In a country where you can get everything from hamburgers to lady’s undergarments out of a vending machine, it’s no surprise that home cooks have many convenient options when “cooking” a meal. For some dishes like Japanese curry (カレーライス – karei raisu), pre-made mixes have become the norm rather than the exception and a trip to the supermarket will reveal an entire section of boxed curry mixes.
These instant curry mixes usually take the form of bricks that look a bit like bulbous chocolate bars and are loaded with saturated fat, MSG and preservatives. But as much as I want to hate this junk food, it’s a comfort food I grew up on and could easily be called the national dish of Japanese home cooking. That’s why I’ve been working on my recipe for Japanese curry from scratch for the past 7 years. It may take a little more effort than using the packaged variety, but it doesn’t require any extra time, and involves only a handful of additional ingredients.
So what exactly is Japanese curry?
Like many foods in Japan, curry worked its way into the Japanese culinary repertoire from abroad. The prevailing theory is that the British introduced it as a cheap way of feeding troops en masse and that these soldiers brought their newly acquired taste for this un-Japanese blend of pungent spices home with them.
Today, curry has become a staple of the Japanese home, that’s enjoyed by people of all ages. It’s thicker and sweeter than most other curries of the world and has a depth of flavor that’s unique, thanks to an ample dose of caramelized onions. With big hunks of tender meat, carrots, and potatoes, it’s more like a hearty stew than a typical curry.
Ask any chef at one of the many famed curry houses in Japan, and they’ll tell you that the key to a really great Japanese curry is in the caramelized onions. The onions not only add a ton of umami and flavor to the curry, they also provide the characteristic sweetness without using sugar. For a more detailed explanation on caramelized onions, check out my post on caramelizing onions
Also, after years of experimenting with different curry powders and garam masalas, I’ve come to the conclusion that the most consistent way to get the right blend of spices is to use a Japanese curry power such as S&B brand. You can usually find it at Asian supermarkets but Amazon also carries it (see the widget below)
Ingredients
For curry
- 550 grams boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 14 grams garlic (~2 large cloves, grated)
- 14 grams fresh ginger (~1/2-inch piece, grated)
- 500 grams onion (2 large onions, thinly sliced)
- 3 tablespoons curry powder (Japanese brand such as S&B)
- 3 cups
- 300 grams carrots (~ 2 carrots, cut into chunks)
- 1/2 medium apple (peeled, cored and grated)
- 2 tablespoons chunou sauce
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 bay leaf
- 350 grams potatoes (~2 medium potatoes cut into large chunks)
- 1/2 cup frozen green peas
for roux
- 1 tablespoon cultured unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Steps
- Clean any large bits of fat or tendon from the chicken and cut into large chunks. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper and mix to distribute evenly.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering and then add the chicken in a single layer. Let the chicken brown undisturbed (about 5 minutes). Flip the chicken and let it brown on the other side.
- Turn down the heat to medium-low and transfer the chicken to a bowl using tongs, making sure to leave as much oil in the pan as possible.
- Add the grated garlic and ginger and fry in the oil until it's not sizzling as much and it reaches a rich caramel brown color.
- Add the onions, and stir to coat with oil. Cover with a lid and let the onions steam until translucent and limp (about 10-15 minutes).
- Remove the lid, turn up the heat to medium and continue frying the onion, stirring constantly until it's reduced to about 1/8 of its original volume and it forms a shiny caramel brown paste (about 20-30 minutes). If the onion starts to stick to the pan before it's fully caramelized, try scrubbing off the stuck bits with a spatula. If that doesn't work you can add just a bit of water to the areas where things are sticking and then use the spatula to scrape.
- When the onions are fully caramelized, add the curry powder and saute briefly until very fragrant.
- Return the chicken to the pot and then add the stock, carrots, grated apple, chunou sauce, tomato paste, cocoa powder, salt and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce the heat. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add the potatoes, cover and simmer until the carrots and potatoes are very tender (another 15-20 minutes).
- In the meantime, make the roux by adding the butter and flour to a small saucepan over medium heat. Use a spatula to stir constantly until the bubbling subsides and the roux is a light brown color.
- When the potatoes are tender, taste and adjust salt to taste. If you like your curry sweeter, you can add some honey.
- Finish the curry by stirring in the roux and green peas and bringing to a boil to thicken the sauce.
- Serve with hot rice, or on top of a bowl of udon.
Thanks for the recipe, Marc. I’ve been wanting to make Japanese curry for the longest time now, but have been unable to find a recipe. If there are any, they’re in Japanese! I’ve been resisting the call of the packaged Glico curry pastes, and I don’t know how long I could have lasted with a family member asking for Japanese curry.
Now that I think of it, Japanese (Glico) curry and frozen tonkatsu ramen are the only “packaged food” I eat. Easy meals, easy flavours. Kudos to you for going the extra mile.
