Japanese curry, also known as Curry Rice (カレーライス - karé raisu), is the ultimate comfort food in Japan. While loaded with a blend of over a dozen different spices, it tends to be milder than its Indian or Thai counterparts, and it has a rich texture and comforting sweetness that makes it a hit with all age groups. Although it has a history dating back over a century in recent years, most people opt for making it using instant curry blocks, or they buy it premade in vacuum-sealed retort pouches (レトルトカレー). I like making mine from scratch, and I've developed this Japanese chicken curry recipe over the past several decades into something that rivals the best curry restaurants in Japan.
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Why This Recipe Works?
- The umami and depth of good Japanese restaurant curry come from caramelizing onions and other aromatics. I build layers of flavors in this recipe, first by browning the chicken, then caramelizing garlic and ginger before going in with onions and carrots.
- The characteristic sweetness of Japanese chicken curry is created by adding fruit and sugar in most recipes. In my version, I like to use moderately ripe bananas, which provide a nice sweetness and help thicken the curry sauce.
- Japanese curry is usually thickened with flour and fat roux, but the luxurious texture of this homemade curry rice is developed with a mixture of vegetables and fruit, making it healthier than most.
- Kakushiaji (隠し味) means "hidden taste," and it's a cooking technique that involves adding a tiny quantity of a contrasting ingredient to make subtle improvements to the dish's taste. For this Japanese Curry recipe, my kakushiaji is cocoa powder. It may sound odd, but it's one of the secrets to get a rich earthy depth depth of flavor, making it taste like it's been simmering for hours.
Types of Japanese Curry
Like ramen, curry is a whole sub-genre of Japanese cuisine with many variations. Keema curry is a popular dry curry made from ground meat that comes together in minutes. Katsu Curry, on the other hand, is a mashup of Tonkatsu smothered in Japanese curry sauce. Then there are regional variations like Soup Curry, which originated in Sapporo on the northern island of Hokkaido. If you find yourself craving Japanese Curry, but you're pressed for time, check out my Quick Japanese Curry, which comes together in about the time it takes to cook a batch of rice.
Japanese Curry From Scratch
These days, most Japanese households use blocks of instant curry roux that look like a giant chocolate bar. They're produced and sold under brand names such as Golden Curry, Vermont Curry, and Zeppin, and they come in sweet, medium, and spicy varieties. While convenient, these Japanese curry roux blocks are loaded with hydrogenated fats, corn syrup, MSG, and other questionable additives. Making Japanese Chicken Curry from scratch is not much more complicated and tastes even better.
Ingredients
- Vegetable Oil - A neutral oil that doesn't overpower the other flavors. If you're looking for an alternative, canola or sunflower oil work well.
- Boneless Skin-on Chicken Thighs - These offer the perfect balance of meaty richness and juiciness for the Japanese chicken curry. You can also use chicken breasts, which tend to be less flavorful and juicy.
- Ginger & Garlic - These two are the backbone of most curry dishes; they provide the base layer of aroma that the spices will build upon to give the curry its quintessential flavor.
- Baking Soda - Baking soda breaks down pectin in the onions, which softens them more quickly. The increase in pH also speeds up the process of caramelization.
- Onions - One of the defining characteristics of Japanese chicken curry is the flavor of caramelized onion. These provide umami and sweetness; in this recipe, they add body to the curry sauce. The key here is caramelization and Maillard browning, which develops a deep, complex flavor, and it's the trick good Japanese restaurants use to make their curry.
- Japanese Curry Powder - Japanese curry powder is a unique blend of spices that includes the usual suspects like turmeric, cumin, and black pepper, but also includes East Asian spices such as mandarin and star anise, as well as Western herbs such as dill and sage. I like using S&B brand which comes in a red (or red and yellow) can.
- Vegetable Stock - Curry requires a liquid to form the sauce, and while you could use water, vegetable or chicken stock will provide more flavor. If you are using a protein other than chicken, you could match the broth with the meat you are using (i.e., beef broth for beef).
- Banana - It may sound odd, but fruit is a common addition to Japanese-style curry to add the trademark sweetness. Apples are the most common, but I don't like the acidity it adds. Glico, a brand of instant curry blocks, uses bananas in theirs. After trying it out, it's my favorite fruit for this because it contributes sweetness while thickening the curry. You want to use a fully ripe banana (yellow), but do not use an overripe banana (brown spots); otherwise, your curry will have a banana flavor.
- Carrots - I like to add carrots in two forms to my curry. First, I add grated carrots, which get caramelized with the onions. This adds a natural sweetness to the curry, and as it breaks down, it helps thicken it. I also add chunks of carrots, which add substance and a pop of color to the finished dish.
- Potatoes - Although curry originates in India, it was brought to Japan by the British, so the ingredients resemble a European stew. Potatoes add substance to Japanese curry while soaking up its flavors. I like to use waxy potatoes (Red Bliss, Fingerling, etc.) in my curry as they don't dissolve as easily as starchy ones (Russet).
- Bay Leaf & Star Anise - Although Japanese curry powder contains both spices, I like adding a little extra to my curry. You can skip these if you don't have any on hand.
- Soy Sauce - Soy sauce seasons the curry while contributing boatloads of umami. It also gives it a dark brown color, which is a hallmark of Japanese Navy Curry.
- Chunou Sauce - Chunou sauce is a fruit-based sauce similar to tonkatsu sauce and okonomiyaki sauce. If you can't find it, a 50:50 mix of Worcestershire sauce and ketchup makes a reasonable alternative.
- Tomato Paste - Tomato paste is essentially a concentrated tomato flavoring. It adds fruity sweetness and umami to the curry. Ketchup will work in a pinch.
- Cocoa Powder - This is my kakushiaji, or "hidden taste." It brings a nutty and earthy depth to the homemade Japanese curry without making it taste overtly of chocolate. Some people add instant coffee granules to their curry for a similar effect, but I don't want my curry caffeinated, and cocoa powder provides a more subtle flavor.
