Hayashi Ground Beef (Dry)
I love taking trips to Japan because I always come back feeling so inspired in the kitchen! Walking past restaurant windows displaying plastic food replicas of their menu is genius because it will eventually make you hungry!
I love soba noodles so much that whenever I see fake soba bowls I instantly start drooling. The same goes for pasta and Japanese curry – “Hi, I’d like to order EVERYTHING that’s in your window please?”
During my last visit in Tokyo, I was looking for a place to cool off and get away from the busy traffic and crowds.
Luckily, I found a cute little cafe tucked away on a quiet street that had everything I was looking for: relaxing music, big windows, a decent amount of space between the tables and only a handful of customers.
There was also this impossible to ignore, sweet and intoxicating aroma wafting from the kitchen. When I asked the waitress what that smell was, she replied “dry hayashi curry (pronounced karē).” Dry hayashi?? I had never heard of that before!
“Nani desu ka?” I inquired.
She then proceeded to explain that it’s a curry made with ground beef, onions and carrots cooked in a simple sweet sauce made with ketchup and beef broth.
The reason why it’s called dry is because most of the liquid gets absorbed during the cooking process. Put that over rice and top it with a mashed boiled egg and some crispy fried onions slices. DE-LI-CIOUS!
I jotted down as many ingredients as I could without looking like I was trying to steal their yummy recipe and told myself to write a post about it when I got back to Brooklyn.
I think the flavors are pretty similar to what I tasted in Japan; sweet and tangy with a beefy saltiness from the broth. The first time Ben tasted it he thought the flavors were a bit bland.
We then realized it was because the mashed boiled egg lacked seasoning and consequently ended up toning down the flavor. So the second time I made hayashi ground beef, I added plenty of salt and pepper to the egg and it made all the difference!
I wish I could remember the name of the cafe in Tokyo but I am terrible when it comes to keeping notes about restaurants in Japan. Almost every spot we visit ends up being spectacularly good so we no longer keep track of names and instead base our decisions on the window display that looks the most attractive.
Serve this hearty and comforting hayashi ground beef with a side of nasu dengaku, simmered kabocha squash or some charred soy and sesame edamame.
Hayashi Ground Beef (Dry)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 16 minutes
- Total Time: 26 minutes
- Yield: 2 people 1x
- Category: Beef
- Cuisine: Japanese
Description
A delicious ‘no sauce’ take on the classic hayashi curry.
Ingredients
- 1/3 carrot (peeled and diced into small cubes)
- 1 medium onion
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 150 grams lean ground beef
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
- 1 cup beef broth
- 2 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 tablespoon sake
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 1 boiled egg
Instructions
- Slice onion half. One half will be for frying, the other will go in with the dry curry.
- Slice one half into thin half moons. Finely chop the other one.
- Boil egg and cut into small pieces or mash with a fork. Season well with salt and pepper.
- Heat oil and add onions and carrots. Cook for 3 minutes.
- Sprinkle corn starch on top of ground beef and add to the vegetables. Add 1/4 cup beef broth and break the ground beef while stirring. Cook for 3 minutes or until the beef has cooked through.
- Add beef broth, ketchup, sake and worcestershire sauce. Mix well and cook for 10 minutes or until all the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper.
- Fry onions in a separate pan until crispy. (with some oil)
- Put rice on a plate, top with curry, eggs and fried onions.
Notes
Hayashi ground beef will keep refrigerated for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: Includes 1 cup cooked Japanese rice per serving
- Calories: 525
- Sugar: 9.7 g
- Sodium: 540.7 mg
- Fat: 12.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 70.8 g
- Fiber: 2.1 g
- Protein: 26.5 g
- Cholesterol: 138 mg
This is so good and we make it all the time!
Really delicious and so easy. I threw in a little curry spice for a kick. The fried onions were so good on top. I’ll definitely make it again. Mary
Thank you Mary! 🙂
So good! Even my kids were happy!
This sounds great and so easy! I’d have to leave the carrots out because for some reason I despise cooked carrots. Just one of those weird things. I’ll eat the intestines of any animals, but not cooked carrots. What a quick and easy recipe. What do you thin about putting a fried egg on top instead of the boiled egg?
I’m all for fried eggs on top Danielle! They should be on every dish! 🙂
Oishī! Made this last night for Noriyuki’s dinner, he usually chows down and plows through his meals, nodding approval now and then, but last night he actually paused and said “this is tasty!” Huge compliment! Huge! Love how easy it is, and quick to put together, we both loved how delicious it is. Oh, I didn’t have enough onion to fry up for the topping, so I crumbled some cold cooked bacon I had in the fridge and sprinkled it on top of the eggs, fabulous!
Dōmo arigatōgozaimashita!
You are so welcome! It’s so funny how you describe Noriyuki, I can picture exactly how your dinner went since my male relatives act the same way haha! Yokatta ne!
Your blog is so wonderful. Made this today and it was delicious. Can’t wait to cook more of your recipes.
Thank you so much Richelle!
Looks yummy! Is a little like yakuniku..?
The taste is more like a demi-glace. I thought it would taste close to a Japanese curry but hayashi is sweeter and without spices. Like tonkatsu sauce! 🙂
I have never heard of a hayashi curry before, I bet it tastes amazingly delicious and packed with flavour! Definitely have to try out the recipe.
It is definitely packed with flavor! And since you have a dessert blog, I’m sure you’ll love its sweetness!