Japanese curry is a very popular and common dish in Japan like tonkatsu, inari sushi, gyudon beef bowl, red bean mochi, miso soup and taiyaki. This easy and flavorful Japanese chicken curry recipe is simple and only requires a few ingredients. Also, this Japanese chicken curry is great to serve with rice, tonkatsu and miso soup as a quick fix meal. Let’s learn how to make Japanese chicken curry with step by step photos, tips and a video tutorial.
Love Japanese food? Try out these Japanese milk bread rolls, chicken teriyaki rice bowl, crispy teriyaki tofu, teriyaki sauce, chicken udon stir fry and California rolls recipes.
What is Japanese curry?
Japanese curry is popular and has a distinct taste in Japanese cuisine. Typically, Japanese curry is made using roux, which is a mixture of flour and fat (usually butter) cooked together, and then mixed with curry powder and other spices. Nowadays, pre-made curry roux blocks are widely available and commonly used to make Japanese curry.
Usually Japanese curry is mild and slightly sweet, often with a hint of fruitiness. The sweetness comes from ingredients like grated apples or honey. Also, the mild flavor of Japanese curry makes it accessible to a wide range of palates. Therefore, it has become a staple comfort food in Japan and is widely enjoyed by people of all ages. Often Japanese curry is served over steamed rice and with breaded fried cutlets, tonkatsu to make a katsu curry dish.
What is the difference between Japanese curry and other curry?
There are different types of curry around the world such as green Thai, red Thai curry, massaman curry, Indian curry and Japanese curry. All curries are similar, but the taste is slightly different.
In general, Indian and Thai curry are spicier than Japanese curry even though they have a mild flavor. Often, Japanese curry is served with rice. Some like it served with udon or bread. Curry tonkatsu with rice is one of the popular Japanese dishes.
What is Japanese curry roux?
Making Japanese curry, Japanese curry roux is a key component. It provides a thick and flavorful base for the dish. You can either make it from scratch or purchase the pre-made blocks, which are widely available in supermarkets.
When you make your own Japanese curry roux, you can control and adjust the spicy level. On the other hand, the premade Japanese curry roux has 3 different levels of spiciness: mild, medium and hot. In this Japanese chicken curry recipe, I use pre-made Japanese roux because it is an easier, convenient and faster way to make Japanese chicken curry.
What kind of brand do you use for Japanese curry roux?
I like to use Golden Curry brand Japanese curry roux because it has 3 different spiciness: mild, medium and hot. Also, we like mild because it’s not hot at all and very suitable for little kids who cannot handle spicy food as well.
What is the texture like in Japanese curry?
It depends on how thick you want the curry to be. Personally, I like it not too thick, but like gravy-like consistency. You can control the thickness of the curry by adding more roux or water.
The texture of the curry should be smooth without any lumps. The ingredients should be well-blended into the sauce. Also, the sauce is thick enough to coat the ingredients well. Besides, the vegetables and meat in the curry are tender and cooked through.
What to serve with Japanese chicken curry?
The most traditional and common accompaniment is ladled Japanese curry over a bed of plain steamed white rice to absorb the flavorful sauce. Some like to serve it with udon or bread. Curry tonkatsu with rice is one of the popular Japanese dishes. Besides, it is great to go along with miso soup, California rolls, inari sushi or salmon sushi cups.
Can I make Japanese chicken curry ahead of time?
Sure, you can make Japanese curry ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator and reheat it gently on the stove or in the microwave.
What are the ingredients in Japanese chicken curry rice?
Most of the time people like to use vegetables and meats to make Japanese curry. The basic vegetables are carrots, onions and potatoes. For meats some like to use beef, pork or chicken.
Personally, I like to use chicken thighs to make it. And, in this Japanese chicken curry recipe I used the basic vegetables like carrots, potatoes and onions because I have these vegetables at home all the time.
What kind of meat is best for Japanese curry?
Beef, chicken, and pork are the most common meats used in Japanese curry. You can use beef chuck, chicken thighs, and pork shoulder are ideal as they become tender when simmered. Personally, I like to use chicken thighs because of the texture.
Substitutions & Variations:
Can I make Japanese curry vegetarian or vegan?
Sure! You can use tofu or a variety of vegetables like eggplant, bell peppers, and mushrooms.
What vegetables are typically used in Japanese curry?
The common vegetables are onions, carrots, and potatoes. However, you can add other vegetables like celery, peas, bell peppers and zucchini.
Storage:
Can I freeze Japanese curry?
Yes, you can freeze Japanese curry. Remember to allow it to cool off completely before transferring it to airtight containers. You can freeze them for up to 3 months. Then, thaw in the refrigerator before reheating it.
How do I store leftover Japanese curry?
When you have leftovers, you can store the leftover curry in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat gently on the stove or in the microwave when you need to.
Cooking tips for how to make Japanese chicken curry rice:
- Use a good quality Japanese curry roux. I like to use brands like S&B Golden Curry. If not, you can make your own roux from scratch for a more personalized flavor.
