This Japanese comfort dish is a hearty stew filled with tender sweet tomatoes, caramelized onions, potatoes and carrots simmered in warm spices. Traditionally, slices of beef or pork are cooked with the curry but I decided to replace it with lightly battered enoki mushrooms. It’s my vegan spin on katsu curry and a cozy way to continue to enjoy tomatoes in the fall.
key ingredients
Japanese Tomato Curry
- Tomatoes: Firm vine or heirloom tomatoes are best for this recipe. Avoid beefsteak tomatoes if possible as they are much milder in flavor.
- Onions
- Potatoes
- Carrots
- Garlic
- Japanese Curry Cubes
- Vegetable Broth
- Scallions
fried enoki mushrooms
- Enoki Mushrooms
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder
- Potato Starch: or Cornstarch
- Garlic Powder
- White Pepper
- Togorashi Shichimi
3 foolproof tips
1. Remove the Tomato Skin
It’s not pleasant to see pieces of tomato skin floating on top of your stew or worse, biting into one for that matter. Removing the tomato skin will improve the texture of the curry and it’s very easy to do.
First, core the tomatoes and then gently score the skin on the bottom of the tomato by cutting a “X” on the non-stem side. Then boil them for about 20 seconds and make sure they are completely submerged in the boiling water. Then transfer them to an ice water bath. Once they are cooled, peel the skin using your fingers.
2. Caramelize the Onions
Taking the extra step to caramelize the onions first really brings out the sweetness of the curry. Sauté the onions with oil over medium heat for about 8-10 minutes until they start to caramelize around the edges.
3. Clean the Enoki Mushrooms Properly
This is probably one of the few times I will recommend rinsing mushrooms under water because Enoki mushrooms tend to trap more dirt. First, trim off the bottom brownish roots which typically contain most of the dirt. Then quickly rinse them under water or soak them briefly in a bowl of water to remove any excess dirt. Once all the dirt has been removed, pat them dry with a kitchen towel.
Then cut them lengthwise as shown in the picture below. Each 8 oz bunch of Enoki mushrooms should yield about 3-4 slices.
Bonus Tip
Best way to ensure that the curry blocks dissolve quickly and completely in the stew is to chop them into tiny pieces. They will dissolve quicker this way and you won’t be left with surprise chunks of curry blocks in the stew.
what to serve with Japanese curry
I like to serve Japanese curry with a side of kimchi or fukujinzuke which is a sweet relish made of chopped vegetables such as daikon, cucumbers, eggplant or lotus roots. My favorite are the red ones that are made from radish. I also love to add a little spice to my curry and fried enoki mushrooms with togorashi shichimi which are Japanese dried chili peppers.
Japanese Tomato Curry & Fried Enoki Mushrooms
Ingredients
Japanese Tomato Curry
- 7.8 oz Japanese Curry Roux I recommend S&B Golden Curry which is available on Amazon and at most Asian markets
- 4 firm vine or heirloom tomatoes washed and stems cored off
- 3 russet potatoes washed and peeled, cut into 1.5" pieces
- 3 medium onions thinly sliced
- 2 carrots washed and peeled, chopped into 1.5" pieces
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 2 tbsp neutral cooking oil avocado, canola, grapeseed or sunflower oil
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- scallions thinly chopped, for garnish
- kosher salt + cracked black pepper
Fried Enoki Mushrooms
- 16 oz enoki mushrooms roots trimmed, washed and dried
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup potato starch or cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 3/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 cup cold water
- togorashi shichimi
- 3 cups neutral frying oil
Instructions
Japanese Tomato Curry
- Blanch the Tomatoes: Bring a pot of water to boil. Prep a large bowl with ice water. Gently score the skin on the bottom of the tomato by cutting an "X" on the non-stem side of the tomato. Then transfer the scored tomatoes to the pot of boiling water and make sure they are completely submerged. Blanch the tomatoes for about 20 seconds or until you see the skins start to lift from the flesh of the tomatoes on the "X" cut side of the tomatoes. Transfer the tomatoes to an ice water bath to cool. Once they are cooled, peel the skin off the tomatoes. Then cut each tomato into 8 wedges and set aside.
- Cook the Curry: In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Then add the onions to the pan and sauté them for about 8-10 minutes until they become soft and caramelized. Then add the garlic and quickly sauté them for 30 seconds. Then add the vegetable stock to the pot immediately.Then add the potatoes, carrots and tomatoes to the pot. Cook the vegetables for about 20 minutes on low heat and with the pot covered with a lid.While the vegetables are cooking, chop the Japanese curry roux into small pieces. After the vegetables have cooked for 20 minutes, add the chopped curry cubes to the pot and stir until the roux has completely dissolved. Cook for an additional 5-10 minutes on low heat until the curry stew has thickened.Season accordingly with additional salt if needed.
- Serve the curry over white or brown rice with the fried enoki on top. Garnish with sliced scallions, fukujinzuke and/or togorashi shichimi. Enjoy!
Fried Enoki Mushrooms
- Thinly slice the mushrooms lengthwise (as shown in video and picture above).
- In a shallow flat-bottom bowl, whisk together the potato starch, all-purpose flour, baking powder, garlic powder, white pepper, salt and 1 cup of cold water to make a slurry.
- Add the neutral frying oil into a large frying pot until the oil is about 2 inches deep. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it reaches 350°F.
- Gently coat the mushrooms in the slurry batter and let any excess batter drip off. Gently lower the mushrooms into the oil. Deep-fry mushrooms for about 1-2 minutes on each side until they develop a golden color. They fry quickly so keep an eye on them! Transfer the friend mushrooms to a plate lined with paper towel or wire rack.
- Season the fried mushroom with flaky salt and togorashi shichimi. Serve immediately with rice and curry.
