Japanese curry is sure to be a hit with the whole family. Featuring tender, flavorful beef and vegetables perfectly cooked in a savory curry sauce. Served with a side of light and fluffy rice. It’s an incredibly simple yet delicious dish that anyone can easily make at home. So get ready to whip up a big batch of this beloved Japanese take on comfort food with today’s recipe.
Store-Bought Japanese Curry Roux Blocks
Look, I always like to suggest that people should make things from scratch. But when it comes to Japanese curry please just let go of any ego and use store-bought curry roux. Trust me it’s not cheating, because pretty much everyone does it. That local Japanese restaurant with the best curry you’ve ever eaten? Guess what they most likely use it. Your friend that goes on and on about how great her grandma’s Japanese curry is? Guess what she most likely uses it. What about every household in Japan that’s ever made curry? Guess what almost all of them use it. And in my experience making Japanese curry from scratch is either worse than store-bought, or at best just as good. So please don’t waste your time making your own, and just use store-bought curry mixes. No one, especially not me, is going to shame you for it.
Japanese Curry Roux Brands
Now that that’s out of the way you might be wondering which brand of Japanese curry is the best. And honestly, it just comes down to personal preference. However, let’s take a look at three of the most common brands in grocery stores so you can make a more informed decision.
- Golden Curry: Golden curry is well… the gold standard of Japanese curry. Not only is it extremely popular in Japan, but it’s also the most common brand you’ll find outside of Japan (it’s what I have at my local grocery store). It’s known for having a nice blend of spices along with a rich flavor, which makes it a great choice.
- Vermont Curry: This brand is often much sweeter than others due to the addition of apples and honey. Some also say that it has cheese added to it (hence the name) which results in a creamier texture. But I’m not entirely sure if that’s true. Ethier way this brand results in a mild and sweet curry which is great for people with sensitive pallets and especially children.
- Java Curry: If we’re being honest most Japanese curries aren’t all that spicy. The only exception that I’ve found is Java brand which does have a decent kick. So if that’s what you are looking for choose this brand. Just keep in mind that it’s still not going to be “knock your socks off” spicy, but will still provide a good amount of heat and flavor.
Boost up the Flavor with Secret Ingredients “Kakushiaji”
Now that you’ve hopefully picked out a curry brand it’s time to talk about secret ingredients🤫 a.k.a Kakushiaji! Because this ladies and gentlemen is how you’re going to make your curry delicious and unique. So what are these secret ingredients? Well, they’re a number of different food items that one can optionally add along with the blocks of curry to give the dish additional flavor. And I want to reiterate these are totally optional, you don’t have to add any of them. However, most people like to use a combination of 2 to 5 “secret ingredients” to make their curry special. And since this all comes down to personal preference I’m not going to suggest specific ingredients or amounts, you’re just going to have to experiment. But I don’t want to leave you completely hanging so here is a list of some of the most common Kakushiaji you can add to your curry.
- Apples, Peeled & Grated – Adds sweetness while also thickening up the sauce
- Apricot Jam/Preserves – Adds sweetness with a bit of tartness
- Butter – Add richness and makes the sauce creamier
- Carmelize the Onions – Do this at the beginning when cooking the onions for a rich and sweeter flavor
- Chocolate – Adds richness with a hint of bitterness which balances out the spice of the curry
- Curry Powder/Garam Masala – Add more spice flavor and can also add more heat.
- Honey – Simply adds sweetness
- Ketchup – Adds tanginess from the tomatoes and depending on what brand you use can also add a bit of sweetness.
- Milk – Makes the sauce rich and creamy while also toning down the spiciness.
- Red Wine, Dry – Add this (½ cup) to deglaze the pan after browning the beef and vegetables. Will give it a unique yet delicious flavor with a touch of sourness.
- Soy Sauce – Adds both salt and savoriness to the sauce.
- Worcestershire Sauce – One of the most popular “secret ingredients”. It will add salt, savory, and sour notes to the sauce.
Tips, Tricks & Suggestions
- What cut of beef to use: While you can use just about any cut of beef in this dish I highly recommend that you stick with chuck. It is a tough and fattier cut of beef that becomes super tender and rich when cooked low and slow like in a stew. Plus it’s relatively cheap compared to other cuts.
- Make it in an instant pot: Beef chuck will typically take at 2 hours of simmering to become tender. So if you want to save yourself some cooking time you can always make this curry in an instant pot. Just use the simmer function to brown up the beef and cook the onion/carrot/garlic/ginger. Then add the water and pressure cook on high for 15 minutes. Then quickly release the pressure, add the potatoes, and pressure cook for another 5 minutes. Quick release again, and stir in the curry cubes along with any flavor boosters that you want.
- Other meats or vegetarian: You can easily make this dish with other meats like chicken thighs, chunks of pork, or even seafood like shrimp. And if you want you can leave the meat out of it entirely and use a mixture of vegetables. Like more carrots & potatoes, or add things like bell peppers, eggplant, green beans, and mushrooms. Just keep in mind that these will all need a significantly lower cook time. Just use your best judgment of *cough* google on how long the cooking time might be.
