Curry is one of the most beloved dishes in Japan–generally mild, not fiery, and often made by Japanese chefs with a curry brick. Similar to the depth of flavor you can achieve from a bouillon cube, a curry brick combines fragrant spices and fat, which once added to a hot pan with some liquid, transforms into flavorful, fresh curry that tastes like it has been cooking for hours. Knowing that store-bought bricks are usually loaded with salt and preservatives, acclaimed cook and food writer Sonoko Sakai decided to create her own curry brick kit, packaging together a collection of whole spices, pre-measured dry spices, dried shiitakes and kombu that easily comes together to form curry bricks in your own kitchen. While fairly mild, the blend of spices gets a warming kick from plenty of aromatic black pepper and cayenne. Earthy-sweet turmeric and herbal coriander pair beautifully with the strong dose of mustard and cumin for a grounded base, balanced out by a touch of cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and allspice for a bit of sweetness. We also love the bit of umami that comes through thanks to the addition of kombu and shiitakes, adding a rich complexity that shines in any dish. To use, simply toast the whole spices until fragrant, and grind with the rest of the ingredients in a spice blender. Once blended, create a roux using flour and a fat of your choice before adding in your spices and packing into a mold, such as a mini loaf pan or ice cube trays. Once cooled into a hard brick, you can use a knob of the brick right away or keep it in your fridge or freezer for weeks to use whenever you need to punch up flavor.