Comfort Food for Holiday Dinner

Posted by Jing Tio on 25th Dec 2020

I’ve been thinking about what to cook for our Christmas Eve dinner for a while. Definitely not prime rib this year. 2020 is not a year of celebration. I’m just grateful that we’re still in business and my family stays healthy all this time.

I want to do comfort food and yet elevate it to the next level. I keep thinking about Karei Raisu (Japanese Curry). We haven’t had one since last Spring and the kids loved it. A meal of perfectly cooked ribs with a nice crust and thick curry sauce on the side would be as memorable as a prime rib.

The first mission was to find a prime-rib quality beef. I got 5” bone-in short rib American Wagyu. The second was to revisit the techniques and the other ingredients. I would roast instead of sweating the onions to give it more depth and sweetness to the sauce. I would not brown the beef but reverse sear at the end for better presentation and texture. I would skip the honey and get nice Fuji apples instead.

The day has come. I had all the finest ingredients I could get and our Christmas Eve dinner came out great! The time it took me to prep and cook was much longer than for a regular Japanese Curry, but it was worth every second. It was our most memorable Christmas Eve dinner ever!

How did I do it? Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

5” bone-in short rib American Wagyu

1 large yellow onion sliced into half moon

2-3 large carrots, preferably cut rangiri style

1 lb Brussels sprouts

1 lb fingerling potatoes

1-2 Fuji apples

3 tbsp See Smell Taste Japanese Curry Mix

50 grams wheat / all-purpose flour

50 grams butter

See Smell Taste Heavenly Salt & Pepper™ Mix

salt to taste

water

Directions

Morning prep:

First, I preheat the oven to 350F. Once the oven is ready, I put the whole onion unpeeled for 1 hour.

Second, I parboil and rinse the beef ribs, then bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat and skim for any scums. Leave the beef ribs to cook for 1.5 hours. Peel the onions. Cut in half and throw into the stock.

Next, throw in the potatoes and cook for 25 minutes. In 15 minutes, then you can throw in the carrots and the brussels sprouts.

Blanch and rinse the carrots, Brussels sprouts, and potatoes separately to stop the cooking process. Cover and put them in the fridge.

When the ribs are done, leave them in the stock to prevent darkening and drying, then put them in the fridge.

An hour before serving:

Preheat the oven to the highest temp Broiler setting. Get the vegetables out of the fridge.

Strain the stock using the oil separator. Brush the ribs with the oil and season with Heavenly Salt and Pepper™ Mix. Make sure all sides of the ribs are covered with the seasoning. Arrange the vegetables on the roasting pan and put the ribs on the V rack with the fat cap facing up. Put them in the oven for 15-20 minutes for a nice crust.

While waiting for the oven, I get started on the curry roux. I reduce the stock to half to concentrate the flavors. Melt the butter. Add the flour and Japanese Curry Mix. Keep adding stock until you reach a gravy consistency.