If you asked what the national dish of Japan is, would you expect it to be a dish derived from an Indian one? Well, that's what the answer is, for some reason. Curry rice, the Japanese take on Indian rice and curry--we all know it, many have tried it for themselves, and now I'm gonna teach you how to make it! Fair warning: It might turn out so good that it moves you to tears! Be sure to allow yourself enough time to prepare it though, this one isn't for the tight of schedule--and make sure you can multitask, as this recipe makes simultaneous use of an important sub-recipe!

Main ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups of Japanese rice
- 1 3/4 cups of water
- 2 blocks of Glico mild Japanese curry roux mix
- 300-350g of beef
- 2 1/2 cups of water
- 2-3 medium or large white potatoes
- 1 small or medium carrot
- 1 small yellow onion
- 3 tbsp of cooking oil
- 1 1/2 tsp of minced garlic
- 1 Fuji apple
- 1 tbsp of honey
- 1/3 cup of coconut milk
- 1 tsp of minced ginger
- 1/4 tsp of black pepper
- 1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce

Optional ingredients:
- 1-2 tbsp of flour*
- 1-2 tbsp of tomato paste*
- 1 tbsp of curry powder
- 1 tbsp of ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp of additional black pepper
- 1/4 cup of milk*
- 1 tbsp of butter
- 1 tbsp of additional honey*
- 1/4 tsp of salt or 1/3 tsp of sea salt*
* - Ones I used for this recipe

Optional garnishes:
- Fukujinzuke (red pickled daikon)
- Furikake
- Fresh parsley
- Shichimi togarashi
- Sesame seeds

Recipe:
1. Cut the beef into small pieces, measuring out the amount needed with a kitchen scale as you do so, then set it aside.
2. Wash and peel the potatoes and carrot.
3. Cut the potatoes into small cubes and set them aside in a bowl.
4. Cut the carrot into even slices and place them in the potato bowl. If anyone being served is like me and dislikes carrots but can handle them in small amounts mixed into something, try chopping the slices up into tiny pieces or, best of all, grating the carrot right into the bowl instead.
5. Peel and chop up as much of the onion as you can, then add it to the same bowl as the potatoes and carrot.
6. Peel the apple, grate enough of it to fill 1/4 cup and set it aside, but not in the vegetable bowl.
7. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and add the garlic, cooking for 2 minutes.
8. Add the potatoes, carrot and onion and stir. Add some extra oil if you find it's needed. Once the oil has evenly coated the vegetables, add the beef and cook, stirring often, until the beef has browned on all sides, which should take 8-10 minutes.
9. Add the water, honey, ginger, apple, coconut milk, pepper and Worcestershire sauce and mix well.
10. Bring it all to boil, then turn the heat down to medium, put a lid over the pot and cook for 15-20 minutes.
11. While the roux boils, start preparing the rice as instructed in my steamed Japanese rice sub-recipe (the washing and setting steps), preparing the roux while the rice sits after washing. Set a timer whenever you finish one of the major rice steps so you'll know when to switch your attention back to it.
12. Going back to the roux pot once it's ready, turn the heat down to low, then break the roux mix blocks apart and add them to the pot one piece at a time, stirring well and making sure each piece dissolves.
13. Turn the heat back up to medium and cook for another 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you still want the roux thicker, stir in the tomato paste and/or flour at this point as well.
14. The rice will be ready to cook by now, so continue preparing the rice as directed while finishing up the roux.
15. Here's where you add extra flavours to the roux--stir in the curry powder, cumin and/or additional pepper if you think it needs more kick, add the salt for more saltiness (obviously), and mix in the milk, butter and/or additional honey if you like your roux sweet. After making the desired additions, let the roux cook for 3-5 minutes more.
16. Turn the roux's heat down to low or off and keep the pot on the stove with the lid over it until the rice is completely ready. The residual heat will keep it nice and hot in the meantime.
17. Divide the finished rice and roux into bowls, add garnishes if desired, and serve.
And with that, you've made a delicious meal for the whole family to enjoy! Got plenty of leftover roux after? No problem, it keeps well when properly stored, and you can get creative with it too--if yours turns out as pleasantly sweet as mine, in fact, I recommend trying a big spoonful of it spread over toast!

This recipe also checks off another Foodon from my list: Entry #19, Curry Up, a rather intimidating mass-produced curry rice Foodon favoured by the army of Marmaland!