DIY Japanese Curry Blocks

Learn how to make curry blocks at home for quick and delicious meal anytime you crave kare raisu (Japanese curry rice).

Member Price

$90.00 (any noted materials fee included)

Non-Member Price

$105.00 (any noted materials fee included)

Meeting Times

10/18/2023 12:00 PM - 2:30 PM

10/18/2023

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About

Mild, savory, and slightly sweet Japanese curry — kare raisu—is one of the most popular dishes in Japan and a fine example of yoshoku cooking, which are Western dishes (via the British via India) reinvented through traditional Japanese food principles. Tender chicken, carrots, and potatoes are simmered in a thick curry with perfectly balanced flavors and a hint of sweetness from honey and apple.

Curry blocks were invented to make it easy for busy people to whip up an “instant” pot of curry. The commercially made curry blocks are shelf-stable boxes of curry roux full of questionable ingredients, such as stabilizers and chemical flavorings and preservatives.

Who needs that? We can make our own curry blocks! They're a wonder to have on hand for a quick and delicious meal. Throw a frozen block into a pot with your other ingredients, add water, and dinner can be ready in fewer than 30 minutes.

You’ll learn to make a roux, find out why honey is added only at the end, and perhaps pick up a new knife skill — the rangiri style of carrot cutting. You'll also gain a deeper understanding of washoku, the ancient Japanese food traditions that make meal preparation fun as well as transformative for your health.

Project

You will make two curry blocks. You'll take one home (along with a printed recipe) and use the other to make a pot of classic chicken kare raisu (there will be a vegetarian option, but not a vegan one). Rice, pickles, and rayu sauce (a sesame chili oil condiment) will be on hand for a proper kare raisu meal.

Class Policies

Ages 14 and up are welcome.
You must wear closed-toe shoes to class.
Each participant will need to be registered for the class (no drop-ins).

BARN Policies

View BARN's current COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
BARN is committed to accessibility. Tuition Assistance is available. Fill out the application before registering.
For those who might need physical assistance, learn more about BARN's Companion Program.

Instructors or Guides

Tracy Matsue Loeffelholz

Tracy Matsue Loeffelholz explores the principles of traditional Japanese cooking and how they can be applied to make our everyday meals — whatever the cuisine — healthier and delicious. She is a recipe developer for Providence Heart Institute and a washoku culinary health coach. She has run a test kitchen working with international chefs to prepare their recipes for online cooking classes with American home cooks. She has certificates from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and Harvard’s CHEF coaching program. Her company Ingredients Count is a content and graphic design agency for healthcare providers and wellness programs.