Korean Curry Paste. If you like the taste of Korean or Japanese curry, you will really enjoy this paste. You can use it to make a hearty dinner in less than 5 minutes. An excellent ingredient for those who have a need-for-speed!
Simply add a few scoops of the curry paste to rice. Then you got yourself a bowl of Curry Fried Rice. Or add it to water and you got a delicious Curry. Yes - simple as that!
If you will make the Curry Fried Rice, throw-in a handful of fresh spinach leaves. Much tastier and healthier. But the sky's the limit when it comes to curry. Throw in whatever veggies you have leftover in the fridge.
For vegetarians: When making the curry paste, substitute the minced pork with finely diced eggplant or mushroom. Or perhaps, a mix of both 🙂
Credit: The original recipe is from a Korean celebrity chef named Baek Jong Won. Dude's a genius.
Korean Curry Paste + 2 Recipes
Ingredients
Korean Curry Paste
- Korean curry powder - 1 package 100 grams
- Onions - 2 medium-sized 1.5 cups
- Carrot - 1 whole 1 cup
- Minced pork or beef - 400 grams
- Minced garlic - 1 Tablespoon
- Salt - 1 teaspoon
- Black pepper - few shakes
Curry Fried Rice
- Short-grain rice - 1 cup
- Curry Paste - 2 big spoonfuls just grab a lot, its ok!
- Spinach - a handful optional
- Fried egg - 1 optional
Curry with Rice
- Curry paste - 3 big spoonfuls just grab a lot, its ok!
- Water - ¾ cup
- Ketchup - 1 Tablespoon don't use too much!
- Rice - 1 serving
Instructions
Make Curry Paste
- Finely dice 2 onions and 1 carrot into small pieces. Then measure 1.5 cups and 1 cup respectively and set aside. Also mash up the minced pork (or beef) once more with your fingers.
- Put a large frying pan on low heat. (Make sure it is on low heat!) Pour enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Place the minced meat in. Use a spatula to stir meat around to keep them from bunching up.
- Once the meat has lost most of its pink, season the meat with a few shakes of black pepper.
- Then add in the minced carrots and onions. Add in the minced garlic. Add in salt.
- Stir around for about 15 minutes - or until you see that all of the liquid from the vegetables have dissipated (reference video).
- Add in the curry powder. Mix-in evenly. Pour out the paste into a mixing bowl and let it cool down. Then place into Tupperware and store in fridge
- Curry Fried Rice
- Place 1 cup of hot, cooked rice into the frying pan. Place 2 big scoops of the paste in. Then thoroughly mix into the rice.
- Turn on the frying pan. Throw-in spinach or other vegetable and mix into the rice.
- Plate and top-off with a fried egg.
- Eat with a smile 🙂
Curry Fried Rice
- Put frying pan on medium heat.
- Pour water into the frying pan. Then drop-in three scoops of the curry paste. Mix the two together.
- Then place 1 Tablespoon of ketchup into the curry. Mix that in as well.
- Let curry boil for about 1 minute - so that the ketchup dissolves into the curry.
- Pour curry over some cooked, hot rice.
- Oh and don't forget the egg!
Notes
- In the video, I accidentally edited out the part where I add 1 Teaspoon of salt when sautéing the carrots and onions. So add some salt then.
- Don't use more than 1 Tablespoon of Ketchup - The vinegar taste form the ketchup may overpower the curry taste.
- The paste will stay good for about 2 weeks - store in refrigerator.
- See video below for more details
Ashley says
Do you have any suggestions for replacing the onion?
Daniel says
Hi Ashley! You can skip it if you are allergic to it. But if its because of the taste, note that onions (once cooked down) lose most of their sharp taste. Taste actually sweet.