Japanese curry is like home in a bowl. Warm, rich, comforting. If you haven’t tried it before, Japanese curry is thicker than the South and Southeast Asian style curries, almost more like gravy in terms of texture. It’s also sweeter and less spicy. And it’s almost always prepared with carrot, onion, and potatoes, and served alongside a steaming mound of rice. Mmmmmm.
If you're like me and you grew up on homemade Japanese curry, you know all about the brick. A boxed, vacuum-packed tray of roux that's mixed into a simmering pot of meat and vegetables. As far as I knew, this pre-packaged mix was the only way to get down with homestyle curry.
A few years back, though, I gave up on the stuff. Turn over the box, check out the ingredients, and you'll see what I'm talking about. Because straight up? That $%#@ is nasty. Filler and chemicals.
Thankfully, with my cooking chops up and feeling confident I could attempt a Japanese curry from scratch, I consulted my Japanese Soul Cooking cookbook and gave this recipe a try.
Yes, there are a lot of ingredients. And I had some serious reservations about the parmesan and cheddar cheese. But once you get all the ingredients chopped and prepped, it's easy to make. And delicious. Great texture, serious flavor... restaurant quality.
I made a few tweaks from the original recipe - went with chicken thighs instead of pork shoulder, substituted coconut oil for butter, and left out the coffee. But all-in-all it was a successful intro to the new world of homemade Japanese curry, made from scratch.
I can already feel myself falling down the カレー rabbit hole, planning for the next go-round with some new techniques and ingredients. So stay tuned.
But in the meantime, if you're looking to quit the brick (which you should do ASAP), and can wrangle up the ingredients, this recipe is a great place to start.
Japanese Curry カレー Version 1.0
Adapted from a recipe in Japanese Soul Cooking
Give up the processed, pre-packaged Japanese curry brick, and try making it from scratch. Your curry powder will determine how spicy the curry will be. And be sure to include the parmesan and cheddar cheese. It may sound strange, but it lends a subtle, umami-rich creaminess to the curry.
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp. canola oil
- 1 tbsp. coconut oil (can also use unsalted butter)
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1" pieces
- 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- Kosher salt, to taste
- 2 medium yellow onions, roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
- 5 cups chicken stock or water
- 5 tbsp. curry powder
- 3 tbsp. tonkatsu sauce*
- 2 tbsp. ketchup
- 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp. honey
- ¾ lb. russet potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾" pieces
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- ½ cup grated mild cheddar cheese
- 1 tbsp. potato starch, mixed with 1 tbsp. water
- Steamed white rice, for serving
Directions
- Heat canola oil and coconut oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Season chicken with pepper and salt and add to the pan. Cook, stirring constantly, until chicken is browned, 3-5 minutes.
- Add onions. Cook until soft, about 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and carrots, cook until softened, 4-6 minutes.
- Add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in curry powder, tonkatsu sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and honey. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.
- Add potatoes and cook, covered, until tender, about 15-20 minutes. Stir in parmesan and cheddar cheeses, potato starch mixture, salt, and pepper. Cook until curry thickens, about 10 minutes more. Serve with rice on the side.
* Tonkatsu sauce is a sweet Japanese condiment served alongside tonkatsu, a fried pork cutlet. You can find it a Japanese grocery stores.