Kirby's Spicy Curry (no Artificial Food Colouring!!)

Kirby is one of my favourite characters ever because he loves eating food and uses it to destroy his enemies. Who better to look up to? I wanted to make his spicy curry because every time I played Super Smash Brawl the spicy curry always killed the game and looked delicious!!!!

I also wanted to bring a bit of life and add Kirby breathing fire on top just to emphasise the importance of the curry but also to make it more fun and appealing! This recipe is also special because it makes Kirby look beautiful and vibrant without artificial food colouring so this is all-natural and great for kids to get involved with too!!! (or you know 20 and 30-year-olds and so on).

Ingredients

Curry

- 600g Chuck steak or stewing meat

- 5 cups of beef stock

- 2 large or 3 small carrots (peeled and chopped)

- 2 large potatoes or 2 large potatoes (peeled and chopped)

- 1 Large pink lady (peeled and grated)

- 2 large or 3 medium onions, chopped

- 2 large or 3 small cloves of garlic crushed

- 1 ½ Tbsp fresh ginger (grated)

Curry Roux

- 4 Tbsp (65g) butter

- 7 Tbsp plain flour

- 2 Tbsp curry powder

- 2 Tbsp garam marsala

- 1-2stp Chilli powder or fresh chilli **Optional (for Kirby spiciness)

Rice

- 2 cups of Sushi rice, uncooked (washed)

- 1/3 cup Rice wine vinegar

- 1 Tbsp caster sugar

- 1 tsp salt

- 2 ½ cups water

For Kirby breathing fire

- Your rice from above

- Handful of raspberries (can use pink food colouring)

- 2-3 hard-boiled yolks (can use yellow food colouring)

- Cherry tomatoes (for Kirby’s cheeks, shoes, and red centre for the fire)

- Broccoli for trees

- Nori seaweed (dried seaweed used for Kirby’s face)

- Kewpie mayonnaise (kirby’s eyes)

Equipment

- Large pot + lid (for curry)

- Small pot (for curry roux)

- Medium pot + lid (for rice)

- Large frying pan

- Knife

- Wooden board

- Sieve

- Baking paper

- spoons

- Mixing bowls

- toothpick

In a large frying pan with some olive oil fry your onions until they become nice and brown, this should take about 5-6 minutes on medium-high heat. Put these to the side and then in the same pan add some more oil and brown the beef on all sides (do not overcook the beef just make sure all sides are browned. This helps to keep the meat moist and not dry out.

While this is cooking start making the curry roux

While the onions and beef are browning we are going to make the curry roux (This helps thicken the curry, if you don't have the time for this you can use pre-made curry blocks, found from any Japanese shop).

In your small saucepan place the butter on medium heat and allow it to melt. Then add your plain flour and mix it together over the same heat and continue to cook and stir until it turns a nutty brown colour **.

Once the roux is brown then you are going to add your garam marsala and curry powder and cook for about 1-2 minutes until the spices become aromatic and fragrant.

**note**

At this point, you can start heating your stock and vegetables (next step).

Now in your large pot place the beef stock, carrots, potatoes** apples, ginger and garlic and put it on a medium-low heat so that it slowly starts to heat up and cook through. Don't bring it to a boil just yet.

Once your onions have browned add them to the pot and turn the heat up to high and bring it to the boil. Once you have raging bubbles bring the heat down to simmer. Then add the beef and continue to lightly simmer the curry while the curry roux cooks.

**Note**

for the potatoes I like adding them at this point with all the vegetable because they start to break down and make the sauce thicker, later on, this does, however, mean there will be fewer chunks of potato in the final curry. If you prefer more potatoes add them in about 10 minutes later.

Once your curry roux is ready to ladle in some of the curry stock into the small pot and stir the roux, making a thick paste. adding this dry mixture into the curry without making it into a paste can result in a gritty curry and will not become as smooth and thick as we want. You may need to add 2-3 ladles of stock to get the thick slurry

** PLEASE BE CAREFUL THIS MAY STEAM UP IF YOUR POT IS HOT!!**

Then add the thick paste into the curry and cover, allowing to cook covered with a lid for about 30 minutes to an hour (depending on how chunky you cut your vegetables).

In the meantime, lets make our delicious rice (and adorable edible Kirby!)

If you have a rice cooker then cook the rice according to the instruction (also lucky you for having a rice cooker, I wish I had one!).

If you don't like me then get a medium saucepan and add your pre-washed rice, with the water (2 cups rice, 2 1/2 cup water -EASY!). Slowly bring the rice to the boil**, as soon as you have rolling bubbles put the lid on, turn the heat onto low and allow to cook for about 8-10 minutes or until nice and fluffy!

Then when the rice is cooked mix together your rice wine vinegar, sugar and salt and pour it over the hot rice, mixing together to season the rice (this is similar to making sushi rice)

**(you may want to stir this while it is getting to the boil to avoid it sticking to the pot and burning)

To make Kirby

1. Kirby's Body

Take your fresh or thawed raspberries and strain them through a sieve. With the strained juice, take about 1 cup of the cooked rice and mix the juice in until you get the pink colour of Kirby! (you can also use food colouring if you want, however, the light raspberry flavour is delicious!).

Place some baking paper on top of a plate and shape your pink rice into a circle (this is Kirby's body). Tip wet your hands with water to mould the rice to stop it sticking to your hands when you are shaping the rice.

For Kirby's shoes either place whole cherry tomatoes or cut them in half lengthways to make them look like his long red shoes. (he has big feet)

2. Kirby's Face

Take the dried seaweed (nori) and with a sharp knife cut out elongated ovals for his eyes, and 3 small strips to make a cute triangular mouth.

Cut the circular ends of the tomatoes to make little blushing cheeks for kirby.

For the whites of Kirby's eyes take a toothpick and some Kewpie mayonnaise and dot the tops of the nori eyes to bring Kirby to life.

To Make Kirby's fire

Take the hard boiled egg yolks in a bowl and crumble it up with a fork. I used 3 egg yolks to 3/4 cup of rice. and then place on some baking paper and flatten it. then cute out a flame shape and transfer to the curry coming out of Kirby's mouth.

Then chop up some strips of tomato and place in the middle of the fire to show how red hot and spicy the curry is!

First I place a circle of white rice where I want to place Kirby on the curry (this helps the curry not absorb the Kirby rice and change his shape). and then once I have him sorted I add his shoes, the yellow flame rice and then the cherry tomatoes in the centre to show how spicy his curry is!!!!!

So that is my Kirby's Spice Curry with Kirby himself breathing fire due to its spiciness.

I hope you like it as much as I do, he is so adorable and this is a really fun and delicious recipe to make. I hope it makes all your dreams come true. Please be careful, with spicy curry, comes great responsibility!