Welcome to the Summer of Curry! Here at Casa Chambers, we are huge fans of all sorts of curry. However, none has captured our hearts and tastebuds quite like Japanese curry. Why Japanese curry? Because we went to Japan this one time. Also, it tastes like a sort of silly version of every other curry you've ever had. It's tasty and charming, is what I'm saying.
Alas, it is actually pretty hard to find in my (remember, country!) neck of the woods. On a recent journey to a Japanese grocery, we picked up a few different varieties, determined to try them all and find the best one. What could be a worse time to do this than the summer? Thus, the Summer of Curry!
Here are the rules:
All curries are prepared the same way, with the same ingredients for control. (1 baking potato, 1 carrot, 1 box of extra firm tofu, 1 sweet onion, 1 tab. vegetable oil) All curries are also the "hot" variant. We'll eat them, and then rank them on a scale of 1 (Awful) to 5 (Excellent).
Today's curry: Java Curry by House.
The palm trees on the box let you know that they mean Java the place, not Java the drink. Which makes sense, because when you think of curry, you think of...Java. Sure.
Does it have MSG? You bet! The ingredient list is long and scary. Don't look directly at it.
Java Curry claims to be "A unique blend of spices for a robust curry". But is it?
The short answer is yes. It's actually really good. At first, it didn't seem spicy at all, but the heat builds up as you eat. It's the closest to a Japanese restaurant curry I've tried so far.
Dan: 4.5 out of 5
Claire 4.5 out of 5
3 comments:
I have always wondered about these mystery boxes of curry... our local Japanese store has about 15 varieties from the "Glico" brand, which sort of sounds like how I imagine from the picture on the box they would cook: gloopy. Are these really awesome?? When I think of curry, I imagine Indian curries, so I don't really even know what to expect from a Japanese version.
Hi Gabrille,
Oh yeah, they're fairly gloopy. And so, so different from Indian curries. They truly are their own thing. It's hard to describe. Go ahead and try one. That's the best way. ^_^
S & B Golden Curry Mix is an excellent choice. I lived in Japan in the '70's and this is the only curry I've eaten since that comes close to the Japanese hot curry we got back then.
I've also had a Caribbean influence and enjoy accoutrements such as peanuts, raisins and coconut with my curry.
When I lived in Japan my curry was always served in an oval shaped bowl with rice on one end, curry on the other and garnished with a pimento.
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