Now that I think of it, Japanese (Glico) curry and frozen tonkatsu ramen are the only “packaged food” I eat. Easy meals, easy flavours. Kudos to you for going the extra mile.’, ‘0
Great to see a recipe for this! When I was in Japan I often indulged in a “katsu curry” (I think thats right) and I do remember the sweetness associated with it. That, along with all the other wonderful foods I indulged in will always be remembered. Can’t wait to actually give this a go. Cheers Marc.
I LOVE Japanese curry. Looks great! I didn’t know it was so easy to make from scratch. Could I make the curry dark brown by further cooking the roux or will the water wash the color down anyway?
Wow, I bet it’s just delicious…love it.
YAY! marc i’m so happy you posted this! no matter how much i love Japanese curry, I always feel very guilty making it by breaking off those japanese gold ‘chocolate bars’ but now that i’ve got this recipe i shd be alright. cheers! x
fabulous! the first time i saw curry as an option on our local Japanese restaurant menu I was like, HUH??? then i did a bit of investigating and found out exactly what you discussed here. thanks so much for the recipe.
I love the packet Japanese Curry but I’ve always worried about the preservatives in it. I will definitely be trying out your fantastic looking homemade version.
Haha, I get the curry udon packs from Fubonn and they’re so good! It’s like curried gravy on udon. The first time I had Japanese curry it freaked me out a little – I thought they’d mixed curry powder with cream of mushroom soup. 😛 But now I like it. I have some of the cubes, but I still tend to make it from scratch too.
Japanese curry is my favorite and this looks good!
This is great! I have been eating a lot of Japanese curry rice lately. I have just been buying it take out from Yoshinoya and at home add a whole lot of cooked and raw veggies. It is not too bad. (Half fast food, half healthy garden veggies, kind of a weird combo.) So, I have been thinking that I want to get some new and yummy recipes for curry and make up a big batch and just freeze it. We’ll refer to your recipe. Thanks!
KyotoFoodie?Peko
This is great! I have been eating a lot of Japanese curry rice lately. I have just been buying it take out from Yoshinoya and at home add a whole lot of cooked and raw veggies. It is not too bad. (Half fast food, half healthy garden veggies, kind of a weird combo.) So, I have been thinking that I want to get some new and yummy recipes for curry and make up a big batch and just freeze it. We’ll refer to your recipe. Thanks!
KyotoFoodie?Peko’, ‘0
eatingclub vancouver, to be honest, I didn’t even bother looking for a recipe because no-one in japan makes curry from scratch. helen, yea I still haven’t gotten the stock for tonkotsu soup down yet. Even with a pressure cooker I just can’t make it as white and creamy as the packaged kinds. Peter G, katsu curry is definitely one of my favourite meals. Manggy, You could try that, honestly this was my first attempt so I’m sure i’ll be doing some refining, let me know if browing the roux works for you. Thanks Noble Pig, it was;-) diva, yea I’ve… Read more »
I luv Japanese Curry esp mixed with tonkatsu! yummers!
http://japansugoi.com/wordpress/hungry-for-some-japanese-curry/
I follow your blog for quite a long time and should tell that your articles always prove to be of a high value and quality for readers.
FANTASTIC!!! It is sitting in my family’s very happy stomachs as we speak. I am going to take a page from your book though and try a few tweaks!
what is japanese curry called in japan ?
kah reh (roll the “r”, and carry the “eh” sound for a sec)
I believe the origin is British rather than Indian. The roux technique with flour and butter is definitely European not used in Indian curries. The sauce is more of a British stew with Indian spices and was the British version of curry in the days of the Raj.
i just made this and thought it was pretty close to what I have had in Japanese restaurants. The only thing I had to do different to the recipe was add extra water to get the roux to a nice gravy like consistency. Thanks!
This is fantastic! I've made it twice now – sans apple and peas, and using a jumbo sweet onion – and it's just as good the next day (cooking for two people, I end up with leftovers for the week).
it's just called curry, only they say it in a japanese way (: At least that is what I have heard them say.
The blocks of curry may be easy, but they have unbelievable amounts of sodium, MSG, and other chemicals. They usually come in packages of 10 or 12 chunks. Each chunk is considered one serving, but a good plateful of rice smothered in curry uses at least two chunks. Two chunks puts you over the daily requirement of sodium. My blood pressure goes up considerably after eating it. That’s why I’m trying to find a good recipe with waaaay less salt.
Hi Jim, if salt is your main concern you could just omit adding any
additional salt to my recipe. There will still be some salt from the
ketchup and tonkatsu sauce, but significantly less than what you’ll
get in the curry blocks.
