Name: Easy Homemade Japanese Curry with Crispy Chicken Katsu
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 2 Small Onions (brown or white); 1 Large Carrot; 3 Medium Potatoes; 1 box of Curry Roux (we used S&B Foods Golden Japanese Curry Roux Sauce Medium 198g); 900g Cooked Rice; Optional: Chicken Katsu (for serving); Optional: Japanese pickles such as rakkyo or fukujinzuke (for serving)

Easy Homemade Japanese Curry with Crispy Chicken Katsu-Japanese Taste

Main Dish Comfort Food

Japanese Curry is a dish made of stewed onions, carrots, and potatoes simmered in a delicious, flavorful curry roux sauce. Chicken, beef, or pork are also commonly added. It is usually served over cooked rice and is a dish enjoyed in Japanese households. Both children and adults love Japanese curry!

Originating in India, curry was later introduced to England where modifications were made to suit the taste of the English, and was once again introduced to Japan at the end of the Edo period. While Indian curry tends to have a soupier texture and is spicy, Japanese curry is a bit thicker and has a sweeter flavor to pair well with sticky rice.

Japanese curry is often made in large batches and eaten over several days by Japanese families. It is also a staple in school lunches and cafeterias. There is even a curry flavor for baby food in Japan! Furthermore, many restaurants specialize in serving their own uniquely crafted curry rice. Japanese curry's popularity and ease of preparation make it a favorite choice for camping trips.

While Japanese curry is usually served with rice, pickled garnishes such as rakkyo (pickled scallion) or fukujinzuke (Sweet and Salty Sliced Vegetable Pickles) are also commonly enjoyed alongside. These types of pickles add additional layers of saltiness, sourness, and of course umami.

These days, fried toppings such as chicken katsu (cutlet), pork katsu, and croquettes are especially popular to eat with Japanese curry, especially among the younger generation. Alternatively, you can enjoy Japanese curry with just rice, or add pickles for extra flavor.

This time, we will introduce a simple Japanese curry recipe that can easily be made at home. We will use an instant curry roux sauce, a product that is sold in every Japanese supermarket and can be found in other Asian and major supermarkets. We will also serve it with fried chicken katsu, which we will show you how to make in the next post, to demonstrate a way this dish can be enjoyed.

Enjoy typical and comforting Japanese curry with crispy texture from chicken katsu!

Overview

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 35 mins

Total time: 45 mins

Total servings: 6

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

2 Small Onions (brown or white)
1 Large Carrot
3 Medium Potatoes
1 box of Curry Roux (we used S&B Foods Golden Japanese Curry Roux Sauce Medium 198g)
900g Cooked Rice
Optional: Chicken Katsu (for serving)
Optional: Japanese pickles such as rakkyo or fukujinzuke (for serving)

Expert's Tip

Easy Homemade Japanese Curry with Crispy Chicken Katsu

Curry roux is made of flour, oil, meat, and vegetable extracts, curry powder, other spices, and salt. It is easy to make curry sauce by simply adding curry roux to stewed meat and vegetables, as it contains all of the ingredients that provide flavor, umami, and thickening for curry.

The shapes of curry roux vary from brand to brand. While boxed curry roux that comes in solid form is most commonly sold, there are also versions of curry roux that come in flake and powder forms. The level of spiciness can be selected from sweet, medium, and hot.

Instructions

1) Gathering the Ingredients

Gather your vegetables. Wash and peel off the skins of the carrots and potatoes with a vegetable peeler. Peel the skin off of the onion as well.

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2) Chopping the Vegetables

Cut the onion, carrots, and potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Soak the potatoes in water for 5 minutes to prevent them from oxidizing and turning brown. Once they are done soaking, be sure to fully drain them.

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3) Cooking the Vegetables

Add oil to a big pot over medium heat, and begin to cook the onions. You want to make sure that they become translucent and even a little brown. After 2-3 minutes, add the carrots and potatoes and sauté them for about 1 minute. Then, add water and boil the vegetables over medium heat until they become tender, approximately 15 to 20 minutes.

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4) Adding the Curry Roux

Once the vegetables are tender and cooked to your liking, turn off the heat. Add the curry roux and mix well to incorporate. Once the roux has fully melted, simmer over low heat for another 5-10 minutes until the curry thickens.

5) Serving the Curry

To serve, add some cooked rice, curry, and chicken katsu to a plate, and you're done! Additionally, top with Japanese pickles such as rakkyo or fukujinzuke if you like!