Add This Curry Mix To Your Pot Roast For An Elevated Dish

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Pot roast lends itself as a surprisingly versatile canvas. You can turn the dish into a slow cooker French onion sandwich, add dried fruit for a brighter flavor, or incorporate barbecue sauce for a sweet twist. Looking for a rendition that's spicier, more complex, and elevated? We got you — just mix some readymade Japanese curry into the dish.

To those unfamiliar, instant Japanese curry packages are a popular convenience meal, bridging together sweet and spicy flavors into a comforting whole. Composed of an extensive (and shifting) array of blended aromatics, flour, and browned butter, these dense blocks come flavor-packed yet surprisingly balanced. Japanese curry can make leftover veggies shine, but the foodstuff delectably amplifies a tender beef cut, too.

Simply add your curry of choice into the braising liquid, then slow-cook and let the flavors develop. No two brands are precisely the same, letting you steer the pot roast ship in varying directions. For instance, go with the classic S&B Golden Curry for straightforward spice, or employ Kokumaro for an extra aromatic and fruity rendition. Serve the cooked beef with rice or keep it classic alongside potatoes; curried pot roast is flexible but always delicious.

The success of this fusion is no accident. Japanese beef curry typically employs vegetables like onions, carrots, and potatoes, and sometimes even uses red wine for flavor — a composition remarkably similar to many traditional pot roast recipes. In fact, both dishes commonly utilize chuck or round roast, which are widely considered great cuts for slow-cooking. While the traditional Japanese version uses smaller beef chunks in a thick gravy, the overlapping flavor profiles make it easy to adapt your pot roast.

Standard additions like tomato paste, mushrooms, or parsnips will still meld beautifully into the sauce. Alternatively, you can boost the umami by adding soy sauce, oyster sauce sauce, or Worcestershire sauce. If you prefer more heat, feel free to upgrade your pot roast with bolder ingredients like fresh or dried chiles. With a Japanese curry packet in hand, your pot roast is ready for a remarkable, elegant revamp.