How to make curry mac and cheese

In Japan, the combination of mild curry flavours and cheese is a common one and very popular. You’ll find the combo in cheese-stuffed curry bread and baked curry rice covered in melted cheese.

I took the idea and applied it to a hearty pan of baked mac and cheese. You can use any kind of pasta you prefer, but I highly favour cavatappi for its elongated, twisting macaroni-like shape, which adds a touch of elegance. Or consider using conchiglie (shells), because they do a great job of tucking the sauce into themselves for an extra-creamy bite.

Wisconsin brick cheese is the cheese of choice for Detroit’s famous Buddy’s Pizza, the original Detroit-style pizza establishment. They use it because it melts like mozzarella but has more flavour, which is also why I use it here.

Serves: 6–8

Curry powders: I’ve found that when mixing curry with cheese the spices to avoid are cardamom, ginger and celery root. These more acrid flavours clash with the richness of Western cheese, so look for curry powder that either doesn’t include them or has them only at the end of the list of ingredients (ingredients are listed in order of highest to lowest concentration). Japanese S&B Curry is a great mild curry to use in combination with cheese.

Cook the pasta in lightly salted water according to the packet instructions until it’s just underdone, usually 6–7 minutes (the pasta will continue to cook in the oven). Drain the pasta and transfer to a bowl. Rinse with cold water to stop the cooking and clean off the excess starch, cover with damp kitchen paper and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Grease a 30cm cast iron frying pan or a 23 x 33cm baking dish with 15g of the butter.

In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons salt, the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper and white pepper and set aside.

In a large pot, melt the remaining 135g butter over a medium heat until it starts to bubble. Stir in the curry powder and cook until it’s aromatic, about 1 minute. Add the flour and whisk it into the butter until it’s a uniform paste. While whisking, slowly pour in the milk and cream mixture. Bring to a simmer, whisking continuously and ensuring there aren’t any lumps, and cook until the sauce is bubbling and thick, about 10 minutes. Stir in the salt mixture, then add 60g of the brick cheese, 60g of the Cheddar and 60g of the Gruyère and stir until they’ve fully melted into the sauce.

Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and use a silicone spatula to gently fold it in, taking care not to break the pasta. (Depending on the type of pasta you use, you might find yourself with an extra-saucy mac—not a bad thing.)

Pour the mac and cheese into the prepared frying pan, evenly distributing it with the spatula. There may be some pooling cheese sauce, which is fine; it will bake into the pasta. Top with the remaining brick, Cheddar and Gruyère cheeses, then sprinkle the panko on top.

Bake for 25–35 minutes until the mac and cheese is bubbling and the topping is golden. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Extracted from Kung Food by Jon Kung (Ebury Press, £27). Photography by Johnny Miller.