A Tale of My Home, Part 2: The Splendid Three Transformations | Kazunori Takashio, Dean of the Graduate School of Media and Governance
February 18, 2025
"What's your favorite curry?"
"Hmm, I guess I'd have to say my own..."
Many people would probably answer that way. I, for one, am among them.
One weekend, it was just after 6 p.m. when I started to wonder, "Now, what should I write about?" My last post was right after the Open Research Forum. The major events since then have been the graduation projects and master's theses, but they feel a bit too raw to write about. As I mulled over various ideas, the sun set completely. It was pitch black outside my window.
The problem was that I was hungry. My mind became filled with thoughts of curry. I can't recall what triggered it. Perhaps it was because I had just visited the fieldwork exhibition for Professor Kato's (Bun) research group. I opened the refrigerator. I knew I had plenty of meat (beef scraps) and the necessary vegetables. "Yep, I can do this..." Our family's curry is a three-day program. I steeled myself for the commitment.
The ingredients (for 4 servings) and recipe for day one are as follows:
● 6 potatoes, 1 onion, 1 carrot (approximate amounts)
● 200g beef (thinly sliced scraps) (also approximate)
● 1 clove garlic, grated ginger to taste, fresh shichimi to taste
● 3 cups ago-dashi (flying fish broth)
● 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp Kyushu soy sauce (sweet type), 90ml mirin (or thereabouts)
● Salad oil to taste, a small amount of sesame oil
Cut the potatoes into bite-sized pieces and soak them briefly in water. Cut the onion into wedges and the carrot into irregular chunks. Cut the beef into bite-sized pieces (roughly).
Heat oil in a pot. Add and sauté the sliced garlic, onion, beef, potatoes, and carrots in that order, then drizzle with a small amount of sesame oil.
Pour in the ago-dashi, and once it boils, skim off the scum. Add the soy sauce, mirin, grated ginger, and fresh shichimi, and cover with a drop-lid. Once it comes to a boil again, simmer for about 20 minutes.
You've probably realized it by now. What I'm making is nikujaga (meat and potato stew). And a whole pot of it, at that. To repeat myself, our family's curry is a three-day program. In fact, we don't even get to eat curry on the first day. Although I call it nikujaga, it's really a prep for the days ahead. I toss in various ingredients I wouldn't normally add, like garlic and ginger, depending on my mood, and it's absolutely delicious! Using ago-dashi and sweet Kyushu soy sauce might also be different from other households. Day one ends with me devouring this with a bowl of white rice.
On day two, I pull the pot of leftovers from the refrigerator, add enough water for the curry, and put it on the heat. Since the simmering process is already complete, I turn off the heat once it boils and add the curry roux. I don't do anything fancy like combining multiple types of spices. I just use the well-known brands you can find at any supermarket. I do use two kinds, though. One is the medium-hot version of that famous one with apple and honey. The other is a hot version with slightly more "adult" packaging. I use equal amounts of both. I add a little ketchup and tonkatsu sauce, and to finish, a splash of milk, then simmer it a bit on low heat. Finally, on day two, the curry is complete. Because it's based on nikujaga, it's a Japanese-style curry with the flavors of ago-dashi and soy sauce. This is our family's classic. And seriously, it's delicious!!
Day three is the final day of my home curry series. Of course, you could just eat the second-day (or is it third-day?) curry as is, but I add one final touch. There's usually not much left, so I dilute it again with dashi-tsuyu (soup base). I combine it with boiled udon noodles for its final form: curry udon. If I have them, I top it with shrimp tempura and a soft-boiled egg, sprinkle with finely chopped green onions, and it's done. Naturally, it's delicious!!! I was very satisfied this time as well.
So that's the full story of my family's three-day curry immersion. Lately, I've also been enjoying the progression from imoni (taro and meat stew) to curry. Our imoni is the so-called inland style, with a soy sauce base. The beef is the same, but a unique curry with taro, long green onions, mushrooms, and konjac is also great. In the case of imoni curry, the final day features soba noodles instead of udon. No particular reason, just a feeling.
I have a habit of heading to the kitchen when I feel stuck. The time spent preparing a whetstone and sharpening my knives also helps clear my mind. It might be a form of escapism. I also enjoy cooking for people close to me. I often share simple recipes on Twitter (now X), though it's quite difficult to explain in 140 characters. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, I once made this curry for the students in my lab in the kitchen at β Village. I made a huge potful in the large stockpot provided in Residence Building 2. Because I had to serve it all that day, I was the only one who got to taste its first form as nikujaga. Without ever being seen by others, it was transformed directly into curry. Its pride as nikujaga was shattered; the potatoes inside must have resented me deeply. I feel bad about what I did.
Such opportunities have become rare recently, but I'd love to treat everyone again. To all the lab members: what would you like to eat?
February 18, the day this diary is published, is the entrance exam day for the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies. For all the prospective students, I imagine you'll be reading this after your exams are over. Were you able to give it your all? I am also looking forward to seeing you all on campus in the spring. If you see me on campus, please say hello. Well then, see you again in April.