Print

Japanese Beef Curry

japanese kare raisu
Save Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

4.8 from 36 reviews

A sweet, savory, and comforting Japanese beef curry your entire family will love!

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 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 S&B 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
  • Japanese rice, to serve with

Instructions

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Add the aromatics: Add the garlic, ginger and apple and cook for about 2 minutes, until the garlic and apple become fragrant. 
  4. Add the flour: Add the flour and stir for 1 minute until it begins to clump.
  5. Add the vegetables and spices: Add the carrots, potatoes, garam masala and curry powder and stir, until the vegetables are coated with the spices.
  6. Add the tomato paste and red wine: Add the tomato paste, stir well and slowly add the red wine. It’s important to add it slowly so the flour doesn’t clump. Bring the mixture to a boil.
  7. Add the remaining ingredients: Stir in the sugar, soy sauce, and water, and bring to a boil.
  8. Return the beef to the pot: Add the beef and lower heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 30 minutes.
  9. 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. You can let it reduce by more if you like a stronger taste and thicker texture.
  10. Season and serve: Season with salt and pepper and serve with a side of warm Japanese rice.

Notes

Storage: Save the Japanese curry in an airtight storage container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. It’s best to save the rice separately to prevent it from absorbing the curry sauce. 

Reheating: Reheat the curry rice and rice separately (the curry takes longer to warm up). Start by microwaving the curry rice for 2 to 3 minutes on high. Stir and microwave for an additional 1 to 2 minutes, if it’s not hot enough. Microwave the rice for 1 to 2 minutes. 

Variations: Use chicken, pork, or shrimp. The recipe remains the same for chicken and pork, as well as the cooking time. To make a shrimp curry rice, make the sauce first and cook the shrimp separately in a skillet, right before serving. Add a little oil to a skillet and when it’s hot, cook the shrimp for about 4 minutes. Serve the shrimp on top of the curry. 

To make the flavor more intense: If you find that the sauce is lacking the classic sweetness or demi-glace type of flavor that Japanese curry is famous for, try adding a little oyster sauce (1 tablespoon), or tonkatsu sauce (1 tablespoon). Demi-glace sauce can also be used. 

Nutrition

Asian Recipes

Straight To Your Inbox

Receive a FREE Digital Cookbook when you sign up for our newsletter