Instant Pot Japanese Curry: Pork

 

Chicken started getting really expensive during the pandemic,  but I found pork, cut like stew meat or labeled for pork adobo. In the Instant Pot, this turns out soft and unctious. It takes a little longer than the IP Japanese Curry Chicken version, but it is still doable for a weeknight dinner. 

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion sliced in about 5 sections
• 2-3 carrots peeled and cut into bite size ("rangiri") cuts
• 3-4 potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters (soak in water until ready) - I use one Idaho potato and 2 small purple sweet potatoes
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp. ginger, minced
• 1 1/2 - 2 lbs. boneless pork butt, cut in stew meat chunks
• Hawaiian salt to taste
• Ground pepper to taste
• 1 T. vegetable oil
• 3 c.  stock (I use the Better Than Bouillon broth so I use beef)
• 1 box Japanese curry roux
• 1 T. ketchup
• 1 T. shoyu
• 1 package softer Japanese mushrooms like shimeiji or enoki
• Fukujinzuke (pickled red daikon)

Directions:

1. Heat the pot on sauté until it is hot and add the oil. I read somewhere that with aluminum pans, let the pot heat up first rather than put the oil in hot. I hope someone can tell me why that is. 
2. Salt and flour the pork. Add the pork to the pot and let it cook in the oil a little. Add onion, garlic and ginger and cook a little. 
3. I take the meat out and with a wooden spoon and the hot broth turn off sauté and break up the bits stuck on the bottom of the pan. Put the meat and onion back in with the broth.
4. Add the carrot and potato and mix well.
5. Push the veggies and meat down and put the roux on top. 
6. Switch from saute to meat/stew and set the timer for 35 minutes. Either do a quick release or let it vent naturally for about 10 minutes then release.
7. Add ketchup, shoyu and mushrooms. Switch to saute and stir until the mushrooms are heated and incorporated. It will not take long. This also ensures that the roux is dissolved.

Notes: Fukujinzuke is a must to get an authentic Japanese experience. Like all stews, the leftovers the next day are even better because it gets thicker and darker. I at first wanted to put 1 1/2 boxes because I used the maximum vegetables but I think the leftovers might be too thick so only do that if you know you will eat the whole pot.