Japanese Curry Rice

Japanese Curry Rice

Japanese curry rice — onions cooked down for sweetness, simmered with meat, potato, and carrot, then thickened with curry roux. Ladled generously over rice, it's everyone's comfort-food staple.

Ingredients

4servings
  • Japanese curry roux · about 100g0.5 box
  • Pork or beef · bite-size250 g
  • Onions · sliced2
  • Potatoes · large chunks2
  • Carrot · large chunks1
  • Water3.5 cups
  • Cooking oil1 tbsp
  • Cooked rice · to serve
  • For depth (optional)
  • Butter1 tbsp
  • Apple or honey · grated, for sweetness1 tbsp
  • Soy sauce1 tsp

Steps

  1. Slice the onions; cut the potato and carrot into large chunks and the meat bite-size.

  2. Heat oil and saute the onions until well browned — the key to sweetness and depth.

    ⏲ 8 min
  3. Add the meat to brown the surface, then add the potato and carrot and stir-fry together.

    ⏲ 4 min
  4. Pour in the water, bring to a boil, skim the foam, and simmer over medium-low 15 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

    ⏲ 15 min
  5. Turn off the heat and dissolve the curry roux completely. (Adding it while boiling makes lumps.)

    ⏲ 2 min
  6. Simmer again on low 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Finish with butter, grated apple, and soy sauce. Serve over rice.

    ⏲ 8 min

Tips & Variations

Variations

  • Katsu curry: Top with a pork cutlet (see the tonkatsu recipe).
  • Chicken/seafood: Use chicken, or shrimp and squid, instead of meat.
  • Vegetable curry: Skip the meat for lots of mushroom, eggplant, and squash.
  • Curry udon/donburi: Turn leftovers into curry udon or a rice bowl.

Tips

  • Brown the onions deeply for that rich sweetness — don't rush it.
  • Always dissolve the roux off the heat so it doesn't clump.
  • Grated apple, honey, and butter make boxed roux taste homemade.
  • It's even better the next day — a great make-ahead dish.
  • Too thick? Add water. Too thin? Simmer a bit longer.

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