Easy Homemade Japanese Curry

I couldn’t be sharing this at a better time, now that it’s starting to get colder. I’m so happy to share this special comfort food recipe: Easy Homemade Japanese curry from my mother-in-law and my husband. My mother-in-law is Japanese and my husband is half Japanese. He grew up eating this delicious homemade Japanese curry. My husband, his older brother, and friends were in a rock band in middle school, and after band practice in the garage, their mom, Yoshi, had a hot pot of curry ready for them to chow down. This recipe makes a pretty big batch and is enough to feed a band of hungry teenage boys.

When my husband and I started dating, he would bust out his cooking skills for this recipe…and only this recipe, lol. He knows it by heart. And till this day, when we plan for curry, I let him take over the kitchen. We love that it’s super easy and so delicious, it’s almost stew-like. It’s so comforting and very fulfilling. You’ll definitely want a second bowl, but you’re so stuffed from the first one. We usually end up with tons of leftovers (more than half the pot). We save enough for the rest of the week, and the other half we freeze. When you’re ready to eat the frozen curry, be sure to thaw it in the refrigerator a day before you plan to eat it. Once thawed, heat it up in the microwave or pot with just a splash of water and serve over rice.

For this recipe, you start out with pretty simple ingredients: hearty vegetables that you can buy at your local grocery store. The only specialty ingredient is the Japanese Curry sauce mix/roux. It’s basically a block of curry sauce (very different than Indian and Thai curry). This is what makes it so good and savory!! Above are the most common ones we find at our Asian grocery stores. We usually purchase the Golden Curry in Medium Hot. There is a mild and medium option too. So, if you don’t like too much heat, be sure to look carefully at the package before purchasing. Ingredients and instructions below!

Please note there are many ways to make Japanese curry – so many different ingredients to add to it and make it your own. This recipe is an easy family recipe from my mother-in-law and husband’s family.

Ingredients for homemade Japanese curry :

• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 large potatoes, roughly chopped
• 4-6 carrots, roughly chopped
• 4-6 celery stalks, chopped
• Vegetable oil
• The protein of your choice or no meat at all. We usually use 2 large chicken breasts, chopped into bite-size (Other options: Beef, tofu, or pork)
• 1 box, Japanese curry sauce/roux (can be found at most Asian grocery stores or here on Amazon) — this really depends on how much you make. We usually make about a large pot of curry and use about 1 box (and a half, if we want it pretty thick) — for small batches, like half a pot, use half a box.

Step-by-step Instructions:

1. Place a large pot on the stovetop and turn on the heat to medium-hot. Pour in about 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Add the chopped onions and garlic. Cook until fragrant and when the onion and garlic are starting to brown. About 5-7 mins.
2. Add meat and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes or until chicken is browned.
3. Next, add all the chopped vegetables. Then quickly after, add enough water just to cover all the ingredients.
4. Bring to boil. Check the potatoes: If you can easily stab a fork through it then you’re ready to add the curry sauce roux.
5. Add the curry sauce mix/roux (be sure to cut the sauce mix/roux block beforehand – shown below – before adding to the pot, this will help make sure that it dissolves easily and evenly.)
6. Stir and mix in the curry sauce/roux until dissolved completely (or you’ll have chunks of it still in the curry). The curry will eventually thicken. Turn off the heat. If you want it thicker, add more curry mix. If it needs to be thinned, add a little bit more water.
7. Once done, plate with rice and your favorite sides and sauces (we added a marinated soft soy sauce egg (ramen egg), pickled ginger, sichimi (chili powder), soy sauce, and tonkatsu sauce. Enjoy!

Print Recipe

Homemade Japanese Curry

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

Loading...

Dinner – Asian

By Kashia – Serves: 10

Prep Time: 15 minutes – Cooking Time: 45 minutes – Total Time: 1 hour

Super easy and so delicious. So comforting and very fulfilling. You'll definitely want a second bowl of this homemade Japanese curry.

Ingredients

• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 large potatoes, roughly chopped
• 4-6 carrots, roughly chopped
• 4-6 celery stalks, chopped
• Vegetable oil
• Protein of your choice meat or no meat all. We usually use 2 large chicken breasts, chopped into bite-size (Other options: Beef, tofu, or pork)
• Japanese curry sauce/roux (can be found at most Asian grocery stores)

Instructions

1

Place a large pot on the stovetop and turn on the heat to medium-hot. Pour in about 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Start with the chopped onions and garlic. Cook until fragrant and when the onion and garlic are starting to brown. About 5-7 mins.

2

Add meat and cook for an additional, 3-4 minutes until chicken is browned.

3

Next, add all the chopped vegetables. Then add enough water just to cover all the ingredients.

4

Bring to boil. Check the potatoes. If you can easily stab a fork through it then you're ready to add the curry mix.

5

Add the curry sauce mix (be sure to cut the sauce mix beforehand - shown below - before adding to the pot, this will help make sure that it dissolves easily and evenly)

6

Stir and mix in the curry sauce. The curry will eventually thicken. If you want it thicker, add more curry mix. If it needs to be thinned, add a little bit more water.

7

Once done, plate with rice and your favorite sides (we added a marinated soft soy sauce egg, pickled ginger, sichimi, soy sauce, and tonkatsu sauce. Enjoy!

Notes

After adding the curry sauce/roux, it will quickly thicken. If you want the curry to be thicker, add more of the curry sauce roux. If you need to thin it out, add a little bit more water.