How to Make Japanese Curry from Scratch
Start by mixing the salt and baking soda into the water until they're evenly dissolved.
Heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add in the boneless, skin-on chicken thighs that have been cut into large bite-sized pieces. I like using chicken thighs because they have more flavor and tend to hold up better in stews due to their fat and collagen content. Brown the chicken on one side before flipping the pieces over to brown the other side. The high temperature of the oil creates Maillard browning, which is how we build the layers of flavors in traditional Japanese chicken curry.
When the chicken is nicely browned, remove it from the pot and set it aside. Then, add the grated ginger and garlic to the pot and sauté them until they're fragrant and starting to brown. This builds the second layer of flavor. Now add in the onions and stir in the baking soda solution. Cover the pot with a lid and turn down the heat to steam the onions for about 10 minutes.
When the timer is up, remove the lid and turn up the heat to boil off the excess liquid. Add the grated carrots and saute the mixture until golden brown and caramelized. Take your time here, as this is where the curry will get the bulk of its flavor.
When the onion mixture has carmelized into a thick paste, add the curry powder and quickly stir it into the onions so that it doesn't burn to the pan. The idea is to get the spices bloom, releasing their fragrant oils.
When the curry powder is fragrant, add the vegetable stock and banana and use a stick blender to puree the mixture. You could also do this in a regular blender, but be careful when blending hot liquids, as the sudden release of steam can cause the lid to blow off.
Next, return the chicken to the pot along with the potatoes, carrots, soy sauce, chunou sauce, tomato paste, bay leaf, star anise, and cocoa powder. Bring your curry to a gentle simmer and let it cook until the vegetables are tender and the curry roux has thickened up. This should take about an hour. Be sure to stir your curry regularly to prevent it from burning to the bottom of the pot.
Once the vegetables are tender and your Japanese chicken curry is nice and thick, taste and adjust the seasonings as needed with salt and cayenne pepper (if you want some more heat).
How Japanese Curry May be Served
Over the past century, Japanese-style curry has become one of the most popular meals in Japan, and as a result, people have come up with creative ways to serve it. The classic way is to serve it alongside a generous mound of short-grain rice to make Japanese curry rice. Variations of this include serving it topped with shredded cheese or topping it with a hot spring egg. The curry can also be served as a sauce over a crispy chicken or pork cutlet, which is a popular dish known as Katsu Curry. If you're more of a noodle person, Curry Udon is a hearty dish involving a bowl of udon noodle soup topped with Japanese curry. For a more portable option, try stuffing some curry in between two slices of sandwich bread to make Currypan (Curry Bread) .
FAQ
Japanese Curry is a roux thickened stew that typically includes a protein, onions, carrots, and potatoes. The sauce is sweet and packed with umami, and the luxuriously thick texture serves as a gravy that can be mixed into white rice to form curry rice.
Because many Japanese people are not used to eating spicy foods, curry in Japan has a balancing sweetness that's added using ingredients such as fruit, honey, or even sugar. Japanese curry is more viscous than most, and the sauce resembles a thick gravy. Finally, since the Japanese version of curry originally came from Europe, the ingredients (such as potatoes and carrots) are more like a stew than other Asian curries. You can check out all of my curry recipes here, which include variations of Japanese curry and curries from around the world.
You may be surprised to learn that Japan has its own version of curry since Japanese food is known for its subtle flavors. Curry in Japan dates back about 150 years to the early Meiji era when military advisors from the British Empire introduced the concept of curry (taken from India) as an efficient means to feed many hungry troops. These young men would take their newly acquired taste for curry home, and by 1906, at least one company produced an "instant" curry mix.
House Foods followed with their version in 1926, and in 1954, SB Foods released the first solid curry roux. Its popularity has only grown since then. House Foods introduced its "Vermont Curry" in 1963, becoming the top-selling brand. These days, the shelves of every convenience store and supermarket are lined with reheatable packets of premade curry, as well as a myriad of curry-flavored foods such as chips, crackers, noodles, and fried rice.
Japanese curry blocks (a.k.a. curry roux) include wheat flour, so it is not gluten-free. Since this recipe doesn't use curry blocks, it can easily be made gluten-free by substituting tamari or coconut aminos for the soy sauce.
Since this curry rice recipe doesn't contain butter or chicken stock, it's straightforward to make it vegan. Just substitute your favorite plant-based protein for the chicken. I also have a vegan Japanese curry recipe that's loaded with mushrooms and chickpeas that you can check out.
Curry Rice is pronounced Kare Raisu in Japanese and is pronounced as follows (read the italicized parts).
ka like copy
re the “re” sound does not exist in the English language, and the best way to make it is to say the word "rain" with the tip of your tongue at the front of your mouth.
ra the “ra” sound does not exist in the English language, and the best way to make it is to say the word "romp" with the tip of your tongue at the front of your mouth.
i like even
su like soup
📖 Recipe
Units
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 800 grams boneless skin-on chicken thighs (cut into large bite-size pieces)
- 30 grams ginger (grated)
- 20 grams garlic (grated)
- ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- 600 grams onions (2 large minced)
- 70 grams carrot (grated)
- 24 grams Japanese Curry Powder (~3 tablespoons)
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 1 banana
- 400 grams potatoes
- 300 grams carrots
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 star anise
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon chunou sauce
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
Instructions
- Add 1 teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon baking soda to ¼ cup water and mix until dissolved.
- Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to a heavy-bottomed pot such as a Dutch oven and heat over medium-high heat until the oil is shimmering (but not smoking).
- Add 800 grams boneless skin-on chicken thighs in a single layer with the skin-side down and fry undisturbed until the skin is browned and crisp (about 3 minutes). Flip the chicken over and brown the second side.
