Tag: green beans

Japanese Dry Curry – Pilaf Style
We all know about saucy liquidy stew-like Japanese traditional curries—so many variations to choose from and try and make….but what about Japanese Dry Curry-Pilaf Style?

Have you ever made it? Quick, easy and tasty, and a wonderful way to use up all those bits and pieces lingering in your refrigerator.

I don’t know about you, but I have been on the lookout for delicious and fast dishes that don’t take me hours in the kitchen, which is hot at the moment and seems to have become my first home in recent months of sheltering in place here in the Bay area.

Hot Weather is Curry Weather

I also find anything with curry stimulates the appetite, always a good thing in hot weather. There is a hint of sweetness in the use of raisins, but those can be optional, but it is a nice balance to the savory flavors of this dish.

This is a very forgiving dish and it is fun to create your own and new combination of ingredients. Use my recipe first as your guide, then go wild, and let me know what you came up with! It is also the perfect dish for a bento lunch and or served at room temperature.

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Japanese Dry Curry – Pilaf Style

Lucy Seligman

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Course lunch dish, Side Dish
Cuisine Japanese

Servings 4

Ingredients

3 to 4 cups cooked Japanese rice
7 to 8 ounces meat: such as ground beef, thick bacon, ham, chicken or seafood, such as small shrimp or scallops, chopped
3-1/2 ounces carrots, finely chopped
3-1/2 ounces green peppers, finely chopped
3-1/2 ounces onion, finely chopped
3 ounces green beans, thinly sliced
Salad oil as needed
2 tbsps curry powder (Japanese-style), or to taste and desired hotness
2 to 3 tbsps raisins (soaked in warm water to soften), drained, optional
Salt and pepper to taste
Garnish:
3 ounces cooked green peas*

Instructions

Chop all vegetables and meat (if necessary) into roughly the same size. Sauté vegetables in a little oil, until soft. Add desired protein. Continue cooking until done, adding curry powder and raisins.
Add the cooked rice, chopping it up (use the back of your wooden spoon), and combining with the rest of the ingredients. Cook until the rice is heated through.
Just before serving, add in the green peas and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Notes
Other garnishes you could use: Minced parsley or some boiled Broccoli florets, or you could do a garnish of Japanese pickles, such as crunchy Rakkyo (pickled Japanese scallions), the traditional garnish for Japanese curry. You can also garnish the plate with avocado and red onion slices in a light vinaigrette to make a more complete meal.

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Duck Delight
THIS DISH IS SIMPLE, elegant, and absolutely delicious. In my house, whenever I’m in doubt as to what to serve guests, I make this.

The Eastern ingredients are of course, the ever-versatile soy sauce, which can be used to highlight many different types of sauces. I also use perilla leaves (shiso) as a refreshing garnish. The Western ingredients are the Grand Marnier and butter, used to create the base of the sauce, which is fairly French in construction.

Usually I make this dish with beef, but I’ve found that duck goes equally well. Any firm green vegetable could be substituted for the green beans – sometimes I use okra or the thinner Chinese green beans. I choose elephant garlic for its mildness, but regular garlic goes just as well.
Duck Delight

Lucy Seligman

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Ingredients

4 to 6 elephant garlic cloves peeled and sliced thickly
Unsalted butter
6 oz. shiitake mushrooms stems removed and halved
6 oz. green beans washed, ends snapped off, and cut into three inch segments
4 boned and skinned duck breasts approx. 5 oz. each
Salt and pepper to taste
Sauce:
3 to 4 tbsp unsalted butter
Zest of one large orange cut into slivers or strands
Juice of one-half orange
2 tbsp or more soy sauce
¼ cup plus 2 tbsp Grand Marnier or any orange-based liquor such as Triple Sec or Orange Curacao
Garnish:
Fresh perilla leaves shiso, cut into slivers (may replace with watercress sprigs)

Instructions

Sauté garlic slices in 1 or 2 tsp of butter until lightly browned. Set aside, covering to keep warm. Do the same with the shiitake mushrooms. Parboil green beans in lightly salted water. Drain. Lightly sauté in one to two teaspoons of butter. Set aside as well, keeping warm. If desired, you may season each vegetable with salt and pepper. You may also, as an alternative, steam the mushrooms and green beans instead of sautéing them.
Sauté duck breasts in one tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Cook until desired doneness (in this recipe, duck should still be pink inside). Set aside, keeping warm.
To make sauce: Add two tablespoons of butter to the remaining duck drippings and turn heat back to medium. Add orange zest, orange juice, soy sauce, and Grand Marnier. Cook for a few minutes until sauce is reduced, stirring continually. To thicken sauce just before serving, add a tablespoon or two of cold butter and stir until thoroughly combined.
SERVING SUGGESTION: Place garlic, shiitake mushrooms, and green beans along edges of plate, in a half circle. Place duck in the center. Lightly spoon sauce over duck. Top duck with a small mound of perilla leaves. Serve immediately.
VARIATION: Duck can be replaced with beef, such as a filet mignon. This dish is also good served with potatoes, such as potatoes Anna, a traditional French preparation.

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Leave a note in the comments section (see below) if you make this dish!

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