Noodle Night: Emiko Davies’ Recipe For Vegetable Udon Curry

As successful galore Japanese families, we had curry regularly erstwhile I was increasing up. It was nan modular Japanese curry of potatoes, onion, carrot and pork, usually thickened pinch S&B Golden Curry blocks. It made a play quality successful our house, and now I regularly make it for my ain family, too. However, my kids are a small fussy: 1 likes it pinch tonkatsu connected apical and nan different doesn’t want immoderate nutrient astatine all. So I now make curry pinch nary nutrient successful it, and much vegetables, which intends that I person to make only 1 type (and whoever wants to adhd tonkatsu tin do so!).

Vegetable udon curry (yasai kare udon)

Udon curry is simply a awesome crockery if you person (as I often do) impatient group who cannot hold nan other 20 aliases truthful minutes it takes to make atom (and, if you person caller aliases stiff noodles, it’s moreover faster). You could besides service this pinch rice, but if you do, usage only half nan amount of dashi, because this curry is made somewhat soupier to spell pinch nan noodles. If you don’t person a Japanese grater (oroshigane) for ginger, usage a microplane.

Prep 15 min
Infuse Overnight (optional)
Cook 35 min
Serves 4

For nan dashi
2 x 12cm pieces kombu
1 litre cold water

For nan curry
2 tbsp butter
4cm knob caller ginger, peeled and finely grated
1 onion, peeled and sliced
½ aubergine, diced
A pinch of salt
1 carrot, peeled and chopped into chunky slices
200g potato (floury will beryllium softer, waxy will beryllium firmer), peeled and chopped
1 tbsp Japanese curry powder
2 tsp garam masala
2 tbsp mirin, aliases sake
1 litre dashi (see supra and method)
1 tbsp soy sauce
½ greenish doorbell pepper, seeds and pith discarded, soma thinly sliced
2 tsp murphy starch, aliases cornflour
2 tbsp miso
4 servings udon noodles

First, make nan dashi, which you tin do successful 1 of 2 ways. For nan lengthier, acold infusion method, put nan kombu and acold h2o successful a instrumentality aliases jar, screen and time off successful nan fridge overnight to infuse. The adjacent morning, assistance retired and discard nan kombu, and nan dashi is now fresh to use. If you don’t person clip to make nan acold infusion, simply put nan kombu and h2o successful a saucepan complete a debased heat, truthful it warms up and draws retired nan flavour arsenic slow arsenic possible. Just earlier nan liquid starts to boil, return disconnected nan heat, region nan kombu and your dashi is ready.

Now for nan curry. Melt nan food successful a heavy-based saucepan aliases donabe connected a mean heat, past operation successful nan ginger, onion, aubergine and salt. Stir to overgarment everything successful nan buttery ginger for astir 2 minutes, being observant nan bulb doesn’t burn, past adhd nan carrot and potato. Tip successful nan curry powder and garam masala, and operation to overgarment nan vegetables.

Pour successful nan mirin, followed quickly by nan dashi and soy, past bring to a simmer and time off nan vegetables to navigator for astir 10 minutes, until tender. Add nan greenish capsicum and navigator for a mates of minutes more.

Meanwhile, make a slurry by mixing nan murphy starch pinch a scatter of h2o until dissolved, past operation this into nan curry on pinch nan miso, and time off to bubble and thicken for a minute.

Cook nan noodles according to nan packet instructions, past drain and rinse nether acold h2o – this will springiness them a spot of spring. Distribute nan noodles betwixt 4 bowls and move nan rootlike curry complete nan top.

• This look is an edited extract from The Japanese Pantry, by Emiko Davies, published by Smith Street Books astatine £30.