Japanese Curry From Scratch

A luscious plate of Japanese Curry Rice. - 1

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.

Why My Recipe Works
Convenience over Flavor
So What Exactly is Japanese Curry?
The Secret to Making Curry
Japanese Curry Powder
📖 Recipe
Comments

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. As a result, it’s also gluten free.
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.

Carrots cut rangiri for Japanese Chicken Curry. - 2

So What ExactlyisJapanese 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

📖 Recipe

Equipment

Units

Ingredients1x2x3x

For curry

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

for roux

1 tablespoon cultured unsalted butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Instructions

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