{"id":109794,"title":"Authentic Japanese Curry","modified":"2025-10-29T15:29:15+01:00","plain":"A beloved spin on the Indian classic, Japanese cooks have made curry their own\u2014and we couldn\u2019t be happier!\n\n\n\nThis culinary staple is wildly popular in Japan; it\u2019s even considered a national dish known as \u201ckare raisu.\u201d Walk into almost any Asian restaurant and you\u2019ll find Japanese curry on the menu. \n\n\n\nWhat Is Japanese Curry? \n\n\n\nJapanese curry is a spiced, saucy dish made with meat, vegetables, and rice. There are plenty of variations: with chicken, beef, pork, fish\u2026\n\n\n\nIn the traditional recipe, you mainly use onions, carrots, and potatoes, but nothing stops you from adding other vegetables or choosing whichever protein or type of rice you like\u2014that\u2019s part of the dish\u2019s appeal! In this respect, it\u2019s quite similar to Vietnamese chicken curry.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe ingredients are simmered in a thick, aromatic curry sauce, typically made with curry roux, stock, chopped vegetables, and spices. Sometimes it\u2019s served with toppings like hard-boiled eggs, potato croquettes, cheese, or even fruit. It\u2019s easy to make at home and is a total crowd-pleaser. \n\n\n\nOrigins of Japanese Curry\n\n\n\nThe story of Japanese curry dates to the late 19th century, when it was introduced to Japan by the British during the period when India was administered by the British East India Company. At the time, curry was considered foreign and exotic.\n\n\n\nOver time, the Japanese adapted curry to their own culinary culture, using local ingredients and tweaking the recipe to their taste (pun intended!). In Japan it\u2019s common to add grated apple to the sauce to give the curry a sweet, fruity note.\n\n\n\nMaking curry with homemade roux!\n\n\n\nJapanese curry, or \u201ckare raisu,\u201d literally meaning \u201ccurry rice,\u201d quickly became popular, even beyond national borders. \n\n\n\nWhat Does Japanese Curry Taste Like?\n\n\n\nJapanese curry has a unique taste that differs from Indian or Thai curry. It is often milder and thicker than other curries, with a mellow, slightly sweet flavor.\n\n\n\nOf course, it all depends on the ingredients you choose. The base ingredients\u2014onions, carrots, and potatoes\u2014are already quite mild. Spices like turmeric, coriander, and cinnamon gently lift the dish, add a dose of umami, and perfume the sauce. \n\n\n\nYou can tweak my Japanese curry powder recipe endlessly to suit your tastes\n\n\n\nThere are, of course, punchier versions if you opt for bolder flavors. Note that the taste of Japanese curry can vary by region and from family to family, so you\u2019ll find subtle differences from one version to another.\n\n\n\nJapanese Curry vs. Indian Curry: What\u2019s the Difference? \n\n\n\nJapanese curry and Indian curry differ in their ingredients, flavors, and consistency. Japanese curry is built on onions, carrots, potatoes\u2014sometimes tomatoes\u2014plus curry roux and chicken or beef, which makes it much milder than most curries.\n\n\n\nIndian curry, by contrast, uses more spices such as cumin, paprika, coriander, ginger, and chili, along with vegetables like eggplant or spinach, and often legumes. It\u2019s a true melting pot of more complex, intense flavors.\n\n\n\nMoreover, the meat in Indian curry tends to have a stronger flavor than in traditional Japanese curry; very aromatic meats are common, such as lamb. Another difference: Japanese curry sauce is thicker, thanks to the roux, while Indian curry tends to be looser.\n\n\n\nHomemade Japanese curry roux\n\n\n\nHow to Make Japanese Curry \n\n\n\nTo make Japanese curry, you\u2019ll need a large pan or wok. Heat a little oil over medium-high heat. Saut\u00e9 the onion, add the meat, and brown it well. Lightly saut\u00e9 the carrots and potatoes for 2 to 3 minutes before adding the Japanese curry roux (made with Japanese curry powder).\n\n\n\nAdd water, then stir in stock cubes, soy sauce, and sugar (or grated apple!). Mix well and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.\n\n\n\nCheck that the vegetables are tender and the sauce isn\u2019t catching on the bottom. Season to taste. Japanese curry is usually served with white rice, but you can also pair it with noodles (especially soba or udon, which soak up the sauce!). It\u2019s also great with cabbage salad or tempura for crunch. For an even more indulgent touch, add korokke (Japanese potato croquettes)\n\n\n\nHow to Store Japanese Curry? \n\n\n\nStore Japanese curry in a cool, dry place, away from direct sunlight. Transfer leftovers to an airtight container and refrigerate to keep air and moisture out; they\u2019ll keep for a few days.