Sep 26, 2010

PFB #2: The Turtle and the Sea

Once upon a time, long long ago, there was a beautiful and rare white turtle named Keiko, who was known in her village to sing the most beautiful melodies. Sweet, innocent, and very obedient, she rarely ventured outside of her village and quiet cove, for fear of the unknown- plus her slow turtle gait didn't help either.
 

Day after day, she stayed in the village and entertained her family and friends with her beautiful voice. But soon, she grew bored and longed for new experiences. Although the other turtles begged her to stay, and warned her of possible dangers, she made the difficult decision to go on a journey.

So she began her trek- slowly, yet deliberately, until she finally reached the edge of her village and crossed the line into the unknown world. For days she pushed forward with her clumsy flipper-feet, alone along a sandy dirt road, passing tall wispy red pines, and stopping to munch on some tasty wild ninjin (carrots). She sang to keep herself company, and often wondered what she might discover. The sun beat down upon her, and soon turned her pure white shell to a golden hue.


On the third day, she noticed a faint sound in the distance. "Boom, swish, boom, swish!" it repeated. And, it became louder and louder as she walked towards it. "What could that be?" Keiko wondered with nervous excitement.

Suddenly, the road opened up before her. She saw a vast sky, that was crystal blue with puffy clouds, and directly below- an enormous emerald sparkling sea, with waves gently crashing onto the rocks at the water's edge. "Oh, I've never seen anything so beautiful!" she remarked aloud.


To her surprise, the sea (named Kai) answered back in a booming voice, "Why, thank you! I've been admiring your wonderful singing voice." And so for hours they chatted, and quickly became good friends. Then, Keiko had a most glorious idea. "Why don't you use your waves to make a rhythm, and I'll sing along?" "What a lovely idea," said Kai. After some practice, the pair finally made the most incredible music together. Kai would even make different rhythms for the young turtle to sing to, as she gleefully swam and floated in the sea's waters. The beautiful songs that resulted can still be heard to this day... if you listen carefully.


When Keiko returned to her village, she spread the news of the wonderful Kai, and all the turtles decided to follow suit and venture outside of their comfy village. Soon, all the turtles lived in the sea, and only returned to their village to lay their eggs, so the next generation could make the same trek that Keiko did.



The Inspiration:
This post is dedicated to my host daughter, Keiko from Japan. She left us to go back to her home country a few years ago, and we are thrilled that she will be coming back to visit us next month! On top of that, the story symbolizes her brave journey to the United States, back when she barely spoke any English... Plus, she loves turtles! :)
About This Dish:
This curry dish (called karē) is very popular in Japan. My host daughter didn't cook much, so she never made us this dish, but she did show us the instant curry mix (comes in blocks) that so many Japanese people use to make it. I would describe it as a milder curry (as compared to Indian curries), and is thick like a gravy with a unique sweetness. It almost always has potatoes, carrots, and onion, and is usually served over rice.
A Little History:
From Wiki: Curry was introduced to Japan during the Meiji era (1869–1913) by the British, at a time when India was under the administration of the British. The dish became popular and available for purchase in supermarkets and restaurants in the late 1960s. It has been adapted since its introduction to Japan, and is so widely consumed that it can be called a national dish.
The Recipe:
Instead of using the instant mix which usually contains MSG, I made this from scratch. It is essentially a sauce made from a seasoned roux as its base, which is unusual to me.  I also wanted to try making my own garam masala spice mix, which was a lot easier than I expected!  I borrowed instructions from this site.

Ingredients:
For the Roux:
4 T. Earth Balance margarine
1 T. garam masala
1/4 C. all purpose flour
For the Rest:
1 C. finely chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 C. carrots, chopped (size desired)
1 C. red or yukon potatoes, chopped (sized desired)
3 C. vegetable stock
1 T. brown sugar
salt to taste

Spinz:
Make the roux first by heating the margarine in a sauce pan.  Stir garam masala into melted margarine for a minute or two.  Add flour and stir until well combined.  Take off heat and set aside.  
In a large skillet or pot, saute the onions in a little vegetable oil until tender and golden.  Add carrots, and saute for a few minutes before adding the potatoes and garlic and doing the same.  Season with salt. Once a little browned, add the vegetable stock, sugar, and more salt (if needed), and simmer until carrots and potatoes are tender but still firm (al dente).  Mix in the roux and let simmer to finish.  Serve over Japanese short grain rice.
The End
Story, illustrations, and food by DJ Karma

60 comments:

  1. beautiful! You've got my vote! Best of luck in Round 2:)

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  2. very nice :) love it.
    i send you a vote.

    i also made something japanese if u are interest, check out my entry
    http://www.foodbuzz.com/project_food_blog/challenges/2/view/829

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  3. You are one talented lady! This looks so scrumptious! I totally voted for you!!

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  4. I like this story....clever and unique, you have my vote!

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  5. Really well done. I love the way you presented it (both visually and textually) and I really love that you were a host-mom! I spent a year abroad as an exchange student (a loooong time ago) and it changed my life. Can't wait to have a house big enough to start hosting too! I just voted for you!

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  6. I think this is the most incredible post I have seen for the contest. Best of luck. i have never been here before, I am just surfing the opposition. You got my vote.

    Dave

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  7. My goodness, the turtle carvings are incredible! So are the depictions of the story. You're so talented!

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  8. might be the cutest thing ever made with food!
    vote is in.

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  9. I love your story and photographs. I hope you advance because this is a unique approach to the contest and a breath of fresh air!

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  10. This is the cutest thing I've ever seen.