- When the chicken is browned on both sides, remove it from the pan and add grated 30 grams ginger and 20 grams garlic. Saute until you have a thick layer of brown fond on the bottom of the pot and the mixture is caramelized.
- Add 600 grams onions along with the baking soda solution and quickly stir to coat the onions evenly with the mixture. Cover the pot with a lid and reduce the heat to low, allowing the onions to steam for 10 minutes.
- Remove the lid and turn up the heat to medium-high, boiling the mixture until very little liquid is left.
- Add the grated 70 grams carrot and fry the mixture by stirring, then spreading the vegetables into an even layer and then stirring again until the onions are fully caramelized and the mixture is cinnamon brown.
- Add 24 grams Japanese Curry Powder and stir until it is very fragrant (about 1 minute). Be careful not to burn it.
- Add the4 cups vegetable stock and 1 banana, and then use a stick blender to puree the mixture until smooth.
- Now, you want to return the chicken to the pot with 400 grams potatoes, 300 grams carrots, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon chunou sauce, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 bay leaf, 1 star anise, and 2 teaspoons cocoa powder.
- Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, and then let this cook until the carrots and potatoes are tender (about 1 hour). You'll want to mix the curry every 10 minutes to ensure it is not burning to the bottom of the pot.
- The Japanese curry is done when the vegetables and chicken are tender, and the sauce is like a thick gravy. Taste the curry and adjust the seasonings with salt and cayenne pepper to taste. If you like a looser curry, add water or stock to thin it out.
- To make Japanese curry rice, just serve your homemade chicken curry over Japanese short-grain rice.
Kathy Stroup says
I love this recipe, but I've never used a roux block, or eaten this at a restaurant, so I don't have a frame of reference for it. That's okay; it's phenomenally delicious! And making my own Japanese curry powder educated me on what this dish should taste like. The addition of bay leaf, star anise, and cocoa powder really does make this shine, and I wouldn't have thought that they'd make as much difference as they do.
As for the banana, I don't keep those in my kitchen, so I always substitute apple. I use a Cosmic Crisp or Fuji and it's not too sour. And my sauce is plenty thick. I would use a bit of potato starch and water if I felt it needed it.
As a huge fan of Indian cuisine, this dish fascinates me. It's always interesting to see how dishes get adapted to suit the tastes of different people. That's really what almost all American food is. But curry has reached the US through many different immigrant groups, including Japanese Americans. And they're all spectacular dishes in their own right.
By the way, National Curry Day in Japan is January 22, according to this article.https://yokosonews.com/food/secret-curry-day-japan#:~:text=January%2022%20is%20Curry%20Day,rice%20on%20every%20January%2022.
Marc Matsumoto says
Thanks for sharing your experience and substitutions for this recipe! I used fuji and honeycrisp apples in earlier versions of my curry recipe so those are both great calls. As for national curry day, I had no idea! Japanese people love assigning days to things based on wordplay or numberplay. For instance 11/11 is national Pocky day because the four 1s look like pocky sticks, and the 29th of every month is "meat day" because two nine in Japanese is "ni ku" (niku means meat in Japanese).
Manel says
Sorry but this is not a good recipe. The banana flavor is extremely overpowering all the other flavors, and I made sure to use a banana that was not overripe. At 1/3 of the banana that the recipe calls for, it is already overpowering. I recommend to skip it altogether, there is already a lot of sweetness.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Manel, I'm sorry to hear you didn't enjoy this. Assuming you followed the rest of the recipe precisely, the most likely culprit is that the curry wasn't reduced enough. Did the sauce end up being dark brown like in the photos? The reason why I ask is that it takes a while of cooking and reducing the sauce for the banana flavor to dissipate. It's also possible that you are more sensitive to the taste of bananas than most. In this case you could substitute other fruit like apples, or even honey. If you use apples makes sure you use a sweet variety without much acidity or it will make your curry taste sour.
Manel says
I'm sorry about my comment I was overreacting because I was very frustrated after cooking 8 portions that the banana flavor was so prominent. I think it's an excellent recipe but with the asterisk of the banana. I did the same recipe in the past and I had the same problem, but I decided to give it another try this time, and unfortunately the same happened. I don't think it's a matter of cooking the sauce more, it persists. I did caramelize thoroughly the onions and carrots before proceeding, and it was tasting really good until the moment of adding the banana. Perhaps the same effect can be attained as you say with apples or honey, but in my opinion it is already quite sweet at this point, especially with the chunou sauce that adds extra sweetness. Sorry again, I appreciate your kindness and patience with me. I'll be keeping this recipe and just tweak it a bit for my taste.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Manel, no worries I understand how frustrating it can be when a recipe doesn't work out how you expect. If you're happy with the sweetness without the banana, then I think it's a good call to just leave it out. Thanks for coming back to clarify what was going on.
GS says
Hello,
Great recipe! I have been cooking and scouring the internet for the past year and half trying to come up with the ultimate Japanese Curry. I have watched hours of YouTube videos in which restaurants make curry and any hint from others recipes to duplicate a high restaurant quality curry. It seems that the best Japanese curries usually use dashi. Some of these Japanese restaurants dashi also incorporate the dried fish (flying, herring sardines) and two kinds of bonito, and possible matcha. Why doesn’t your recipe use dashi or a combination of chicken stock and dashi?
Many Thanks,
GS
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi GS, while I'm sure there are restaurants that use dashi in their curry, I'd say this is probably the exception rather than the rule. Curry came here from Europe (the British brought it from India, but it also has French influences) and is considered a form of Yōshoku(Western food). While these Western dishes are adapted to the Japanese palette it's fairly uncommon to use dashi in these types of dishes (beef stew, hayashi rice, hamburg steak, are a few other examples). If you look the ingredients on a pack of curry roux you'll also see that there's no dashi. The only exception is Curry udon. This is a dish that was created by a Japanese noodle shop to compete with trendy Western restaurants at the time, so dashi is used as the base for this type of curry (you can see my recipe here: https://norecipes.com/curry-udon-recipe/) I hope this helps!
