Japanese Beef Curry

From the great cookbook, "Japanese Soul Cooking" by Tadashi Ono and Harris Salat. This is a great classic style Japanese curry that could also easily be made vegan with a few ingredient substitutions while remaining delicious.

Ingredients

1 pound stew beef, cubed

6 Tbsp. unsalted butter

3 yellow onions, medium diced

2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces

1 Tbsp. of peeled and grated ginger

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 large apple, peeled and grated

5 cups beef stock

3 Tbsp. flour

2 Tbsp. curry powder (S&B golden curry is my favorite brand to use)

2 Tbsp. garam masala

3/4 pound potatoes peeled and cut into bite-sized cubes

Recipe

1. Season the beef with salt and pepper

2. Melt 2 Tbsp. of butter in a large pot over medium heat

3. Cook the beef until browned evenly on all sides, about 2 minutes

4. Add onions and cook until translucent, stirring often, about another 5 minutes

5. Add the carrots, ginger, and garlic, cook for 2 more minutes

6. Add the apple, stock, and season with some more salt, reduce heat to low, cover the pot and simmer for an hour (in my experience you can reduce this time by quite a bit and it'll still be delicious if you're in a hurry)

7. While everything is simmering melt 4 Tbsp. of butter in a small saucepan

8. Add the flour and stir constantly for 3 minutes, until the butter takes on a light brown color and forms into small crumbs

9. Add the garam masala and curry powder and stir for two more minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside

10. After simmering the main pot, remove the lid and add the potatoes

11. Use a ladle to transfer one ladleful of liquid from the main pot to the pot containing the curry roux, and mix to form a paste

12. Transfer the roux paste from the small saucepan into the main curry pot, and stir well to combine

13. Simmer the curry for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked and tender

14. Serve with steamed white rice