I’d never had (or even heard of) Japanese curry before this trip and oh. my. goodness, was it YUMMY! That’s what led to the creation of this homemade Japanese curry sauce recipe! Curry in Japan isn’t quite like you’d expect, it’s served almost like a stew and features sticky rice as opposed to Jasmine rice.
Homemade Japanese Curry Recipe
One of the things I loved about Japan was the wide variety of traditional foods we got to try. I thought we’d be sick of sushi by the end of the week, but that could not have been further from the truth. This Japanese curry recipe brings together the best of Japanese comfort food and savory ingredients all on one plate!
Here’s what it looked like…
So I set out to make a homemade version of this yummy dish with more veggies and less deep frying. I tried it all different ways and even consulted our cooking teacher from when we were there (via email—thanks Keiko!).
How to Make a Japanese Curry Sauce at Home
Here’s the final version I came up with… very similar to what we remember! I did use chicken stock when testing, but I think subbing beef stock would make the sauce even darker in color like the original.
To carry the potatoes and carrots you’re going to want a thick and flavorful sauce. Be sure to keep the temperature at a gentle simmer after adding in the stock, and whisk until you’ve reached the desired texture. This part is essential, otherwise you’re going to end up with a runny curry sauce!
Why not use Corn Starch to Thicken The Sauce?
Since we’re going for a totally homemade Japanese curry recipe from scratch, staying away from the corn starch helps differentiate this recipe from the boxed curry taste. By making a simple roux using whole wheat flour and butter, you’re going to get a much more ‘homemade’ taste. That being said, you can absolutely tailor this recipe to your taste using cornstarch or arrowroot powder to thicken the sauce if desired!
I love how this comes together quickly enough to be a one-dish weeknight dinner. Enjoy. :)
Homemade Japanese Curry
Ingredients
For the meat and veggies
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 onion (minced)
- 6 medium carrots (peeled and cut into small dice)
- 1 Yukon Gold potato (cut into small dice (no need to peel))
- 1 1/3 pounds pork tenderloin or boneless, skinless chicken thighs (cut into 1″ cubes)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger (minced)
- salt (to taste)
- pepper (to taste)
For the sauce
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 cups chicken broth (or beef)
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- salt (to taste)
For serving
- brown rice (cooked)
Instructions
To make the meat and veggies
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion, carrots, and potato while stirring until the onions begin to turn translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Season the pork with salt and pepper to taste and then add to the pan along with the garlic and ginger. Cook while stirring until the meat is cooked all the way through (no longer pink in the middle) and the veggies are soft when pierced with a fork, 5 to 10 minutes.
To make the sauce
- In a medium saute pan, melt the butter over low heat. Whisk in the flour and continually stir until the mixture darkens in color but does not burn, 4 to 5 minutes. Whisk in the spices until well combined.
- Pour in the broth/stock and whisk vigorously until the sauce comes together. Turn the heat up to medium and lightly simmer while whisking occasionally until the sauce thickens to the consistency of a gravy.
- Whisk in the soy sauce and simmer for another couple minutes to regain the thick consistency. If needed, salt to taste.
To serve
- Evenly distribute the brown rice in bowls (or on plates), spoon a serving of the meat and veggie mixture next to it, pour the sauce over top, and serve warm.
I made this with some leftover lamb stew. I didn’t see where to add the curry powder, so I added it (and some coriander seeds, star anise) into the butter and sauteed that to release oils, before adding the flour. I’ve lived in Japan half my life, and this is spot-on! Delicious!!
Looking at the recipe, it doesn’t ever mention putting the curry in…
Under how to cook the sauce you’ll mix the spices in after you whisk the butter and flour together. Is this what you are referring to? And at the end, you assemble by spooning the sauce over the rice and meat. – Nicole
So good! It’s a rotating dish in our home now! I make it with pork katsu! Thank you!
The most well-known ones stewed alongside curry are onions, carrots, and potatoes. You could even include some cut apples. Root vegetables are habitually stewed with the curry, and you could consider utilizing variations like sweet potato or squash, kabu, daikon, and so on.
What are your best suggestions for a single person doing this. I freeze portions, etc but cooking so much for one can get old.
I made this for dinner this week using chicken thighs and added some raw broccoli to the carrots, onions, and potatoes. It is a delicious dinner and also reheats beautifully as well.
Hey there Lisa!
Try some Bangladeshi and Indian Cuisine also. Sure you will love them! :D
It is spicy, sweet and delicious .
It is very delicious!
This looks delicious. Japanese curries get forgotten too often, they are such a unique flavour! Interesting that they often use the crispy chicken as well, I don’t know any other cuisines that do that with curries.
Corn starch or arrowroot powder
Tried it very delicious!
I use arrowroot powder to thicken sauces and it’s gluten free. Just mix with water and form a paste and stir in at the end rather than at the beginning. Sauce should be simmering when you add the mixture and it will thicken very quickly.
What kind of maniac tries eating curry rice with chopsticks?!
Otherwise, nice recipe.
What can Be substituted for the whole wheat flour.
I’m allergic to wheat products
I was taught by a Japanese friend to make a curry just like this (full of veggies) when I lived in Japan 30 years ago. We used potato starch or cornstarch when making the curry sauce.
Corn starch or arrowroot powder