Anna says
Yum! I have been looking for a curry rice recipe that hits all the right notes, and I think this is it! Less fussy than others, and fewer ingredients as well! I even made your curry powder recipe too (only had 18 of the 20 spices, but it worked!). I did add 1/2 tbsp of Garam Masala to add a little more “zestiness” but that’s about it! I did follow the lead of a curry rice restaurant in my area (Portland, OR) and put some cheese on top, and stuck it under the broiler for a moment. I believe they call it “curry doria.” Yum!!
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Anna, I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed this! Great idea adding some cheese on top. Doria is a popular casserole dish here in Japan that's kinda like a rice gratin. It's made by layering rice with some kind of sauce (like bolognese, bechamel, curry, etc) and topping with cheese before baking.
Naomi says
Thank you Marc for this recipe, which I’ve made several times, and always with impressive results. The flavors are complex and far superior to the boxed roux. I make it with beef (chuck roast). It’s been a hit with guests and family every time. Thank you!
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Naomi, I'm happy to hear you've been enjoying this! Thanks for taking the time to let me know 😃
Mitch says
Making this receipt tonight and it smells great so far.
Our last trip to Japan, we fell in love with Kanazawa style curry like at Gorilla curry. What should we add to this receipt to get that darker brown type of curry?
Marc says
Hi Mitch, this curry recipe makes a fairly dark colored curry thanks to the soy sauce and cocoa powder, but other ingredients that can contribute to a curry's color include coffee and red wine.
Heath McGregor says
Don't use too much or the mandarin peel in the curry powder it's super bitter. Now I have a heap of extra bitter powder I don't know how to fix. Curry was nice even though too bitter
Marc says
Yikes, sorry to hear that! did you use store bought dried mandarin peels or did you dry them yourself?
Heath McGregor says
It was store bought. Next time I will try to make my own removing all the pith. I read you can remove bitterness from dried store bought ones through a soaking process, and then I guess dry them again to put in curry powder
Marc says
That's a good idea. You might need to experiment a little, but I think you'll have more control over the bitterness if you do it yourself. The varieties of mandarin we get in Japan have very thin skin and they're not all that bitter (even with the pith) so I usually just scrub them very well and peel them in wide strips. Then cut them into thin strips before sun-drying (if you dry them whole they not only take longer, they're harder to grind into a powder). Alternatively you could also try zesting fresh mandarins and then drying the zest, but this is going to require a TON to get enough zest and you might find that it makes the citrus flavor too intense.
anubhav malhotra says
i like your dish
Bea107 says
This is my first time making and tasting Japanese curry. This recipe was a hit in my household. I will be making this again. I can't wait to make it for a potluck. Thank you for sharing this delicious and healthy meal!
Marc Matsumoto says
I'm so happy to hear your household enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to come back and let me know😀
Archit says
I remember coming across your curry recipes sometime in 2015, where your earlier... let's call them prototypes, used apples instead of banana here. I remember immensely enjoying cooking and eating that dish, whether by myself, with family or friends. Once this version came out (pretty sure it must've been like 2 or 3 years ago), I figured I'd not get stuck with the previous version and give this a shot. I also remember being a bit more invested into trying ingredients that were somewhat novel in the dishes I was attempting, so I was pleasantly surprised at how well this dish did.
I don't usually comment anywhere, but I recently came back to this site for old times' sake and figured I'd check out what you've been cooking up. One question I had for the longest time, especially since I've been experimenting a bit more with my recipes:
What do you think of the curry recipe that Adam Liaw's presented here?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YTmqExyU58
Just wanted to say, the last time I read your post on this version, you had mentioned that you wanted to emulate the feel of the roux blocks sold in stores, but without all the extra additives, so I certainly understand that obviously your recipes are going to be very different in approach. And obviously the protein chosen is also different, so there's certainly going to be some differences that are unavoidable.
Would appreciate your thoughts on it.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Archit, thanks for dropping by! It's not really good form for me to comment on other people's recipes, so I'll refrain from that, but I will say that I like Adam Liaw and his recipes in general. I have a whole category of curry dishes you can check out here: https://norecipes.com/recipe/type/curry/
astuga says
Exceptional!
Marc Matsumoto says
Thank you!
Yvonne Christensen says
Thank you for the recipe. My husband and I first tasted Japanese curry at a potluck in Hawaii. We have shared the idea of using Japanese curry with people, who do not like hot curry. One man was not going to even try it until reassured it was NOT hot, but I don't think he really believed it was NOT hot, until he tried it. He was so pleased!!! My daughter-in- law has used Japanese curry feed large groups of teens and they love it. My original. Curry recipe came with many toppings, but I now use the packages of Japanese curry with it. Thanks so much for teaching how to make our Japanese curry
Marc Matsumoto says
You're welcome Yvonne! Curry is a whole sub-genre of food here in Japan and there are so many variations. I hope you enjoy this!
Chieko says
Oops, forgot to rate!
To add to my previous post, I cooked the goat neck bones and aromatics in my PC, removed the meat from the bones, roasted the bones then put them back in the PC to make a rich stock. Strained this and when everything else is done, I will add the goat meat.
Marc Matsumoto says
Thanks for coming back to rate, and for the details on your goat curry. It sounds fantastic!
