
Japanese Curry is a roux thickened stew that typically includes a protein, onions, carrots, and potatoes. It comes in varying levels of spiciness; still, most Japanese curries have a sauce the texture of a thick gravy, which makes it pair well with Japanese short-grain rice, referred to as Curry Rice, of Kare Raisu. Thinner curries make Japanese rice lose its stickiness, which is considered undesirable.
Most people are surprised to hear that Japan has its own version of curry, and the reaction makes sense, given that most Japanese foods have a more subtle flavor profile.
The history of 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 as an efficient means to feed a large number of hungry troops. These young men would take their newly acquired taste for curry home, and by 1906 there was at least one company producing and "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, and it's become 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.
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. The fat and flour roux also tends to make it much thicker than most curries. 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 includes variations of Japanese curry as well as curries from around the world.
These days, most Japanese households use blocks of instant curry roux that look a bit like a giant chocolate bar. They're produced and sold by brands such as SB Foods, House Foods, and Glico, and they come in sweet, medium, and spicy varieties. The curry is made by sautéing onions and then adding a protein (such as chicken, pork, or beef), carrots and potatoes along with water before cooking it until the meat and potatoes are tender. The roux blocks go in at the very end to season and thicken the curry sauce.
Although they taste great, these Japanese curry roux blocks are often loaded with hydrogenated fats, sugar, and MSG, as well as other questionable additives. This is why I've been working on a recipe for making Japanese Curry from scratch for over 10 years. The rich flavor is accomplished by thoroughly caramelizing the onions, and I have a few hacks to help out this process. I also have a great method for chopping onions here.
Although they won't admit it, many restaurants also use packaged sauce mixes to make their curry, the way they set their curry apart from others is through technique and the use of Kakushiaji.
Kakushiaji (隠し味) literally means "hidden taste," and it's a cooking technique that involves adding a very small quantity of a contrasting ingredient to make subtle improvements to the taste of the dish. In the case of curry, this includes things like coffee, chocolate, vanilla, butter, chutney, fruit, Worcestershire sauce, etc.
The idea is to add just enough to make a subtle change, but not enough to be able to tell you've added that ingredient. For this curry recipe, the kakushiaji ingredients include banana, soy sauce, and cocoa powder. The banana adds sweetness and a silky texture to the sauce, you want to use a ripe (yellow, but no brown speckles yet) banana. The soy sauce adds loads of umami, and the cocoa powder lends an earthy depth as well as a rich brown color.
Once you've tried this recipe as written, I encourage you to experiment with different combinations of kakushiaji ingredients to come up with a curry that fits your ideal for a perfect Japanese Curry.
Since curry powder is a blend of spices, herbs, and aromatics the ingredients vary by brand. Generally most Japanese curry powders include: Turmeric, Cumin, Coriander, Fenugreek, Fennel, Dill, Cinnamon, Ginger, Star Anise, Allspice, Citrus Zest (yuzu or mandarin), Cardamom, Cloves, Bay Leaves, and Black Pepper. I have a recipe of making homemade Japanese curry powder if you want to try making it yourself.
The standard vegetables are carrots, and potatoes, but variations exist by region, as well as from household to household. For example, in Okinawa, they add piman (a kind of green pepper). My mom always added celery to hers and finished it with some green peas for color. I've even seen versions with corn, burdock, taro, or sweet potatoes. Like most stews, I think there's a lot of room for creativity here, and it's a chance to do some cleanup of your veggie drawer.
It includes soy sauce, so it isn't, but since there's no Japanese curry roux in this, there is no wheat flour in it. To make it gluten-free, just make sure you're using a gluten-free soy sauce (such as tamari).
Since this recipe doesn't contain butter or chicken stock, it's straightforward to make 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.
Like ramen, curry is a whole sub-genre of Japanese cuisine which means there are a ton of variations. Keema curry is a popular-style of 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. And if you're in the mood for noodles, Curry Udon has got you covered. 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 rice.
📖 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 the salt and baking soda to the water and mix until dissolved.
- Add the 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 the chicken 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 ginger and garlic. Saute until you have a thick layer of brown fond on the bottom of the pot and the mixture is caramelized.
- Add the onions along with the baking soda solution and quickly give it a stir to coat the onions evenly with the mixture. Cover the pot with a lid and turn down the leat 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 there is very little liquid left.
- Add the grated carrot and fry the mixture by stirring and 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 the curry powder and stir the mixture together until it is very fragrant (about 1 minute). Be careful not to burn it.
- Add the vegetable stock and banana, and then use a stick blender to puree the mixture until smooth.
- Now you want to return the chicken to the pot along with the potatoes, carrots, soy sauce, chunou sauce, tomato paste, bay leaf, star anise, and 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 or so to make sure it is not burning to the bottom of the pot.
- The curry is done when the vegetables and chicken are tender, and the sauce is very thick. Taste the curry and adjust the seasonings with salt and cayenne pepper to taste. If you like a looser curry, you can add water to thin it out.
- Serve the Japanese curry with Japanese short-grain rice.
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 😹
Akiko says
Stefan, I recommend S&B Oriental Curry Powder. I have use it in all my Asian Recipes and it never disappoints.
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.
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!
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/
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!
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.
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! 🙂
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?
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...
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.
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).
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.
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.
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!
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!
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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
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 😹
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.