Buttermilk Biscuits With Curry Gravy

Preparation

1. Biscuits

   Step 1

   Pulse 2 Tbsp. (heaping) sugar, 2¾ tsp. baking soda, 1½ tsp. baking powder, 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt, and 5 cups (625 g) all-purpose flour in a food processor to combine. Add ¾ cup (1½ sticks) plus 1 Tbsp. chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse sand. Add remaining ¾ cup (1½ sticks) plus 1 Tbsp. chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea-size pieces of butter. Transfer to a large bowl and drizzle 2 cups buttermilk over, tossing with a fork to incorporate. Knead a few times in bowl until a shaggy dough forms. Turn out dough onto a generously floured surface and pat into a 10x7½" rectangle about 1" thick. Using a bench scraper, fold dough into thirds like folding a letter, then turn seam side down, rotate 90°, and gently roll out to 1" thick. Repeat folding and rolling process 2 more times. Transfer dough to a baking sheet and freeze 10 minutes. Fold and roll 2 more times, then freeze another 10 minutes.

   Step 2

   Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 450°. Cut dough into four 3x2½" biscuits; place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing 2" apart. (Wrap dough scraps in plastic; save for another use or for Congee Pot Pie.)

   Step 3

   Reduce oven temperature to 425°. Bake biscuits until deeply golden brown, 25–30 minutes. Transfer biscuits to a wire rack; let cool slightly.

2. Gravy and assembly

   Step 4

   While the biscuits are baking, pulse 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped, 2 medium carrots, peeled, coarsely chopped, and 5 garlic cloves, chopped, in a food processor until very finely chopped. Transfer to a small bowl.

   Step 5

   Heat 2 tsp. vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high. Add 8 oz. ground beef, 8 oz. ground pork, and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt; season with freshly ground black pepper. Cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until lightly browned, 6–8 minutes. Add onion mixture and cook, stirring often, until vegetables are slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in 5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, then sprinkle 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour over and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add ½ tsp. curry powder and ½ tsp. ground turmeric and cook, stirring, until spices are fragrant, about 2 minutes.

   Step 6

   Mix in 4½ tsp. low-sodium soy sauce and 2 tsp. fish sauce. Pour in 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits stuck to bottom of pot. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 8–10 minutes.

   Step 7

   Stir in 2 oz. hot Japanese curry sauce mix and simmer, stirring often, until gravy is thick enough to coat a spoon, about 5 minutes. Stir in ¼ cup heavy cream and remove from heat. Taste and season with more salt if needed.

   Step 8

   Transfer biscuits to plates; generously ladle gravy over. Top with thinly sliced scallions (if using) and serve with kimchi if desired.