March says
Hello there. I don't have an immersion blender, so can I skip over the portion of the recipe that calls for a banana?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi March, do you have a regular blender or a food processor? You will need something to puree the vegetables and fruit as this is what thickens the curry.
chieko says
My mother is Japanese, born in Kobe, raised in Osaka. She always used S&B curry powder, browning it with flour to make a dry roux. I loved that aroma when I was a kid. Her protein of choice was beef or lamb and her curry reminded me of a hearty stew seasoned with curry. It was a weekly staple at our home when I was a kid. She never added fruit or honey and no star anise and she did kick up the heat level plus there was always some type of hot sauce on the table. I'm making some later today but I'm using goat neck bones. Looking forward to it as I type. Thanks! 🙂
Marc Matsumoto says
Love the idea of doing this with goat! Thank you for sharing how your mom made her's. This is one of the things I love about Japanese cuisine, each household has their unique way of making the classics. My mom added celery and peas to her curry and it wasn't until I moved to Japan that I realized that wasn't normal. 😅
Brian says
Hi Mark,
Quick question - my wife is allergic to banana, is there a recommended alternative? Or should we just omit? Really looking forward to trying this next week.
Brian says
Oh, and what do you recommend if we can't find chunou sauce?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Brian, a 50:50 mix of ketchup and Worcestershire sauce will make a suitable substitute. As for banana, there isn't a straight forward 1:1 subsitute. The main reason it's added is as a natural sweetener but it also helps thicken the sauce. You can substitute honey or sugar for sweetness, and to thicken the curry you could add a water and potato starch slurry at the very end if it's not thick enough.
stella says
hi mark,
what size pot do we need to use?
Marc Matsumoto says
I did this in an 8 quart pot.
Be Lay says
Hi Marc,
Sorry but what is the purpose of the baking soda in your Japanese curry concoction? Thank you.
All best,
Be Lay
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Be Lay, the purpose of the baking soda is explained in the video in more detail, but to sum it up it speeds up the caramelization of the aromatics.
Michelle C. says
Hi Marc! I made this last night for dinner and I have to say it did come out pretty much identically to S&B Golden medium boxed curry roux! Your recipes are probably the only on the internet that I trust to follow exactly, so I did go ahead with adding the banana for thickness. The curry had the tiniest hint of banana but my husband did not notice at all until I told him (he was so surprised haha). I used a banana on the small side that still had a slight green stem but tiny brown speckles if anybody reading through the comments is wondering. I also used S&B curry powder, but I did go with 20g instead of 24 to make it a tiny bit less spicy which was perfect for us (I feel like my kitchen scale kinda sucks cause 20g was already more than 3tbsp of curry powder). I was so intrigued with the baking soda/salt/water mix at the beginning, but what a great trick to not only get the fond off the bottom of a stainless pan, but also break down the onion quickly!! I'll definitely be making this again! Thanks for sharing!
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Michelle, I'm honored that you think so highly of my recipes! Thank you for reporting back on the specifics of what you did and how it went! Have a wonderful weekend!
Kathleen Yanaga says
Hi Marc - I’ve been following your different versions of this Japanese curry recipe for quite some time and really enjoy making it. I was wondering if you have a Japanese version for my mom. She’s watched me make it but would like to try it when she gets home. Thanks!
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Kathleen, thanks for checking the recipe out! Are you asking if I have a version written in Japanese? If so, I don't. You can put it into a translator like https://deepl.com to translate it into Japanese.
Fredric says
You're 2/3rds on your way to a mirepoix here, have you considered adding celery to this recipe and see if that elevates it further? Or did you already try and decided against it?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Fredric, good question! Mirepoix is a French aromatic mix, but different countries have their own version (like sofrito, suppengrün, or zazharka). They all contain slight different ingredients that suit the cuisines they're used in. The flavor of celery is not used much in Japanese-style dishes and it's not an ingredient that appears in most curry roux mixes. This why I didn't include it in this recipe. That being said, I have made it using celery before and although it doesn't have the traditional Japanese curry flavor it does taste good, so if you want to do it, I say go for it!
Elaine says
I'm gathering all the needed ingredients for this recipe. I can't wait to make this curry. All the Jpn brick curries have MSG which my body can't handle.
Marc Matsumoto says
I hope you enjoy it!
CHIDOG says
This is really interesting. I might try some chutney in my next batch. This time I used a little sake and chicken broth. So it had better umami flavor. Vermont curry available in the Japanese store has an apple and honey version. It was good but I'm always looking to take recipes up a notch. Also, I bought yamaimo ( mountain yam) but didn't use it because it might be too slimy. I will try your great suggestions..Thanks.
Marc Matsumoto says
Great idea adding sake for some added umami! Yamaimo would be an interesting addition to curry. I've never heard of anyone adding it to curry, but once you cook it it's kind of a like a potato so I guess it could work. I have a faster version of this recipe that comes together in about 30 minutes coming out at the end of next week so stay tuned for that.
Nomnom says
Interesting you didn't try to make your own Japanese curry powder! I have to make my own because I can't find it in India. Garam Masala has ingredients like black cardamom and hing you don't want in Japanese curry! I suggest you start out with a Chinese five spice base swapping out the Sichuan peppercorns for black pepper, go heavy on the coriander, bay leaves are a must. Add turmeric and ginger powder after grinding, and grind again.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Nomnom, I have been trying to get a perfect blend of spices that mimics the preblended spices available in Japan for over 10 years, but I haven't been able to get one I'm happy with. Using Chinese five spice makes sense as there is star anise in Japanese curry powder, but it's a relatively small amount relative to coriander, cumin and turmeric. Also, fenugreek is a key component as well as citrus zest.
Bad Doggo says
this is a joke, right? Japanese Curry Powder in a JAPANESE CURRY FROM SCRATCH recipe. People like you give a bad name to people trying to create good content.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Bad Doggo, Japanese curry powder is a blend of about 14 spices a few of which are going to be difficult to find outside of Japan. The spice blend is going to be a lot easier to find and it can be substituted for western curry powders if it's unavailable. In Japan, most people make curry from "instant" roux blocks(I've lived here 10 years and haven't seen anyone make it without the roux blocks) that contain the curry flavor as well as all the other ingredients (seasonings, flavorings, fat, sugar, etc). I think it's fair to call any curry that's not made from roux blocks "from scratch" in the same way most Americans would call Mac & Cheese made from cheese, flour, butter, milk, mustard and macaroni from scratch (as opposed to the boxed kind). One could make the argument that it's not truly from scratch since you didn't make the mustard or cheese yourself, but that's just not within the scope of most recipes.
