I’ve been in love with Japanese Curry since I was a little girl. The sweet and savory flavors married in a rich brown curry sauce make it so that every bite is exciting to eat. Make this easy classic Japanese dish from scratch or out of a box, and watch your kids devour it!
Curry rice, or kare rice (pronounced karē raisu), is a dish that was brought to Japan during the Meiji era (1868–1912) from the British, when India was under colonial rule. It was served to the Japanese Imperial Navy to prevent thiamine (vitamin B-1) deficiency and became popular across Japan in the 1960s when curry made its appearance in restaurants and supermarkets.
Nowadays Japanese curry is considered a national dish and is popular both in Japan and across the world. Its taste is quite different from any other curry you’ll find in Asia – it’s not spicy but rather sweet (which is probably why kids love it so much), savory, and sometimes a little spicy. The sauce is similar to a rich demi-glace that’s layered with spices and earthy flavors.
My recipe is from scratch and tastes somewhere between a Japanese curry and a beef bourguignon. That’s because I grew up in Quebec and my mother’s version of Japanese curry is a bit different than what is typically served in Japanese restaurants. For the classic Japanese curry recipe, scroll down to see how it can be made using premix curry roux.
Table of contents
Ingredients Needed For This Recipe
- Beef: Look for stewing beef or chuck steak. If you are using chuck steak, chop it into bite size pieces.
- Onion, garlic, ginger: These aromatics are the base of the curry and will infuse it with a little sweetness and heat.
- Apple: Adding an apple brings out the sweetness and fruitiness of the curry. I learned that trick from my Japanese aunt and it added so much flavor to the dish that I always use apples now.
- All-purpose flour: The flour is added to thicken the sauce and give it a velvety texture.
- Carrots and a potato: There are 3 main vegetables found in almost all Japanese curries – onions, potatoes, and carrots. I am sticking to the classic combination for this recipe but feel free to add your own veggie mix if you like!
- Garam masala and curry powder: These two spices are a must if you are making curry as the are the main flavor of the dish. They are earthy, fragrant, sweet, bitter, spicy, floral, and full of warmth.
- Tomato paste: Adding a little tomato paste to curries help to round out the flavors and bring balance to the sweet and savory elements of the dish.
- Red wine: Use a red wine that you like to drink. Many people ask what type of red wine and I will say that it doesn’t matter. It has to taste good to you because it is a big component of the dish. Plus, there will be some left in the bottle that you can enjoy with your meal.
- Sugar: Use regular granulated sugar or light brown sugar. If you like the taste of caramel, use dark brown sugar.
- Soy sauce: Regular Japanese soy sauce is needed for this dish because it has more depth of flavor than other types of soy sauces. It also has the right balance of umami, sweet, and salty.
- Fukujinzuke (optional): Fukujinzuke is a relish made of chopped daikon, eggplant and lotus root that’s pickled in a corn syrup and soy sauce based liquid. The result is a crunchy relish that’s orange or red in color, with flavors that are both sweet and salty. It’s often found in a jar on tables of curry shops across Japan to be used as a topping.
How To Make Curry Rice
Scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe and video.
- Cook the beef cubes in a large pot and transfer them to a plate once they are cooked.
- Add onions to the pot and cook them until tender.
- Stir in garlic, ginger and grated apple and cook for two minutes.
- Sift flour and stir.
- Add carrots, potatoes and spices and stir.
- Add tomato paste and red wine and bring to a boil.
- Stir in sugar, soy sauce and water and bring to a boil.
- Return the beef to the pot, cover and simmer for half an hour.
- Remove the lid and cook for an additional 30 minutes.
Expert Tip
Increasing the heat: Adding ground black pepper to Japanese curry is quite delicious but won’t make your curry hot. If you enjoy wiping sweat off your face while eating curry, I suggest using ichimi togarashi, which are ground red chili peppers, or Sichuan chili flakes. Both will give you that eye watering punch of heat you are looking for.
Making Japanese Curry using Premade Curry Roux
No time to make it from scratch? No problem.
This is how you can make Japanese curry using a box of curry roux. The instructions are on the box but I like to add a couple more things to make it more flavorful. It’s extremely easy, just as delicious as the homemade version, and it will take about 30 minutes to make from start to finish.
You will need:
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 1 pound stewing beef or beef chuck, chopped bite size
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 thumb size ginger, peeled and grated
- 1 small red apple, peeled, cored, and finely chopped or grated
- 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped bite size
- 1 large potato, peeled and chopped bite size
- 1300 ml water
- 1 box curry roux
*If you are using half of the roux, use half of the ingredients for the recipe as well.
- Start by adding 1 tablespoon of neutral oil in a medium to large pot over medium high heat.
- When the oil is hot, add the beef and saute until it’s cooked through. Transfer the beef to a plate and set aside.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the pot and saute the onion, ginger, and apple for about 3 minutes, or until the onions are translucent.
