Japanese Beef Curry

INGREDIENTS

• 2 onions (large; 1¼ lb, 567 g for 8 servings)
• 2 Tbsp neutral-flavored oil (vegetable, rice bran, canola, etc.) (divided for the onions and beef)
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter (divided for the onions and beef)
• 1 russet potato (11 oz, 309 g for 8 servings)
• 1 carrot (large; 8 oz, 230 g for 8 servings)
• 6 cremini mushrooms (2.6 oz, 80 g for 8 servings)
• 1 knob ginger (1 inch, 2.5 cm; ½ tsp grated for 8 servings)
• 1 clove garlic (minced)
• 1¼ lb (567 g) boneless chuck roast (I recommend chuck roast for its tenderness and higher quality; you can use stew beef as it's slightly more economical, but it's made up of bits and pieces leftover from carving the chuck roasts, so the meat is not as tender)
• ¼ tsp kosher salt (Diamond Crystal; use half for table salt)
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour (plain flour)
• ½ cup (120 ml) red wine
• ½ Tbsp Japanese curry powder
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste (or ketchup)
• 4 cups (960 ml) beef stock/broth (1 QT for 8 servings; store-bought beef stock is often salted; for less sodium intake, use 2 cups/480 ml beef stock + 2 cups/480 ml water)
• ⅛ apple (I use Fuji apple; add more for sweetness; substitute 1 Tbsp honey or mango chutney for 8 servings)
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 Tbsp milk
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 box Japanese curry roux (7-8.4 oz, 200-240 g for 8 servings; or use my Japanese Curry Roux recipe)

For Serving

• cooked Japanese short-grain rice (1-1½ cups (180-270 g) per person)
• fukujinzuke (Japanese red pickled vegetables) (optional)
• rakkyo (Japanese pickled scallion) (optional)