\n\n\n\nIf you\u2019ve made a large batch, you can freeze it for later. When ready to eat, thaw it slowly in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\tAuthentic Japanese Curry\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t700 g boneless chicken thighs (You can also use beef, pork, seafood, tofu, mushrooms, or extra vegetables.)1 pinch salt1 pinch black pepper2 carrots2 onions3 potatoes1 teaspoon grated ginger2 cloves garlic0.5 apple1.5 tablespoons neutral cooking oilFor the curry1 liter chicken broth1 tablespoon honey1 tablespoon light soy sauce1  cherry tomato (crushed)0.5  teaspoon sugar0.5  teaspoon rice vinegar230 g Japanese curry rouxFor serving8 servings of cooked sushi ricefukujinzuke (Japanese red pickles)\t\n\t\n\t\tPrepare the ingredientsCut the onions into wedges. If you prefer, mince or thinly slice them so they melt into the sauce.Peel the carrots and cut them into rolling wedges (this is called rangiri in Japanese). This cut creates more surface area, helping the carrots absorb more flavor and cook faster.Peel the potatoes. Cut each potato into quarters. Soak in water for 15 minutes to remove excess starch.Grate the ginger. You will need 1 teaspoon of grated ginger, including the juice. Mince the garlic and set aside.Cut the apple into quarters, remove the core, and peel.Grate the apple.Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces. For faster cooking, cut on a diagonal (sogigiri in Japanese) to create more surface area and flatten each piece. Season with salt and pepper.Cook the curryHeat the oil in a large pot over medium heat, then add the onion.Saut\u00e9 the onions, stirring occasionally, until translucent and tender, about 5 minutes. Do not stir too often or they won't develop a golden color. Cooked onions add incredible flavor, so do not skip this step.Add the minced garlic (a garlic press gives a finer texture) and the grated ginger; stir well.Add the chicken and cook, stirring frequently, until no longer pink on the outside. If the onions brown too much, temporarily reduce the heat to medium-low.Add the chicken broth. Alternatively, use water, or half broth and half water.Add the grated apple, honey, soy sauce, sugar, tomato, and vinegar.Add the carrots and potatoes. The broth should just barely cover the ingredients. Don't worry; we don't want too much liquid at this stage, and extra liquid will be released from the meat and vegetables.Simmer, covered, over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Simmer uncovered if the ingredients are completely submerged in the broth.Once it comes to a boil, use a fine-mesh strainer to skim the scum and foam from the surface of the broth.Continue cooking, covered, until a wooden skewer slides easily through the carrots and potatoes.Add the curry rouxTurn off the heat. Put 1\u20132 cubes of roux into a ladleful of the cooking liquid, let it dissolve slowly with a spoon or chopsticks, and stir it back into the pot to incorporate. Repeat with the remaining blocks, 2 cubes at a time.Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the curry thickens, about 5 to 10 minutes. If the curry is too thick, add water to thin the sauce. When stirring, make sure nothing is stuck to the bottom of the pot; otherwise, it may burn.If you used homemade curry roux (which contains no salt), taste the curry and add salt to your liking. Tip: The amount of salt varies depending on the brand of chicken broth and the condiments you added, so taste and adjust the seasoning yourself.ServeServe the curry with steamed sushi rice. If you like, garnish with fukujinzuke.StoreStore leftovers in an airtight glass container (so no staining!) and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month. The texture of the potatoes will change in the freezer, so remove them before freezing. When reheating, add 60\u2013120 ml of water to thin the sauce.\t\n\t\n\t\tMeat substitutes: Since tofu, mushrooms, and vegetables cook quickly, you may not need to simmer them for 15 minutes, except for denser vegetables like the carrots and potatoes here. You can saut\u00e9 mushrooms and vegetables (squash, zucchini, eggplant, etc.) and simmer for 5 minutes or until tender.\n\u00a0\nIf you use tofu, you only need to warm it through because tofu is already cooked. I recommend draining it for 15 minutes before using and adding it right after the curry roux goes in. Warm it through for the last 5 to 10 minutes.\n\t\n\t\n\t\tPlat principalJaponaisecurry de poulet, curry japonais\t\n\n\n\n\n\nCulinary Sources\n\n\n\nThis recipe was inspired by the brilliant English-language blog Just One Cookbook.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=109794"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109794\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":110017,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109794\/revisions\/110017"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6015"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=109794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=109794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=109794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}