- Return the beef to the pot and add the carrots, potato, and water. Turn the heat to high and bring the curry to a boil.
- Turn the heat to medium low and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
- Add the curry roux and stir until all the pieces have dissolved. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve.
Storage and Reheating
Fridge: Let the curry cool down to room temperature and transfer to a storage container. Refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Freezer: Let the curry cool down to room temperature. Divide the curry into individual serving sizes using small airtight food containers or storage bags and freeze for up 2 months.
Reheating: From the freezer, take the container or storage bag out of the freezer and haw it in the fridge overnight. Microwave on high for 2 to 3 minutes, or warm it up in a small pot over low heat.
Best Curry Roux (In My Opinion)
I always have a few boxes of curry roux in my pantry because we crave Japanese curry almost weekly. Throughout the years I have tried many different brands and types of curry roux. Some of them were delicious while others were quite bland and one note. Here are my top favorites.
Golden Curry: This is my mother’s favorite because it’s less sweet and deeper in savory flavors. Golden Curry roux is basic and contains fewer ingredients than most curry roux. It’s milder than other mixes and has a thinner texture. It has a very traditional Japanese curry taste which is why my mother loves it so much. This is a good option for those who are sensitive to spices.
Vermont Curry: Vermont Curry is the most kid friendly because it’s sweeter and fruitier than other curry roux. The sauce contains honey, apples and cheese and has thick and rich texture.
Java Curry: If you like heat, Java Curry is for you! I was actually surprised at how much heat this curry packed since most Japanese people cannot handle spicy foods. This roux is a mix of both sweet and savory (although more on the savory side) with a good amount of heat.
What To Serve It With
If you are looking to serve an authentic Japanese dinner at home, here are some of my favorite, easy and quick recipes:
- Tsukemono (Japanese pickles)
- Miso soup
- Green salad with Japanese Restaurant Style Ginger Dressing
- Topped with Baked Chicken Katsu
- Nasu Dengaku (Japanese eggplant with sweet miso glaze)
- Kani Salada (crab salad)
Other popular Japanese recipes you might like to try: Miso ramen, omurice, oshitashi, agedashi tofu, okonomiyaki, conbini style tuna mayo onigiri, mabo nasu, and chukadon.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes you can! For the premix curry roux, the only vegan one is Golden Curry. To make the recipe from scratch, simply swap the beef for a plant based protein or use chickpeas or mushrooms.
No, this recipe is not gluten-free because it contains flour and soy sauce. To make it gluten-free, use a gluten-free flour and gluten-free soy sauce, or tamari. Unfortunately, when it comes to premade curry roux, from my knowledge, all Japanese brands contain wheat.
Yes you can! Chicken, a plant based protein, squid, and shrimp, are all great options. If you do decide to make it with shrimp or squid, make sure to cook it separately and add it to the curry right before serving. That’s because seafood can overcook quickly and have a rubbery texture.
Yes, you can serve Japanese curry with so much more than just white rice! It’s delicious with brown rice, pasta, it can be added to ramen (curry ramen) or udon (curry udon), stuffed inside a deep fried dough (curry pan), and added to soups (soup curry). The options are endless!
Did you like this recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!
Print
Japanese Curry (Kare Raisu)
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 70 minutes
- Total Time: 95 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Curry
- Method: Stove top
- Cuisine: Japanese
Description
A sweet, savory, and comforting Japanese beef curry your entire family will love!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil
- 1 pound stewing beef or chuck steak, chopped into bite size pieces
- 1 large onion peeled and finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger, peeled and minced
- 1 red apple, peeled, finely chopped or grated (honeycrisp apples are the best for this recipe)
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 large russet or yukon gold potato, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 4 tablespoons curry powder
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups red wine
- 1 1//2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons regular Japanese soy sauce
- 4 cups water
Instructions
- Cook the beef: In a large pot over medium high heat, add 1 tablespoon peanut oil and stewing beef. Cook for 5 minutes or until meat is cooked through. Transfer the beef to a plate and set aside.
- Cook the onions: Lower heat to medium low and in the same pot, add remaining 1 tablespoon peanut oil with onions and cook for about 10 minutes, until onions are translucent and slightly caramelized.
- Add aromatics: Add garlic, ginger and apple and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the flour: Add the flour and stir for 1 minute.
- Add the vegetables and spices: Add carrots, potatoes, garam masala and curry powder and stir well.
- Add the tomato paste and red wine: Add the tomato paste, stir well and slowly add red wine and bring to a boil.
- Add the remaining ingredients: Add the sugar, soy sauce and water, stir and bring to a boil again.
- Return the beef to the pot: Add the beef and lower heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 30 minutes.
- Take off the lid and continue cooking: Take the lid off and cook for another 30 to 50 minutes, until the curry soup has reduced by a third.
