Crockpot Japanese Curry

There are a few absolutely great reasons to break out your crockpot no matter the time of year. The first reason is obviously that it's ridiculously convenient - throw a bunch of things in a pot and end up with a (typically) delicious dish! The second reason is that it's one-pot cleanup. The third reason is that you prep it in the morning and come home to a ready-to-eat meal. The final reason is that it puts off minimal heat. And while you may think that's not a big deal, when you have a 1950s oven that brings your kitchen to a toasty 85 degrees every time you turn it on...well...you start to think "What can I make that DOESN'T involve the oven?"

Now, with life in the South, central air conditioning is a staple of life - just like an ice maker in your fridge. In the South, every drink is iced and every building you enter is literally FREEZING. You take sweaters to the movies and restaurants even though its 100 degrees outside and you'll be damned if you don't take a sweater to the refrigerator section of the grocery store. Here in New England, things are a little different. Central AC is a novelty. Most stores only have it on half heartedly. New Englanders believe in a "comfort" level of acceptable cool. Southerners believe in turning your house/establishment into Antartica during the summer months. Because let's face it - it's HOT outside and the last thing you want is to go inside and be HOT in there too.

The first months of a New England summer are a stragetic battle. How long can you go before you have to install your window-AC units, and do you really need to install ALL of them, or can you just get away with one or two until July? How hot do you let your house get before you muster the energy to install an AC unit you're going to have to take out in 3 months? For Aj and I, we installed the first AC unit in our bedroom when the indoor temperature hit 85 (Without the oven on) and the second unit that goes in our kitchen window? Today. June 20th.

We have 2 window units to cool our entire upstairs of 3 bedrooms, a living room, bathroom, hall and kitchen. Why do we suffer through this, you ask? The answer is simple: old buildings and no choice. Not only does our house have ancient kitchen appliances, it also has old pipes, windows, and no central AC. And since you Southerners all had your houses built with AC in the first place (Because what kind of jackass builds a home in the South with no AC?) you don't have these worries. But tons of the houses up here were built when they were still delivering ice on trucks. And really...there's only a few days in the year where heatstroke can be a real issue up here. The rest of the time Northerners just putt around bitching about how hot it is (which is increasingly irksome as I had to listen to them also bitch about how cold it was, as if the same thing didn't happen every year). Not me, though! I'll bitch when it's 85 in my house but not when it's 101 outside. Because that's just it: I'm OUTSIDE. My house? That's man-made and should be chilled to whatever temperature I want so bitching is fair game.

So naturally with two window units to cool my entire upstairs (and nothing to cool the downstairs), I generally have been trying to NOT use the oven. Or if I must, I try to use the mini bottom oven because it's better insulated and ...well...smaller. So today I decided to try something new: Japanese curry in the crock pot. And it was definitely a good choice! Anyone who knows me knows I am a fan of Japanese curry (Chicken Tatsuya Curry) - it's mild, flavorful and slightly sweet. It's become a real comfort food for Aj and myself. So try this recipe out because it's different, and extremely easy, and extremely yummy!

Crockpot Japanese Curry (Pork)

• 1 Package of boneless porkchops (I used thin-cut) with the fat trimmed off and cut into small 1/4 inch cubes
• Approximately 3/4 lb baby carrots
• 4 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into large cubes
  
• 1 XL box (about 8 oz) Japanese curry roux. I used TopValu curry which is a store-brand I got when in Japan, so it's unlikely you can find that here, but any Japanese curry roux would be fine. Available now at almost all Wal-Marts and some Market Basket grocery stores, but please support your local Asian market!
• 32 Oz (or slightly less) of chicken broth
• 2 cups cooked rice (I use my rice cooker and set an automatic timer to be finished by the time I want to eat)
  

1. Heat up 1 cup of the chicken broth to near boiling and put it in a measuring cup.
2. Add the curry roux and mix until it dissolves.
3. Put the curry roux mixture, the rest of the chicken broth, the potatoes, carrots and diced porkchop into the crock pot and turn it on low.
4. Cook for about 7 hours.

Whether it's a cold winter night or a hot summer day this stuff is irresistible!