Food items you'll need.

First, let's talk about that Box of Curry Sauce Mix. This will probably be the most difficult thing to find, but most grocery stores (In Salt Lake City anyway) have it. Important note: You probably won't find it in the spices section. You need to look in the Oriental section. (I'll bet you didn't know that most grocery stores have an Oriental section.) The box is about 6 inches tall, 2 inches wide, and about a half inch deep. I prefer the ones labeled HOT! Once you locate this box of Curry Sauce Mix, you've crossed the first main hurtle.

Next let's talk about the rice. I'm not going to help you out too much here. I'm assuming that if you own a rice-maker, you know how to use it. If you don't, there are other options. You can actually buy cooked rice very cheaply from most Chinese restaurants. (You want that white sticky rice, not ham-fried rice.) Rice can be made right on the stove, and I suppose if all else fails you could use that Minute Rice stuff. Once you've figured out how you're going to make your rice, you've crossed your next main hurtle. Make quite a bit, this recipe is for about four or five people.

Finally it's time to start cooking. The very first thing you want to do is get the rice going because this usually takes some time. At some point during the cooking process, the rice will be done. Just keep it warm until the rest of the meal is ready.

Once the rice is going, you'll want to start a large pan of water boiling. (About a quart and a half) Dice your carrots and potatoes into pieces about the size of... dice! I usually just leave the peels on, but you can peel them if you've got the extra energy. Put them into the boiling water and cover.

Next cut your meat into small strips. Try to eliminate the fat. Spray your wok down with one of those non-stick formulas and put the meat in it. I usually use the "high" temperature. Stir the meat pretty consistently so it cooks evenly all over.

Next comes the onion. Definitely peel this thing. Get down to the nice white meaty stuff. Once it's peeled, cut right through it about four to six times. You want these pieces to be pretty big. Separate the layers from each other before adding them to the wok. Stir the onion/meat mixture for a while until the onions get a little charred.

Time for the mushrooms. This part is fairly easy. Just chop em up, and toss em in with the meat and onions. Keep siring.

By now your carrots and potatoes are probably done. Check by pulling one out and after it cools a few seconds, pop it in your mouth. It should be soft and tender, not crunchy or mushy. I usually use the spatula to lift that surface scum from the water. (I hate that stuff.) Now you're gonna pour the carrots, potatoes, water and everything into the wok with the meat, onions, and mushrooms. It's important that there is just the right amount of water. For the most part you're probably just about right as is, but I find that I often need to put another cup or so of water in the wok. Be careful though, this is not supposed to be a soup or even a stew. You should just barely be able to see the water around the rest of the stuff. Think of it as an extra, extra thick stew.

Finally comes the box of Curry Sauce Mix. When you open it, it will look a little bit like a big bar of chocolate. You need to cut it up into pieces as small as possible. I usually slice it into 16th inch strips first, then lengthwise several times. Dump these pieces into the wok and stir them in. They will dissolve and cause the water to turn into a curry sauce. Stir everything well until you've got all the lumps out.

You're done. You're rice should be done by now, and there's no need to cook anything else as a side dish since it's a full meal as is. (I sometimes eat chips with it.) Fill your bowl about halfway with rice, and fill it the rest of the way with your curry stew. Use your chopsticks to mix the two together well and eat.