- Season and serve: Season with salt and pepper and serve with a side of warm Japanese rice.
Notes
Save the leftovers in a storage container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 506
- Sugar: 12.8g
- Sodium: 583.2mg
- Fat: 31.4g
- Saturated Fat: 14.7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.9g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 33.1g
- Fiber: 7.6g
- Protein: 21.1g
- Cholesterol: 240.9mg
I cook my kare differently especially on Fridays when we don’t consume meat. It could be considered vegetarian. I cut into wedges potatoes, carrot, capsicum and onions, and celery sticks of about 4 cm lengths. Put potatoes, carrots and onions in pot with water enough to cover them and boil until almost soft (your choice) then add capsicum and celery sticks for another 10 or 15 mins.. In a bowl I melt the curry roux with hot water, then I add into the pot and and allow it to cook for another 10 min or so. Sorry I do not add any seasonings, but I do add crushed chilli flakes to make it more spicy.
Hello,
How do you adjust the recipe if using a store-bought curry roux?
Hi Dewett! I recommend try this recipe instead which uses curry roux 🙂 https://pickledplum.com/japanese-vegetable-curry/
I can’t wait to try this! If the kids eat it, it’s a win!
Hi, I was confused when you added a lot of garam masala and little curry powder. Have the recipes of the two been switched? Because I saw it too late and added a lot of curry powder and a teaspoon of garam masala, which is not the case in your video.
Like some others have mentioned, it takes a lot more time than stated here. Washing, peeling and chopping the vegetables alone took me almost an hour. This should be faster next time once you have the recipe in your head, but the prep will certainly be longer than 15 minutes the first time you make it.
Thickening the soup and waiting for the carrots to cook took me almost two hours as well.
Oh, and I think you have mislabeled the curry and garam masala bowls in your video. Fortunately, I was going by the text recipe.
Otherwise, it was really tasty! I haven’t tried Japanese curry before, but that is pretty much how I imagine it would taste like! I’m vegetarian, so I used soy meat instead, and I think it worked pretty well.
Thank you so much Mikhail!
Me and my roommate made this and it was really good. Thanks for posting this!
Thank you so much, Ian! 🙂
Hi! Thanks for the recipe! Excited to try it out! Just wondering what type of soy sauce is best to use for this? Worcestershire or maybe Kikkoman? Also, if I want to make it into a roux first, how much butter should I mix with the curry powder + Garam Masala? Really appreciate it! Thank you!
Hi Jonni, Kikkoman is good for this recipe. As for creating a roux, I usually add 2 to 3 tablespoons of butter 🙂 I hope you enjoy the recipe!
I don’t typically comment, BUT this recipe was delicious. The collective ingredients can be a bit costly for a single dish, but as an occational treat it’s worth it. I reccomend using plain rice or whole grain noodles for this dish and for apples choose a type that is more solid and less squishy to hold up better in the cooking process, but that’s up to personal preference. All in all it was a really fun dish to make in the kitchen, I’ve saved this to make in the future.
Thank you so much, Patrick! 🙂
The apple isn’t supposed to “Hold up” in a japanese curry.
It is supposed to dissolve away into a background flavour.
The only things that should hold up, is the meat, potatoes n carrots.
The apple is only supposed to add sweetness and a slight hint of apple flavour
What kind of red wine should be used?
Hi Dee! I always recommend using your favorite red wine since the flavor will come through in the curry 🙂
i loved this recipes of curry of japan
Will this recipe work with chicken
Hi Tasi! Yes it will work with chicken 🙂
I made this and the curry is a bit liquidy. How liquidy should it be? Is it supposed to be thick like other curries or is this different than other curries?
Leah, if you wish to make the curry thicker make it into a roux first. Butter + flour then add the curry powder
Made this recipe twice now, both times with a beef broth substitute for the red wine. It is delicious! My only criticism is that it does take a long time to prep and cook everything. Both times it’s taken over 2 hours. I recommend grating the apple over finely chopping it. Overall, I love this dish and I’m so glad that I found it!
I was curious what I should use for a red wine alt. Going to try a can of beef broth, and since it’s just short of two cups, supplement with an ounce of red wine vinegar. Thanks.
What’s the purpose of adding both garam masala and curry powder? Can you make this with just one or the other?
Hi Kelly! Garam masala has a stronger and more punchy flavor than curry powder, so it helps to heighten the overall taste of the curry 🙂
I followed this recipe exactly, and the cook time is extremely misleading. I had to cook the curry for over two hours to reduce it enough for the amount of liquid they tell you to add. The flavor is good but ended up eating much later than I wanted to.
I’m so sorry it took this long to cook, I don’t know why it did though since I’ve never had that problem when making my own curry. Did you keep the lid on throughout the whole process or did you take it off after 30 minutes?
i recommend turning up the heat to medium when you cook it uncovered for 30 minutes or so. that’s what i did and it turned out well 🙂