- The best is to use fresh vegetables and meat for the best flavor. Common vegetables include onions, carrots, and potatoes. For protein, you can use beef, chicken, or pork.
- Start with a smaller amount of roux and add more as needed. This helps you control the thickness of the curry. You can always add more roux to thicken it and add more water to thinning it down.
- Turn on medium small fire, cover the lid and cook for 10-15 minutes until the vegetables are a little soft.
- Keep stirring vegetable and curry blocks make sure curry is well mixed
- Always add salt to your taste. (If you don’t like to add salt, add more curry roux.)
- Add diced chicken thigh and cook them until it's done.
FAQs:
Normally, I use Japanese rice for Japanese curry. They are short and wide rice. In the states, calrose brand rice is very popular and easy to find in most regular grocery stores. Also, I like to use it to make sushi and kimbap Korean sushi rolls.
Absolutely, yes you can use chicken breast instead of chicken thighs. However, the texture is not the same as chicken thighs. And, don't over cook the chicken breast. Chicken breast doesn't take as long to cook compared with chicken thigh. Therefore, add the chicken breast last and don't overcook it.
Yes, of course! You can use the instant pot pressure cooker to cook this Japanese chicken curry. Put all the ingredients in the instant pot, then close the lid and vent. Push the manual button and adjust time to “0” minutes at high pressure and naturally release pressure. I like to do “0” minutes because the potatoes are not too mushy. Also, if you use the pressure cooker, add more vegetables and meat, then adjust the curry blocks to 3 or 4 blocks.
Keep stirring the curry roux with the vegetables because the roux dissolves when you cook it.
I usually simmer it for about 15-20 minutes to make sure of the flavors and the vegetables are tender.
Instructions for how to make Japanese chicken curry rice:
Preparation:
1. Wash and peel 2 small carrots (8 oz), then cut it into chunks.
2. After that, wash and peel 1 medium sized onion (7 oz), then cut it into chunks.
3. Next, wash and peel 2 small potatoes (12 oz), then cut it into chunks.
4. Cut 2 pieces of boneless and skinless chicken thighs (8 oz) into dice.
Cooking:
5. After that, put carrots, onion, potatoes into a pot and add 2 cups of water and 2 blocks of Japanese curry roux. Then, turn on medium small fire to cook them for 10-15 minutes until the vegetables are soft. Keep stirring them once a while and make sure the curry blocks are well mixed.
6. Next, add the diced chicken thighs and ⅛ teaspoon of salt (Add salt to your taste). Stir well and simmer for another 5-10 minutes until the chicken is cooked thoroughly.
7. Then, serve with rice, tonkatsu or udon.
Enjoy this simple Japanese chicken curry rice recipe! Also, check out these Hawaiian musubi, pan fried buns, Korean strawberry milk, smoked pull pork, cream buns and cashew shrimp recipes.
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Japanese Curry
Equipment
- 1 Pot
Video
Ingredients
- 2 blocks Japanese curry roux
- 2 small Potatoes (12 oz)
- 2 small Carrots (8 oz)
- 1 medium Onion (7 oz)
- 2 pieces Chicken thighs (Boneless and skinless, 8 oz)
- 2 cups Water
- ⅛ teaspoon Salt (Salt to your taste)
Instructions
- Wash and peel 2 small carrots (8 oz), then cut it into chunks.
- After that, wash and peel 1 medium sized onion (7 oz), then cut it into chunks.
- Next, wash and peel 2 small potatoes (12 oz), then cut it into chunks.
- Cut 2 pieces of boneless and skinless chicken thighs (8 oz) into dice.
- After that, put carrots, onion, potatoes into a pot and add 2 cups of water and 2 blocks of Japanese curry roux. Then, turn on medium small fire to cook them for 10-15 minutes until the vegetables are soft. Keep stirring them once a while and make sure the curry blocks are well mixed.
- Next, add the diced chicken thighs and ⅛ teaspoon of salt (Add salt to your taste). Stir well and simmer for another 5-10 minutes until the chicken is cooked thoroughly.
Notes
Cooking tips for how to make Japanese chicken curry rice:
- Use a good quality Japanese curry roux. I like to use brands like S&B Golden Curry. If not, you can make your own roux from scratch for a more personalized flavor.
- The best is to use fresh vegetables and meat for the best flavor. Common vegetables include onions, carrots, and potatoes. For protein, you can use beef, chicken, or pork.
- Start with a smaller amount of roux and add more as needed. This helps you control the thickness of the curry. You can always add more roux to thicken it and add more water to thinning it down.
- Turn on medium small fire, cover the lid and cook for 10-15 minutes until the vegetables are a little soft.
- Keep stirring vegetable and curry blocks make sure curry is well mixed
- Always add salt to your taste. (If you don’t like to add salt, add more curry roux.)
- Add diced chicken thigh and cook them until it's done.
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