowly add the roux , stirring until completely melted. Simmer for about 5 minutes. You can adjust the salt and curry/garam masala spice to suit your taste. If you want it hotter, you can throw in a dash of Cayenne pepper.

While the Curry is simmering, it's time to make the "Rice." Here's how to make Paleo-friendly Cauliflower Rice:

Take one large head of cauliflower. Remove the leaves and the tough core from the cauliflower. Cut the cauliflower into florets and briefly steam (about four to five minutes or until tender). Don't overcook. Run the steamed florets through a food processor until the cauliflower pieces are about the size of rice grains. Alternatively, cut the cauliflower into chunks and grate them into small pieces using a grater.

Serve Japanese Beef Curry hot over "Cauliflower Rice." 

Chef's Notes:

I love Japanese Curry with Rice. Maybe a little too much. It has always been a guilty pleasure that borders on an obsession. Okay, an addiction. But I don't love all the mystery ingredients in those ubiquitous blocks of Japanese curry mixes, which are highly processed with artificial ingredients. I adapted this traditionally non primal meal so I can savor my favorite comfort food without the flour, chemicals, and added carbs. Or the guilt. This is definitely a slow-cook meal and requires a little extra work. But the effort is definitely worth it. So say goodbye to those chemical curry candy bars. Toss them in the trash and make it from scratch. The key ingredient to making this curry truly taste Japanese is to use a Japanese curry powder. I go with S&B Oriental Curry Powder.

I hope you love this meal as much as I do. Let me know in the comments how this recipe comes out for you! It is such an awesome dish and is probably my all time favorite way to make beef stew.

Looking for more Paleo-friendly recipe ideas? 

Check out The Paleo Recipe Book. It's loaded with over 350 gluten-free, Paleo recipes and has everything you will need to get started.

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