Sana says
What a rude and ignorant comment. If you take a look at Marc's curry powder recipe, you'll realize that most people won't want to make the curry powder themselves. People like you should spend your time finding a purposeful meaning in life rather than trying to attack and bring down others.
pia says
the concept you mentioned about using contrasting ingredients is a key part of indian cooking...the culture curry came from....just wanted to mention that
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Pia, yes curry came from India originally, but it was introduced to Japan by the British. Didn't mean to not give them credit, but also didn't want to offend Indians as this is clearly not a traditional Indian curry.
Hilda says
I have made this twice now and it is just sooo delicious! I haven't found the spice mix here where I live but fortunately my Japanese friend sent me one red spice can of happiness ❤️ The can is getting emptier and emptier though so if you ever have any breakthrough with making the spice mix from scratch, please do share 🙏 Greetings from Finland!
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Hilda, I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed this, and thanks for the nudge to work on my curry powder recipe. It's so easy to buy the preblended spices here (and so hard to find the raw spices), I haven't been working on this as much as I should be. I just ordered some fenugreek and will give this another go.
Goro says
Hi Marc....where do u find skin on boneless thighs? I’ve been to the usual markets (Whole Foods, traders Joe’s, vons) and only see bonein/skin on or boneless/skinless....thanks.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Goro, I'm based in Japan so what we get here are whole legs that have been deboned (i.e. the thigh and drum stick meat are still attached). When I lived in the US, I bought bone-in thighs and deboned them myself. For this recipe, you could also just use whole bone-in thighs.
goro toshima says
ah got it. thanks...i'll do that.
goro toshima says
hi,
if i were to use bone in chicken thigh, how would that change cooking time/recipe?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Goro, the method would remain more or less the same, but you may need to cook it for a little bit longer to get the chicken tender. If the sauce gets too thick while you are waiting for the chicken to get tender, you can add a bit of water and continue cooking it.
goro says
thanks, marc....so like 10-15 mins longer?
Marc Matsumoto says
Sure! As for time, it's going to depend on how big your thighs are and how tender you like your chicken. Personally I don't like the chicken to be too tender in curry so I probably wouldn't go that much longer, but it's up to you and your preferences.
Braden do Perez says
Oh hi Mark! Thanks for the awesome recipe. Cocoa in curry is wild. Have a nice day.
Marc Matsumoto says
You're welcome! I hope you have a nice day as well!
Terence says
I haven’t tried this yet, but it looks awesome. Before I do, wanted to get your thoughts on using skinless chicken thighs. Also, any suggestions on adapting this to an instant pot?
Marc Matsumoto says
Thanks Terence! The reason I use skin-on chicken thighs in dishes that require browning the chicken is that the skin acts as a shield between the hot pan and the meat, preventing the surface of the meat from getting dried out and tough when you brown it. It will work without the skin, but the meat may not be as tender. As for an instant pot, I don't think it will save you much time as the only part you'll be able to use the pressure cooking function is after you've added the chicken and veggies in step 11. Since the pot takes about 10 minutes to come up to pressure, and then you'll want to cook it for 10-15 minutes, and then it will take another 20minutes to drop in pressure you're looking at a cook time of 40-45 minutes which isn't that far off from just doing it in a pot. There are also 2 potential issues you might run into. The first is that the sauce burns to the bottom of the pot very easily (which is why I recommend stirring it on a regular basis) since you can't stir it in the instant pot you may find it burns. The second is that for the sauce to thicken and turn dark brown you need to evaporate a lot of liquid with the lid off. Since an instant pot is covered you're not going to have nearly as much evaporation, so you may find you need to continue cooking it another 30+ minutes with the lid off to get the sauce to the right consistency and color.
Terence says
Thanks! I may have to try it both ways (no IP and with IP). For IP, I would perhaps try less broth given the limited evaporation and put the banana in after cooking so not as thick while cooking. Not sure if I need 20 minutes from drop in pressure if quick release. I hear your point about burning and don’t know if this will work, but if successful, I’ll let you know! I’m also looking forward to the next version after you’ve perfected the spice blend!
Marc Matsumoto says
I'd love to hear how it goes! Thanks for offering to A/B test it! I've been thinking about getting an Instant Pot, but they are expensive here in Japan and my kitchen doesn't really have room for another large appliance.
Cian Moriarty says
Never mind the S&B curry powder does not have wheat flour in it. Though the cubes that look like chocolate do 😹
Cian Moriarty says
This isn't from scratch. I looked up this recipe because I am allergic to the wheat that is usually in the spice mixture.
Anne says
Beautiful webpage on Japanese Curry, but WHY did you not give a recipe for the curry powder. There's no way Japanese Curry powder is going to be available here! However, I can cobble together a rough estimate from the spices listed IF you had give the amounts.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Anne, I've been working on a recipe for curry powder for about 12 years now, but I still haven't gotten a blend that I'm happy with. Once I have one I will post a recipe for it, but in the mean time, I suggest checking online. I don't know where you're located but if you have access to Amazon, they carry it in most countries.
Linda says
Whoa! This curry is even better than S&B's roux blocks curry! My daughter finds it too spicy and asked me to reduce the heat. I told her that was not possible until Chef Marc comes up with a spice mix recipe first. In the mean time, I'll try out your other recipes. Thank you!!
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Linda, I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed it! As for the heat, you can make this a little more mellow by mixing in some milk and honey for kids portion.
Linda says
I'll try that! But, with oat milk bc she's allergic to dairy. Hopefully, it won't taste weird. Thank you for the suggestion!