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  11. Are you kidding me?? That turtle is BEAUTIFUL!!! You got my vote! :)

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  12. this is the cutest submission of them all. turtles are my favorite. you get my vote!

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  13. How creative! I love it! You get my vote!

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  14. how cute

    (Here's my post:
    See my entry here: http://www.foodbuzz.com/project_food_blog/challenges/2/view/869)

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  15. Oh, I love everything about this post! That is some fancy vegetable carving, something I don't have the skill or patience for. Very impressive!

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  16. I love the beautifully cut potatoes and the cute story, you get a vote :D

    And if you like, stop by my blog too and take a look:
    http://www.foodbuzz.com/project_food_blog/challenges/2/view/834

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  17. Great entry! You have got my vote!

    Here is a link to my entry if you would like to see my dish for thei challenge. http://www.foodbuzz.com/project_food_blog/challenges/2/view/703

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  18. How adorable! I'm going to save this page for future use. Thank you for visiting my blog. You have my vote!

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  19. Soooo love the turtle and the rest is a bonus!!!

    Shelly, Nibbles of Tidbits

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  20. i love both japanese curry AND cute potato turtles :) you have our vote!

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  21. The turtles are so cute!!! And the curry sounds delicious.

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  22. Simple and charming; it's no wonder the turtle is so happy with the curry! And from scratch! I love how you have so much fun with your food

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  23. A beautiful post! You have my vote.

    Kelly
    Sounding My Barbaric Gulp!

    http://www.barbaricgulp.com/2010/09/project-food-blog-classics-challenge-2.html

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  24. What a unique and artistic post- definitely one of the best I have seen!! You have my vote for sure!

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  25. Those turtles are adorable! I love the story too. Love the recipe too! You have my vote. Good luck! :)

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  26. Definitely blown away by this entry. That is creativity, passion, and love. Thank you, and good luck.

    http://indulginginguiltypleasures.wordpress.com

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  27. Wow. This is the cutest thing ever. It might be the most creative and time-consuming PFB challenge for this round. You are awesome for doing this and dedicating it to your new found friend.

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  28. beautiful post. And such patience to carve the turtle.

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  29. I just had to drop in and tell you how refreshing your creation is. I decided to vote for you because you certainly deserve a chance to move on ;o)

    Good luck and flavourful wishes,
    Claudia

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  30. You are too cute! These turned out amazing. Your creativity is going to take you far in this competition. Best of luck. You've got my vote.

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  31. So impressive. Love the turtle and the dish! so creative!!!

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  32. Great post! I LOVE your approach, and those turtles are adorable. I voted for you!

    Good luck! =)

    You can check out my PFB post at : http://www.foodbuzz.com/project_food_blog/challenges/2/view/864

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  33. Your carving skills are ridiculous! You've got my vote!

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  34. Great stories, and I agree with JacobsKitchen -- the turtles are adorable! I voted for you!

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  35. Your story brought a tear to my eye - so beautiful (and the turtles are so so cute!), you definitely get my vote!

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  36. Wow, these turtle potatoes are so impressive! I love your story... you did a great job with this challenge!

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  37. Beautiful post! I love turtles and you did such a great job carving them! You earned my vote.

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  38. Aw, shucks! Thank you all so much for the nice comments! My ego is so huge right now!

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  39. Simply adorable. I'll show your turtles to my husband, who is crazy about them. You've got my vote.

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  40. Such a cute turtle! I love Japanese curry - so delicious. I voted for you. Good luck!

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  41. It was the turtles that caught my eye at first (they are carved from potatoes, after all), but the whole post is utterly captivating. More than deserving of my vote!

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  42. The turtle caught my eye, but your post was wonderful - what a sweet story. I am so going to try making a potato-turtle! I voted for you too.

    My boys and I hosted a Japanese exchange student a few years back, then my son stayed with his family in Japan, and then Masaki came back to visit one more time. He never really did become very proficient at English, but the boys were able to communicate with single words and gestures just fine. Such a rich experience.

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  43. These look great and such a sweet story. I voted for you.

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  44. I love the potato turtle idea! Japanese curry rocks, but your turtles also add an element of cuteness to the dish :D.

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  45. The turtle potatoes are so cute, I'm going to try to craft some the next time I prepare potatoes. I adore garam marsala, and always have a homeblended jar available. It's such a wonderful warm and versatile spice.

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  46. this turtle is Sooooooo cute :)

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  47. What a beautiful story! (I was actually a little teary eyed after reading it.) And the turtles are absolutely adorable!

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  48. wow! this is so beautiful..the first time i saw this i thought that these were real turtles..they are soo cute..nice story.
    Happy holidays!!!

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  49. This dish was amazing! Thank you for posting this!

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  50. I love the story and the recipe.

    Would love to make this.

    Seeing the potato turtle with the rice and sauce, I would assume that you cooked it.

    Is it deep fried ???????

    Could you please explain the steps to cook it?

    Thank you

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  51. Hi, Charlie-
    You could absolutely deep fry, but I simply roasted it in the oven with a little olive oil.

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  52. I LOVE Japanese curry, and usually use the curry blocks to make mine. Does this taste similar to the instant curry mixes?

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  53. Hi,
    This is wonderful! I'm an author (novel Elizabeth's Landing) and blogger, at the moment writing about California's Leatherback Sea Turtle Conservation Day 10-15-13. I was looking for fun things kids and families can do to celebrate and found your site. I'm linking this blog piece in my article and wonder if you would let me use one of your images also. You can find my site at katypye.com. Thank you!

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    Replies
    1. Hi, sorry I read this kind of late, but feel free!

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