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.
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Why My Recipe Works
- Good Japanese restaurant curry's comes 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. This version uses apple, which provides a nice sweetness and helps thicken the curry sauce. Be sure to choose a sweet variety of apple or your curry will taste sour.
- Japanese curry is usually thickened with flour and fat roux, but my version of homemade curry rice is thickened with vegetables and fruit, making it healthier than most.
- Kakushiaji (隠し味) means "hidden taste," and it's a cooking technique where you add a tiny quantity of a contrasting ingredient to improve the dish's taste. For this Japanese Chicken Curry I add cocoa powder. It may sound odd, but it's one of the secrets for getting an earthy depth of flavor, making it taste like it's been simmering for hours.
Convenience over Flavor
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 call this junk food, it's a comfort food I grew up on, and it 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 dozen 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.
The Secret to Making 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
Japanese Curry Powder
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 powder, such as S&B brand. You can usually find it at Asian supermarkets but Amazon also carries it. A fews years back I cracked the code for making Japanese curry powder from scratch using a curry spice set from Gaban, so if you're curious, you can read about it in this recipe, How to Make Japanese Curry Powder.
Recipe
Japanese Curry from Scratch
Equipment
- 1 Spatula
Ingredients
- 550 grams boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 14 grams garlic (~2 large cloves, grated)
- 14 grams fresh ginger (~½-inch piece, grated)
- 500 grams onion (2 large onions, thinly sliced)
- 3 tablespoons Japanese curry powder (Japanese brand such as S&B)
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 300 grams carrots (~ 2 carrots, cut into chunks)
- ½ 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)
- ½ cup frozen green peas
- 1 tablespoon cultured unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Instructions
Why it works- Clean any large bits of fat or tendon from the 550 grams boneless skinless chicken thighs and cut into large chunks. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper and mix to distribute evenly.
- Heat the 1 tablespoon 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 14 grams garlic and 14 grams fresh ginger and fry in the oil until it's not sizzling as much and it reaches a rich caramel brown color.
- Add the 500 grams onion 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 ⅛ 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 3 tablespoons Japanese curry powder and sauté briefly until very fragrant.
- Return the chicken to the pot and then add the 3 cups low-sodium chicken stock, 300 grams carrots, grated ½ medium apple, 2 tablespoons chunou sauce, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 bay leaf. Bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce the heat. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add the 350 grams 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 1 tablespoon cultured unsalted butter and 1 tablespoon all-purpose 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 ½ cup frozen green peas and bringing to a boil to thicken the sauce.
- Serve with hot rice, or on top of a bowl of udon.
Nutrition Facts
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Queenmalika says
what does laddle about 2 cups of liquid into the roux mean?
Karuarcdemon says
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.. 🙁
Debs @ DKC says
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 https://debskitchencreations.blogspot.com/2009/10/tonkatsu-sauce.html
Ryan says
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!
Marc Matsumoto says
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.
Thypacific says
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
Eleni says
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 or add some pan friend seitan. We've served this to guests, and it seems to have turned into the dish they most remember. Thanks again for sharing 🙂
Charissa Pomrehn says
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!
spikethebike says
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?
ATigerintheKitchen says
This looks so good! Thanks for mentioning your curry recipe. I'm trying it very soon...can't wait!
Que_bonita_00 says
Buy Japanese curry bricks and dissolve them in water. They can be found at any Asian Grocery Store.
shakejunt says
I have to make curry for Japanese class. What do you recommend is the easiest and quickest way to make a good curry??
ray says
thanks for the recipe dude.... it do help me......
Evey says
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, 😀
Marc Matsumoto says
Yep that should work fine, though butter shouldnt taste sour. Are you using
cultured butter? Which brand do you use?
Evey says
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 🙂
Katrina says
Thank you! Making this today!
Marc Matsumoto says
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).
Katrina says
Can you tell me what rice and how to make the rice, Japanese style? sticky?
Janet NZ says
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
Pghtboi says
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.
Monika says
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!
Marc Matsumoto says
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.
Evi1Eve says
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.
Marc Matsumoto says
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.
Tonkatus101_2010 says
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!!
Marc Matsumoto says
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.
Jim says
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.
sabeena ibrahim says
it's just called curry, only they say it in a japanese way (: At least that is what I have heard them say.
call says
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).
Abby says
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!
Clare says
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.
seha says
what is japanese curry called in japan ?
Snavagauster says
kah reh (roll the "r", and carry the "eh" sound for a sec)
Tiffany says
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!
Spanish Lessons Skype says
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.
graham says
I luv Japanese Curry esp mixed with tonkatsu! yummers!
https://japansugoi.com/wordpress/hungry-for-some-japanese-curry/
Marc Matsumoto says
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 always thought it was a bit unnatural cooking with bricks of solid chocolate like sauce.
We Are Never Full, yea it is a bit odd when taken out of context, but I think most japanese food you get in restaurants here was imported from another country (tempura, fried rice, gyoza, ramen, etc).... kind of ironic if you think about it.
Syrie, give it a try and play around with the ingredients. I think the key to make it taste "japanese" is the caramelized onion, some kind of fruit to sweeten it and a roux to thicken it.
Heather, I just made some curry udon from the leftovers tonight and it was awesome, thanks for the idea:-)
Thanks Kevin.
Peko Peko, I've never been to Yoshinoya despite the fact that all the japanese expats I know rave about the place. Curry is great to freeze and have around. If I had a bigger freezer I'd totally freeze batches to have over Tonkatsu, omurice, etc.
Peko says
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
Peko says
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
Kevin (Closet Cooking) says
Japanese curry is my favorite and this looks good!
Heather says
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.
Syrie says
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.
We Are Never Full says
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.
diva says
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
noble pig says
Wow, I bet it's just delicious...love it.
manggy says
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?
Peter G says
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.
helen says
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
helen says
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.
[eatingclub vancouver] js says
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.