This recipe looks great and I can’t wait to try it!! The only thing is that I’ve always used the packaged curry and never used any curry powder before.. is there any particular kind of curry powder that I should use for this recipe? I don’t like the flavor of Indian or Thai curry, and want to make sure that I get the right kind of curry powder for this Japanese curry… Also, do you know where I can buy the curry powder in New Jersey? Thanks!!
I actually use indian garam masala for my japanese curry. It’s really just a
blend of spices and doesn’t have as much to do with the finished curry as
the preparation does. Indian curry uses other aromatics like cloves, mustard
seeds, garlic, and ginger, and it does not include a roux (to make it
thick), or any sweet elements like fruit puree.
If you go to Mitsuwa in Edgewater, NJ, you’ll be able to find Japanese curry
powder, but you can really use most curry powders(from a grocery store) or
garam masalas(from indian markets) and get a similar result. I hope that
helps.
I love curry, it’s the best winter staple! But I was surprised that fuluba (fenugreek) was not among your list of spices for the roux. I guess it’s not a well known in the West, but I’ve always used it and can’t imagine a curry without it. You may want to look into it.
Thanks for your comment, I’m familiar with fenugreek and it’s actually
in my garam masala. One of these days I’ll get around to posting a
list of the spices that go into it.
I have been looking for a Japanese curry recipe for a long time and am so glad I found this! (I almost had it figured out, but not quite.) I don’t like the boxed stuff, so high in sodium. Thank you, it is delicious!
Instead of the apple, I used apple butter (about 1/4c), whose main spices are cinnamon, ginger, clove and nutmeg. It was my own homemade apple butter, but I’m sure a good farmer’s market apple butter would also work well.
Oh, I am SO glad I found your site. I was diagnosed with celiac disease in December 2009 and have since had to cook Japanese food at home, because our favourite restaurant uses soy sauce with wheat in. I used to love the curry roux from a packet and thought I would never be able to eat it again – now – thanks to you – I can 🙂 (I will just thicken it with cornflour instead of the flour roux) Thank You xxx
Can you tell me what rice and how to make the rice, Japanese style? sticky?
You can use any rice you want, but it’s traditionally made with Japanese
rice. It’s short grain rice that’s stickier than basmati or jasmine rice,
but it’s not the same as sticky rice (used to make mochi).
Thank you! Making this today!
Can I use canola oil instead of butter in this recipe? I just found out I don’t like the taste of “cooked” butter… It always tastes a little sour for me..
Thanks 🙂
Yep that should work fine, though butter shouldnt taste sour. Are you using
cultured butter? Which brand do you use?
I used Land O’Lakes butter. It might not be the butter, it might be me. . I didn’t grow up eating butter, so that’s probably why I think it has a “strange/sour” taste when I use it to cook food. When my mom cooked she always used a neutral flavor oil.
I like butter on bread though, 😀
thanks for the recipe dude…. it do help me……
I have to make curry for Japanese class. What do you recommend is the easiest and quickest way to make a good curry??
Buy Japanese curry bricks and dissolve them in water. They can be found at any Asian Grocery Store.
This looks so good! Thanks for mentioning your curry recipe. I’m trying it very soon…can’t wait!
OK, this is a great alternative to the sodium bricks sold in stores, now how about a home made alternative to tonkatsu sauce that doesn’t have all the chemical additives?
Nice. Just tried this and it’s simpler than the recipe I had been using – and just as yummy! Bringing a batch to our friends from church who just had a baby. Thanks!
Thank you very much for sharing this recipe! It’s so flavourful and satisfying. We stopped eating the S&B blocks due to the palm oil used in it (not to mention all the other equally scary ingredients), and your version is so much better than those blocks in terms of taste and health & environmental impact 🙂 Definitely something we eat weekly, and now it’s winter in Australia, may have to consider it eating it twice a week 😉 We are vegetarian, so instead of having it with tofu like you suggested we just either have it just with the veggies… Read more »
how many servings does that make? and what’s the total time spent? I’ve never made the sauce myself so I’m very uncertain if the taste will come out right
It’s enough to feed 4-6 people. Total time spent will depend on the cut of
meat you use and how big you cut your vegetables, but it usually takes me
about an hour with chicken.
I love this dish, I’ve been making it for a few years now. My recipe is slightly different then yours (I’ve added mushrooms and peppers, which are great by the way, also, I’d recommend serving with green onions) I like the idea with the peas though. I might try that next time.
I’ve been looking for a good recipe to make the sauce from scratch though. I’m definatly going to try this yours!
Loving the sound of this recipe, I’ve been looking for this for ages, thanks.
Hope you don’t mind, but Spike asked for a homemade tonkatsu sauce, here is my version http://debskitchencreations.blogspot.com/2009/10/tonkatsu-sauce.html
i live in indonesia, and this country also have dish called curry. indonesian curry and curry rice explained above are very different. i cant find the right curry powder to make this dish.. 🙁
what does laddle about 2 cups of liquid into the roux mean?