Curry Thursday #1 - Awaji Onion & Beef Curry

Welcome to Curry Thursday where we have a look and a taste of one of the many pre-packaged, ready-to-eat curries that are available in Japan! Please see the first entry for some notes on how we do reviews.

Today let's try Awaji Onion & Beef Curry. Awaji Island is located just south west of Kobe and is one of the largest islands outside of the "main five" that make up Japan. Aside from its relevance to the Japanese creation myth, it is primarily known for its sweet onions.

While onions are its most famous export, Awaji also produces another very famous product: Kobe beef.

Kobe beef is a bit of a misnomer. The breed of cattle used for the beef is known as Tajima, which is itself a sub-breed of kuroge wagyū (Japanese Black cattle). Tajima cattle are raised specifically in Hyōgo prefecture and the highest quality of these cattle can be marketed as "Kobe beef."

Around 70% of Tajima cattle are raised on Awaji island, so it may be more appropriate to call it "Awaji beef." Kobe has the more recognizable name, however, so it is what it is.

The curry we sampled today has both of these ingredients. The front of the box proudly displays an unblemished onion and proclaims, "Delicious curry begins with delicious onions." The back extols the sweetness of the onions and the quality of the beef.

So this definitely fits into both the "meibutsu" and "kodawari" categories of curry. It contains ingredients representative of a location and focuses specifically on a certain flavor (the onions). Onions are, of course, a staple ingredient of Japanese curry, so a particular type of onion sounds like the perfect way to make a uniquely delicious curry. One could also classify it as "omiyage" curry as it's certainly sold in Awaji island gift shops.

Let's get into it!

I went into this expecting to find chunks of onion to savor but instead it seems they've blended them into the roux. This was a bit disappointing and I found myself searching for onion flavor instead of it jumping out at me.

The roux itself is perfectly acceptable, perhaps somewhat tangier than "normal" Japanese curry, probably thanks to the onions. But it's nowhere near as sweet as I would have expected. There is just a hint of spiciness in the aftertaste. Overall the roux is good but doesn't stand out as anything special.

The beef strands out distinctly in flavor. It's fatty and soft and tasty, but nothing particularly special. Of course, I wasn't expecting an A5 rank cut in my tourist curry, so there's nothing complain about here.

Here's my ranking of Awaji Island Onion & Beef Curry:

Roux: 2/5
Ingredients: 3/5
Heat: 2/5
Originality: 2/5
Overall: 2/5

Very "middle of the road" curry. Nothing to complain about, but nothing spectacular either. I do wish they had chosen to use onion chunks instead of blending them, however.

That's it for now. Have you had Awaji Onion Curry before? Let me know your thoughts on twitter!