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Linda, unfortunately I don't think that will work. Dairy milk contains a protein called casein which binds to capsaicin (the compound responsible for making food spicy) which makes it more difficult for it to latch onto sensory neurons which tell you when something is spicy. Since non-dairy milk doesn't contain casein, I don't think it will have the mellowing effect. Wish I had a non-dairy substitute for you, but I can't think of any.
Linda says
No worries, her tolerance will increase bc she loves your recipe. And thank you for the insightful explanation, Marc!
Natalie W says
Hi Marc! I am very excited to try this on the weekend for my "couple's cooking" recipe. We try to cook a new recipe from a different country every week and I've been craving Japanese Katsu Chicken curry since our Olympics trip was scrubbed this summer.
2 questions:
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Natalie, It's so sad about the Olympics, but what a cool idea! Regarding your questions:
1) Unfortunately I've yet to come up with a mix of spices that I'm happy with and the store-bought blend is far better. If/when I have one that's good, I'll post a recipe for it.
2) Here's my chicken katsu recipe: https://norecipes.com/chicken-katsu/ In Japan when making katsucurry, the curry is usually made with ground meat, so you could make this with ground chicken instead of the thighs. That way you'll still get the flavor from the chicken without having the chunks of meat get in the way. I would also recommend cutting the carrots smaller and possibly omitting the potato.
Judy says
I have made this multiple times and it has come out great every time.
Marc Matsumoto says
I'm glad to hear it, thanks for letting me know!
Sam says
Definitely the best version yet! I've tried each of the recipes as you have put them up and while they were enjoyable this one is perfect. Worth the extra effort.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Sam, that's great to hear, thanks for sticking with me for so long!
John says
Do any of these versions come close to the S&B boxed roux?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi John, this is probably the closest. I benchmarked this against Glico Zeppin curry which is my favorite boxed roux. It's a little more flavorful than the S&B ones, but if you want to make this more like S&B, you could cut back on the curry powder a bit.
John says
Thanks a lot! My brother and I have been making S&B curry for years, but it has SO much sodium, so I wanted to try and make a copycat if I could. I tried another recipe last night and it was horrible, so I’m going to try yours now
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi John, you're welcome, I hope you enjoy it!
Nina says
Absolutely delicious. I struggled to find Japanese curry powder here in UK, so I tried ordinary curry powder. Worked, but I will continue my search to find the proper one.
Marc Matsumoto says
Thanks Nina! Here's a link to an online shop that carries it: https://www.japancentre.com/en/search?utf8=✓&term=curry+powder unfortunately it looks like they're sold out at the moment.
Morgan says
Hello, I was looking for a Japanese Curry recipe and found your site.You named your brand of Curry, but what about the other ingredients? Soy sauce, chunou sauce. Also, can boneless chicken breast be substituted?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Morgan, you can use any brand of Japanese soys sauce (Kikkoman is the most common, and what I used). Same with the chunou sauce (the most common brands are Bulldog, Kagome, and Otafuku). As for the chicken I would not recommend using breast meat. It does not have a lot of fat or connective tissue which makes it better for cooking quickly at a high heat. When you add breast meat to curries and stews, it gets dry and stringy.
hannah says
hey, am I able to use something else instead of the chunon paste?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Hannah, I'm assuming you're referring to Chunou Sauce? If so, Tonkatsu Sauce, Okonomiyaki Sauce, and Takoyaki Sauce are all very similar and can be substituted. If you can't find those either a 50:50 mix of ketchup and Worcestershire sauce will work as well.
Sai says
Hi, how can I make this vegetarian? I can replace the chicken with tofu, but should I add vegetable broth or something?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Sai, 1) read the headnotes, there's a section talking about how to make it vegan 2) read the ingredients, the only non-plant-based ingredient is chicken (i.e. it's already made with veggie stock).
Cian O'Mahony says
Hey Marc, I made this recipe the other week and it worked a charm. I usually use red wine in my curry and noticed you also made that inclusion in your previous version. Can I ask what was behind the choice to remove the wine in the final version?
Best,
Cian.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Cian, I still add red wine when I want to make the curry really black, but I've removed it from this recipe for a few reasons. The first is that my older recipes were much more acidic than the boxed roux curry (which I was trying to emulate). Wine wasn't helping in this regard. The second reason is that wine makes the curry too dark in color (though it's perfect if you want to make a "black" curry). I hope that helps.
Hans says
Hi Marc,
The asian chef, rarely using banana, cocoa and bayleaf as cooking ingredients, we are using dark soy sauce(different from soy sauce, so we are using both: soy sauce for umami & dark soy sauce-for darkening the curry's color), for basic umami we using katsuobushi & kombu, if you dont have try to replace it with fish sauce. And replace the banana with miso paste, for thickening the sauce, use potato flour, if you dont have potato flour, replace it with mashed potato, hope this could improve your curry sauce. Hope this help.
-Chef Hans
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Chef Hans, thanks for dropping by to share how you make curry. Here in Japan I haven't really seen katsuobushi, konbu or miso being used very much to make curry, but that's a creative use of Japanese ingredients. Curry roux is usually made with a mix of butter and wheat flour, but potato starch will work in a pinch. As for fish sauce, I guess it might work in a seafood curry, but I think it might give meat-based curries a fishy smell. Hope that helps😉
kjjykm says
Not sure what type of Asian you are but there are plenty of Asian recipes with bay leaf. Also not all Asian cooking is full of fishy ingredients...
Mark says
Be careful, if your banana is too ripe, your curry will be overpowered by the banana taste. I made it and it taste like banana sauce.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Mark, sorry it hear it didn't turn out, how long did you let the sauce cook for after you added the banana?
Majed says
Had the same issue.
Banana taste was too strong, I cooked it for one hour.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Majed, sorry to hear that. How ripe was your banana?
