Forum: cooking.stackexchange.com
Tags: <curry><thickening><japanese-cuisine>
Title: How do I thicken my Japanese curry after the fact?
Question: I made a lamb based Japanese curry in a slow cooker and unlike my previous efforts (using many of the same ingredients, though in different proportions), it turned out runny and underwhelming.  What techniques exist to "beef up" a curry after the fact? Would putting it back in the slow cooker with more veggies for another half-day help? Would adding another portion of curry mix help?

Answers:
sents: text: Several options, depending on the type of curry and the ingredients already present.
text: Japanese Style Curries Using a commercial, packaged Japanese-style roux: Add another brick or two from the package. This type dissolves nicely generally with minimal clumping. Using a homemade
text: , Japanese style roux:
text: You can prepare additional roux by melting fat (butter, beef fat, etc) in a saucier, foaming it if needed (as with butter), and whisking in flour (we usually use a 1:1 ratio).
text: Allow the flour to brown to the desired level, keeping in mind that the thickening power decreases the darker it gets.
text: If you prefer not to use flour, potato starch/katakuriko is a reasonable alternative.
text: When suitably dark, take some of the liquid from your existing curry and mix in to the roux, whisking vigorously to minimize the risk of clumping.
text: Add more of the existing curry liquid if you think there's a risk of clumping, then reintegrate it back into the main pot.
text: (if you were starting this roux from scratch you'd also integrate fat-cooked spices into the roux, but your problem does not appear to be flavor).
text: Avoiding fussiness:
text: Mix cornstarch or potato starch (katakuriko) in cold water.
text: Once reasonably dissolved, add it to the curry pot.
text: This type of thickener can create a slightly odd texture in a Japanese curry, as the browned roux creates a more velvety texture, but that doesn't mean I haven't done it before in a pinch.
text: The liquid will thicken as it boils.
text: Indian Style Curries
text: For more Indian-style curries, there are other options.
text: If your curry contains lentils, chickpeas or potatoes: Smash some of them in a small bowl, or just against the edge of the pan.
text: Allow the pot to boil a bit.
text: If you have almonds, cashews or similar nuts available: Grind a small quantity of nuts in a coffee/spice mill, and incorporate them into the curry.
text: These need to boil more gently, and I usually do this sauce more intentionally by making them the focal point (dum ki ghom, for example, which has mushrooms and tomato puree in a nut sauce) but can rescue an existing curry too.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/2909/JasonTrue
score: 6
sents: text: In this case, probably adding more curry mix is the answer.
text: You may also need to use a little cornstarch to thicken.
text: It's worth bearing in mind that if you're using a recipe not designed for slow cookers, you should usually halve the amount of liquid it states.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/4194/ElendilTheTall
score: 3
sents: text: You can always use cashew/almonds/freshly grounded coconut paste to thicken it up.
text: In most of the indian cooking that what used.
text: This will added up richness to your recipe.
text: Yes, cornstarch is another good option too.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/23066/pushya
score: 3
sents: text: Rather than adding thickener why not reduce your sauce?
text: Separate the meat and vegetables, put the sauce in a wide pan and then cook it down.
text: It will thicken it up, and concentrate the flavors.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/19707/GdD
score: 3
sents: text: Slow cookers trap moisture so frequently result in"runny" results.
text: Easiest, non interventionist solution: take the lid off for the last (or an additional) hour - more or less depending on results - on high.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/23695/user23695
score: 1
sents: text: yes dissolve cornstarch with water then mix it.
text: if the curry/spices flavour start to decrease, add more curry paste/curryroux.
text: but i wonder how the the curry restaurant keep their curry thick as hell for their customer ? :/
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/44867/sisi
score: 0

Summary of the answers:
If using a slow cooker with a normal recipe, you can usually use half of the liquid it states, but you can thicken runny curry with a cornstarch slurry, more curry mix or cashew/almonds/freshly grounded coconut paste.
Cooking in a slow cooker tends to result in thin sauces as the device traps moisture. To solve the problem, a thickener can be added, such as cornstarch or nuts, or the sauce can be reduced.