The heat and humidity of August doesn't help a waning appetite. Spicy food does, though, and in Japan "spicy" means curry.
The most popular form of curry in Japan is karē raisu, a dish that's known around the world as Japanese curry — a thick curry-spiced stew served over steamed rice. Personally, I don't like to make karē raisu in the summer. Like any stew, it needs a long simmer to be really good, and who wants a hot bubbling pot going for hours in the kitchen?
One way to get your curry fix is to take a look at other homegrown dishes that are lighter and quicker to cook. For instance, dry curry is ground meat and chopped vegetables that are sauteed and flavored with curry powder — a kind of curry-flavored meat sauce. It's served on plain rice, stirred into fried rice, used as omelette filling and more. It's also great in bentos.
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