Atsuko says
Marc-san! Thank you for your wonderful recipes. I’ve been making your curry for over 10 years, ever since I discovered I was allergic to wheat. What I loved about the old recipe was that I could make the curry roux ahead of time (with gf flour in my case) and freeze it for ease of use like the box curry. I recently made your newer version and I agree, it is incredibly delicious, more so than the box curry! I was wondering if you had tried to freeze the onion/curry/baking soda/fruit mixture to use like the roux? Does it have the same effect or does freezing it mess up the chemical reaction that thickens the curry?
Thank you so much!
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Atsuko, it's funny that you mention it because I have tried it and it works fine. I usually also include the chicken since I've browned it already. To finish it off you just throw the block in a pot with the potatoes and carrots and let it simmer until the veggies are cooked. The chicken does get a little more stringy, but it's not a deal breaker.
Atsuko says
Thank you, Marc-san! I’m a huge fan! Please continue with your passion because you help feed all of us! 🙂
Krystel says
Hi Marc! This recipe looks very good and I cant wait to try it. I’m just gonna gather all the ingredients and will make one soon.
But one problem for me would be the bananas. Husband can’t eat them cause he’s allergic. What alternatives can you suggest?
Thank you!
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Krystel, that's a good question... If you can find a sweet apple that's not too tart, it will work for the sweetness, but apples don't contain much starch, so I'm not sure if it will be enough to thicken the curry. If you're curry isn't thick enough you can try and mash up a few of the potatoes after they are cooked and stir them into the sauce.
Kristoff says
if it's to thicken the curry then maybe cornstarch? used a lot in asian recipes.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Kristoff, I don't recommend using cornstarch. It is not commonly used in Japanese food because it retrogrades faster that other starches more commonly used in Japan like potato starch or kudzu starch. This is because it has a higher ratio of amylose to amylopectin. You should be able to get plenty of thickness in the sauce by mashing up a few of the potatoes.
Mark says
Amazing recipe... it was sooo satisfying when I blended the banana in and the sauce immediately thickened. The first time I tried this, I followed as is. I noticed that my curry came out too dry (not enough oil) and I was craving the richness of buttery notes from curry roux blocks. The second time I made a few adjustments and it came out perfect (for my taste) - I used butter to sear the chicken in the beginning instead of vegetable oil. Then when the onions had fully caramelized, the spices stuck to the pan and burnt slightly the first time I made it. To counteract this, I added 1 tbsp of butter in there and the spices opened up beautifully. I also I added 1 tbsp of honey to bring the sweetness up a bit. Again, thank you for this wonderful recipe! I'll never make curry from a roux block again!
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Mark, I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed it. Yea, although I think the flavor is close it's definitely not as rich as the roux blocks. I personally prefer the lighter style as I can eat a lot more and feel as bad about it, but adding butter is a great call. Thanks for taking the time to stop in and share!
Tony says
Mark, I found your site last might, after my wife wanted Japanese curry. I like to say, I had just about everything except the star anise. I like to say that you recipe is excellent, I have no reason to want to use a cube of Curry ever again....thank you.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Tony, welcome! I'm glad to hear you enjoyed this so much, it's been a long time in the making. We also have a ton of other Japanese favorites on here, so I hope you have a chance to try some of them out: https://norecipes.com/cuisine/japanese/
Kora says
Made this twice already, I cannot stress enough that his is the BEST JAPANESE CURRY from scratch on the internet.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Kora, I'm so glad to hear it! I guess that means you've made a few others? Thanks for stopping by to let me know!
Franklin says
Hi Marc,
First, thanks for a fantastic site! I've been very happily making your Japanese curry recipes since the first 2010 version you published and tried this latest one this evening. The family loved it, but for me, the 3rd one you referenced above is still hands down my favorite. The switch from Garam Masala to Japanese Curry powder (I use S&B) was key, as was getting rid of the ketchup. I don't find that the grated apple (typically honeycrisp) makes for any sour notes, and I prefer thickening with a roux and using (homemade) chicken stock to the banana and vegetable stock in this one. And even though it was subtle, I also didn't think the star anise in this version benefitted the flavor profile much either. I love that you continue to tinker and evolve your recipes, but I will be going back to the other version in the future.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Franklin, you're welcome! Thanks for sticking around for so long and for trying all my variations on curry. My goal with all these iterations was to make a curry that's as close to the instant roux blocks as possible. I think I got the closest with this iteration. My benchmark is Zeppin made by Glico, which is a spicier more full-bodied curry. I think my last version may have been closer to ones like Vermont Curry by House Foods.
Akiko says
Stefan, I recommend S&B Oriental Curry Powder. I have use it in all my Asian Recipes and it never disappoints.
Stefan says
Hey Mark,
Amazing recipe, thanks so much! Would you mind sharing your blend of curry powder? 🙂
I saw the one I made is close, but you have some interesting ingredients I haven't added and I actually consider adding (especially Fennel, Star Anise and Citrus Zest sounds like interesting addition, but I don't want to ruin the balance by adding too much).
Marc Matsumoto says
Thanks Stefan! I don't actually have a curry powder recipe. It's a work in progress (the problem with testing curry powder is that I end up with so much after each try it takes me a while to use it all, and I don't like wasting food). I'm close with the formulation listed and Fennel, Star Anise and Citrus Zest were the ingredients I added most recently that's gotten me almost there (but I added too much the last time). The order I've listed the ingredients in is the order I think they're going to go in in terms of quantity if you want to try and experiment as well.
Cian Moriarty says
S&B Curry Powder already has all of these things.
According to the website it has:
Turmeric, Coriander, Fenugreek, Cumin, Orange Peel, Pepper, Chili Pepper, Cinnamon, Fennel, Ginger, Star Anise, Thyme, Bay Leaves, Cloves, Nutmeg, Sage, and Cardamom 😹