asari no kare rice

The hot and humid days continue. I think they said that the temperature yesterday was 36C(96F) and the humidity was 67%...blah! Somehow it felt more like 196C and 150% humidity and people seem more in a zombie-like state walking about.

With school out for summer, I've noticed more grandparents/parents in the markets with their grandkids/kids. I understand that the grandpas/dads need to keep their grandkids/kids entertained while grandma/mom shops, but please don't stand in the middle of the aisles in zombie-mode. I get so frustrated because I say "excuse me" (in Japanese) and no one moves!

Anyway, instead of leaving the a/c on all day, I sometimes open my screen doors and open the front door a little with a shoe (to get a cross breeze) and to let in some fresh air. Today, I had a little excitement. While I was sitting at the computer, out of the corner of my eye I saw something jump...it was a little spider. This was the third time a spider had come inside (I wonder if it was the same one?). I shooed it outside, boy that spider was fast and could jump!

And if I thought that was exciting, later on in the afternoon, as I was about to close the glass doors to turn on the a/c, I noticed that a bee came inside and was hanging around the curtains. Big scary bugger it was. I quickly ran out onto the lanai and opened the screen door to let the it out. Luckily, it was cooperative and went out without much fuss, though my heart was pounding.

So enough of my rambling...Curry with rice, or curry rice as it is called here, is a favorite in our household. I am always looking for new ways to make curry and found a recipe in "Soshoku no susume - Summer recipes". This recipe uses asari (manila clams) which are in season now.

Serves 2
1/2 onion, diced
1 small carrot, diced
1 medium potato, diced
200g asari (manila clams)
1 tablespoon sake (rice wine)
2 cups stock
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon curry powder

Seasonings: 1 teaspoon wasanbon (a soft brown sugar that is used in mostly in Kagawa and Tokushima prefectures and in most Japanese confections)
1 teaspoon shoyu (soy sauce)
salt and pepper to taste

Put the asari in a shallow water bath with salt and leave in a dark, cool place (the refrig) for 7 to 8 hours. (This is for the clams to spit out the sand)

Put the asari into a pan with a lid and sprinkle the sake over it. Heat with the cover on until the shells open and steam for a bit. Set aside.

In a pot, put the stock and juices that came out from the steamed asari, cook the veggies in this liquid until tender.

Take some of the stock from the cooked veggies and add to the flour and curry powder, to make a roux. Add this mixture to the veggies.

Add the seasonings and bring to a boil.

When the liquid starts to thicken, add the asari and when the mixture comes back to a simmer, turn off the heat.

Serve over rice.

NOTES: Following the recipe was....a mess. I think the next time I make this I would add the curry directly to the pot and mix the flour or cornstarch with some water. I ended up having to add more stock to melt the flour/curry clumps and then fish through the curry to take out the clumps that didn't melt. As for taste, the spiciness was just right and went well with rice and fukujinzuke (veggies pickled in soy sauce).