- Curry bread (Kare Pan): Make use of any leftover curry to make delicious curry bread a.k.a kare pan. Consisting of thin and stretchy dough, rolled over a curry filling. Then breaded in panko and fried until extra crispy.
- Serving Suggestion: Japanese beef curry is often served with a side of white rice to help soak up all of that delicious curry sauce. And if you want to go all out you can even have a small side of Japanese pickles which help to cut through the richness of the curry.
Other Japanese Recipes You Might Enjoy
Japanese Curry (Beef) Recipe
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 2 to 3
Ingredients
For the beef curry
1 Tablespoon of oil, neutral flavored
Salt & pepper
1 Lb of beef chuck, cut into cubes
2 Medium onions, cut into strips
1 Large or 2 medium carrots, cut into chunks
2 Cloves of garlic, minced
½ Teaspoon of ginger, minced
21/2 to 3 Cups of water, or the amount stated on the curry roux box
2 to 3 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 Box of Japanese curry roux, roughly 3.2oz. to 4oz.
Optional Secret Ingredients e.g.
1 Tablespoon of soy sauce, 1 Tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, ⅛ of an apple, grated, 1 tablespoon of apricot jam, 1 to 2 Teaspoons of curry powder or garam masala
Instructions
- Brown the beef: Pour 1 tablespoon of oil into a heavy bottom pot and place it over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the chunks of beef with salt & pepper then add them to the heated pot. Cook the beef for 5 to 8 minutes or until they are nicely browned.
Then remove them from the pot and set them aside on a plate.
- Saute vegetables and aromatics: Add the sliced onion to the same pot and saute them for 10 minutes or until they begin to brown and soften.
Then add the carrots, garlic, and ginger. Continue to saute these ingredients for another minute or two.
Finally, add back the browned beef and give everything a good stir.
- Make & cook the stew: Add 4 cups of water to the pot and give everything a good stir. Raise the heat to high and let the liquid come to a boil.
At this point, you can use a fine mesh sieve to skim off any scum or excess fat that has risen to the top of the liquid. It’s not a necessary step but it will result in a cleaner flavor. Then cover the pot with a lid, reduce the heat to a simmer, and let it cook for 1 & a half to 2 hours.
- Add the potatoes: Add the potatoes to the pot and give everything a good stir. Then raise the heat, and let the liquid come to a boil. Once the liquid is boiling cover the pot and reduce the heat to a simmer. And let everything cook for at least another 30 minutes, or until the beef and potatoes are fork tender.
- Finish the dish: Add the curry blocks to the pot and stir until they have dissolved. At this point, you can also add any of the optional secret ingredients and stir them into the stew. Then once everything is in simply let the curry simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes or until the sauce has become thick to your liking.
- Serve the Japanese beef curry with a side of white rice and enjoy!
Japanese Curry (Beef) Recipe
Ingredients
For the beef curry
- 1 Tablespoon of oil neutral flavored
- Salt & pepper
- 1 Lb of beef chuck cut into cubes
- 2 Medium onions cut into strips
- 1 Large or 2 medium carrots cut into chunks
- 2 Cloves of garlic minced
- ½ Teaspoon of ginger minced
- 21/2 to 3 Cups of water or the amount stated on the curry roux box
- 2 to 3 Yukon gold potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 Box of Japanese curry roux roughly 3.2oz. to 4oz.
Optional Seret Ingredients e.g.
- 1 Tablespoon of soy sauce 1 Tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, ⅛ of an apple, grated, 1 tablespoon of apricot jam, 1 to 2 Teaspoons of curry powder or garam masala
Instructions
- Brown the beef: Pour 1 tablespoon of oil into a heavy bottom pot and place it over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the chunks of beef with salt & pepper then add them to the heated pot. Cook the beef for 5 to 8 minutes or until they are nicely browned. Then remove them from the pot and set them aside on a plate.
- Saute vegetables and aromatics: Add the sliced onion to the same pot and saute them for 10 minutes or until they begin to brown and soften. Then add the carrots, garlic, and ginger. Continue to saute these ingredients for another minute or two. Finally, add back the browned beef and give everything a good stir.
- Make & cook the stew: Add 4 cups of water to the pot and give everything a good stir. Raise the heat to high and let the liquid come to a boil. At this point, you can use a fine mesh sieve to skim off any scum or excess fat that has risen to the top of the liquid. It’s not a necessary step but it will result in a cleaner flavor. Then cover the pot with a lid, reduce the heat to a simmer, and let it cook for 1 & a half to 2 hours.
- Add the potatoes: Add the potatoes to the pot and give everything a good stir. Then raise the heat, and let the liquid come to a boil. Once the liquid is boiling cover the pot and reduce the heat to a simmer. And let everything cook for at least another 30 minutes, or until the beef and potatoes are fork tender.
- Finish the dish: Add the curry blocks to the pot and stir until they have dissolved. At this point, you can also add any of the optional secret ingredients and stir them into the stew. Then once everything is in simply let the curry simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes or until the sauce has become thick to your liking.
- Serve the Japanese beef curry with a side of white rice and enjoy!
