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Tis the season for curry. Japanese households are said to eat curry once a week on average. “Curry rice” is one of the ultimate comfort foods and every family has their own “mum’s curry” or their favorite curry roux. But not so many Japanese cook on a full scale using a variety of spices.
Biople by Cosmekitchen has been promoting an organic and sustainable lifestyle through their inner care products and cosmetics at select shops across the nation. They launched a new campaign “Spicefull Summer for Healthy Life” on Aug 7, just in time for midsummer.
A total of 55 spicy items of retort curry, seasonings and condiments line up to beat the heat. The main objective is to familiarize customers with the colorful range of spices, to experience new flavors, and make curry from scratch - the way they do it in India, the origin of the all-time favorite dish.
Products of the campaign are made under the supervision of Chef Raja who has been widely promoting Indian cuisine and the deep meaning of spices to the Japanese people for decades. Recipients of his past culinary and advisory experiences include five-star hotels and Indian embassies across the globe. "Indian Spices Curry" (150g ¥626) consists of 16 kinds of spices including turmeric, coriander, cumin, and cayenne pepper.
Chef Raja clearly states, “The biggest difference between Indian curry and Japanese curry is flour. I don’t quite understand why they put in flour.” He also advises, “Japanese chicken heats quickly. Cook it no more than 7~8 minutes in the curry sauce.” His handmade curry sauce is very simple - some garlic, ginger and browned onions and the rest is blended spices.
Spice connoisseur Monko Ichijo, an advisor for the new campaign, says, “The sweltering heat exhausts our bodies, but a prolonged stay in air-conditioned rooms can also harm our bodies. Spices such as turmeric and cumin are like Chinese medicines. They help boost our immune system and support digestion as well as maintain good skin condition. They also have detox effect, great for people on diet.”
If you’re sensitive to artificial flavors with over-the-counter roux, then try the additive-free retort curry by Biople or even making curry from scratch with their selection of spices. Authentic Indian curry has much less calories because they typically don’t include flour, fruits nor non-spice condiments.
At home, I tried “Asakura Sansho Curry” (200g ¥529) from their retort curry line-up. The product is from Hyogo Prefecture and I combined it with Akita Prefecture’s specialty, Inaniwa Udon noodles. It turned out to be a perfect marriage. The spiciness of Japanese peppers is far different than that of Indian spices, so it’s fun to try various spicy cuisine even on the same day. After all, many people can relate to eating curry everyday, especially in hot weather.
Biople website: https://www.biople.jp
Biople by Cosmekitchen webstore: https://store.biople.jp
© Japan Today
8 Comments
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starpunk
India curry is good. Serve it with rice and have a good filling meal. Chicken curry is my fave, and I like lamb curry too - but it's very spicy. Get something very cold and refreshing to drink. Yum.
Pukey2
I wish the Japanese would understand that curry doesn't always have to have meat. Indian cuisine, especially southern, is full of wonderful delicious vegetarian food. And no, I prefer not to have Japanese rice with Indian food.
JeffLee
I had a Ruby Murray yesterday at the neighborhood Nepali joint. I don't see much of an incentive to make Indian curry at home, since it's such great value at restaurants in Japan.
kohakuebisu
(150g ¥626)
Restaurant price!
S&B Palak Paneer is pretty good and about 180 yen in most big supermarkets. Just note that it has meat stock and is not vegetarian.
mmwkdw
Surely it was the British who taught the Indians how to make Curry.... as after all Curry is Britain's National dish!
JeffLee
Yes, indeed. The British in India wanted something like beef stew, so they made such concoctions using the local ingredients, and viola, curry was born. They threw in the chunks of meat, which the Indians normally didn't eat at the time.
Many examples like this: The Dutch invented sukiyaki, the Portuguese tempura, and so on.
Pankaj
Pankaj
From where did you got this information ??
*Curry** is a variety of dishes originating in the Indian subcontinent that use a complex combination of spices or herbs.*
curry first being prepared by Indian merchants for sale to members of the British Colonial government and army returning to Britain.