Curry Stew (Elementary School Portion)
【小学校】カレーシチュー
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese elementary school lunch menu
Curry stew is a Japanese school lunch classic: somewhere between a curry and a cream stew, with a gentle curry flavor mellowed by milk and melted cheese. Instead of a store-bought roux block, you make the roux yourself from butter, flour and curry powder, so you control both the salt and the heat. The vegetables get a head start in the microwave so they turn soft and sweet without long simmering, and the cheese melts into the sauce to give it a rich, rounded taste that children love spooned over rice or eaten with bread.
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Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese elementary school, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 44.4 gonion
- 29.9 gcarrot
- 74.3 gpotato
- 36.6 gthinly sliced pork (komagire)Small, thin offcuts of pork sold in Japan for quick stir-fries and simmered dishes. Substitute: Thinly sliced pork shoulder or loin cut into bite-size pieces.
- 162 gwater
- 74.3 gmilk
- 5.9 gprocessed cheese
Seasonings
- 5.9 gsalted butter
- 5.9 gvegetable oil
- 11.7 gflour
- 0.8 gcurry powder
- 1.7 gconsommé bouillon (granules or cube)Japanese-style Western soup stock powder or cubes, similar to chicken or vegetable bouillon. Substitute: Chicken or vegetable bouillon granules or a bouillon cube.
- 0.8 gsalt
- to tastepepper
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- thinly sliced pork (komagire) (豚こま切れ肉)
- Small, thin offcuts of pork sold in Japan for quick stir-fries and simmered dishes. Substitute: Thinly sliced pork shoulder or loin cut into bite-size pieces.
- consommé bouillon (granules or cube) (コンソメ)
- Japanese-style Western soup stock powder or cubes, similar to chicken or vegetable bouillon. Substitute: Chicken or vegetable bouillon granules or a bouillon cube.
Directions
- 1
Cut the onion into 1.5 cm dice, the carrot into thin quarter-rounds (ichō-giri), the potato into 2 cm cubes, and the pork into 2 cm-wide pieces.
- 2
Put the onion, carrot and 1 tbsp of water (not included in the ingredient amounts) in a microwave-safe bowl and stir. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave at 1200W for about 3 minutes 30 seconds. Add the potato, stir, cover again and microwave for about 1 minute.
- 3
Heat the butter and oil in a pot, add the onion, carrot and potato, and sauté over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Add the pork and sauté until it changes color.
- 4
Turn off the heat, sprinkle in the flour and curry powder, and stir to coat everything. Once no dry flour remains, return the pot to low heat, add half of the water and stir until smooth.
- 5
Once the mixture has thickened slightly, add the remaining water, the milk and the consommé, and stir over low heat until the flour is fully blended into the sauce.
- 6
Add the cheese and simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes.
- 7
To finish, stir in the salt and pepper and adjust the seasoning.
* Microwave times vary with the amount you are making. Keep an eye on the vegetables and adjust as needed.
* If the stew seems too thin, simply simmer it a little longer to thicken.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 337.4 kcal | 674.7 kcal | 337.4 kcal |
| Protein | 14.4 g | 28.8 g | 14.4 g |
| Fat | 19.4 g | 38.7 g | 19.4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 33.3 g | 66.6 g | 33.3 g |
| Fiber | 8.9 g | 17.7 g | 8.9 g |
| Salt equivalent | 2 g | 3.9 g | 2 g |
| Calcium | 147.6 mg | 295.2 mg | 147.6 mg |
| Iron | 1 mg | 2.1 mg | 1 mg |
| Potassium | 740.3 mg | 1480.5 mg | 740.3 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 337.4 kcal | 14.4 g | 19.4 g | 33.3 g | 8.9 g | 2 g | 147.6 mg | 1 mg | 740.3 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 674.7 kcal | 28.8 g | 38.7 g | 66.6 g | 17.7 g | 3.9 g | 295.2 mg | 2.1 mg | 1480.5 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese elementary-school portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
This is the elementary-school portion of Curry Stew (larger quantities, same method).
