Japanese Curry Recipe from Scratch!

Japanese Curry is a Kids meal

When I was a kid, it was always a good day when mom made Japanese curry and now I make it for my kids. In Korea/Japan it’s considered a children’s favorite meal since it has a mild curry flavor and not too spicy. Japanese curry is the perfect introduction to curry for kids and adults and a great way to sneak in some veggies! I make this in bulk during the week but it doesn’t last more than a few days since we all like to have a second serving. Please try my Japanese curry recipe from scratch to make a satisfying meal for your family.

OG way to make Japanese Curry

Mom used to use S&B curry sauce mix/curry roux blocks and it tasted good but it contains flavor additives, preservatives, and hydrogenated oils. It’s really easy to make your own curry sauce or roux from scratch with just curry powder, flour, and butter.

Japanese Curry Ingredients:

Seasonings:

• Curry powder (I use Morton & Bassett Curry Organic Curry Powder, nice and mild for the kiddos!)
• Coconut Milk
• Japanese soy sauce
• Sake
• Mirin
• Shio Koji (optional),

• Dashi stock (made from Kuze Fuku & Sons Dashi packs)
• Neutral tasting oil (I use avocado oil)
• All-purpose flour
• Butter
• Agave syrup- This is completely optional if you want your curry sweeter but I didn’t add it because the mirin added the right amount.
• Ground chicken thigh – Can use any kind of group meat. Ground turkey works well too!

Diced Veggies easy for Toddlers to eat

• 2 carrots, diced
• 4 Yukon potatoes, diced
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 Fuji apple, processed into apple sauce to add natural sweetness

Japanese Curry from Recipe from Scratch Cooking Method

Meat and Veggies

• Add 1 tbsp oil to a thick bottomed pot (my Le Creuset works wonderfully for stews), and cook onion until translucent, then add another 1 tbsp oil and brown the ground meat. Cook the meat till it’s about 80% cooked (still a little pink), and set aside on a plate. I find cooking the meat with the veggies together makes the meat dry.
• Put coconut milk, dashi, apple sauce, shio koji, soy sauce, sake, mirin and salt in the pot and bring to a boil.
• Add veggies to pot and lower heat to a simmer. Cover the pot with a lid, leaving a small crack so that some steam can escape.
• Cook until you can poke a fork through the veggies.

Make Curry Roux

• Melt butter in a pan on medium-low heat, add curry power, and combine.
• Add flour and mix until completely combined with curry butter. The flour mixture will be clumpy but that’s OK, because when we add the roux to the curry the clumps will break apart and thicken the stew.

Stir, Stir!

• Stir in the roux. Keep stiring until the curry is nice and thick.
• Japanese like to eat curry with fukujinzuke pickles but Koreans gotta have kimchi!

Japanese Curry Recipe from Scratch

Mild kid-friendly Japanese curry stew recipe that's sure to please. No MSG, no preservatives, no dyes, and no hydrogenated oils! Great way to sneak in veggies.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Japanese

Servings 8

Ingredients

  

Veggies and Meat

• 1 lb Ground chicken thigh Can use any ground meat
• 2 tbsp Neutral tasting oil
• 2 Carrots Diced small
• 1 Onion Diced
• 4 Yukon potatoes Diced
• 1 Fuji apple Make into apple sauce with a little water in a blender or food processor.

Seasonings

• 2 c Dashi stock Can substitute with water or chicken broth.
• 1/4 c Sake
• 1/4 c Mirin
• 1 c Coconut milk
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tbsp Shio Koji Can substitute with soy sauce.
• 1 tbsp Soy sauce

Curry Roux

• 2 tbsp Curry powder
• 2 tbsp Unsalted butter
• 1/4 c All-purpose flour

Instructions

 

• Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large heavy bottom pot. Cook the onion until translucent, then add 1 tbsp oil to the pot, and brown the ground meat. Cook the meat until it is about 80% done (still pink inside), and set the onion/meat on a plate.
• Put coconut milk, dashi stock, apple sauce, shio-koji, soy sauce, sake, mirin, and salt in the pot and bring to a boil. Add veggies and turn down heat to a simmer. Put a lid on but leave a small crack so that some steam can escape. Veggies are done when you can poke a fork through easily (~10 mins).
• Make the roux by melting butter in a pan on medium-low heat. Add curry powder and combine. Then add the flour and mix while cooking until flour is completely combines with curry butter.
• Add the roux to the pot and stir until all the clumps melt and curry is thick.

Keyword Japanese Curry