Japanese curry is the most popular common dish in Japan, served with either rice, noodles or bread. It is a mixture of stew and curry powder and usually cooked with onions, carrots and potatos. Sometimes apples(sweet) or apple sauce and tomatos or ketchup with honey are added.
The curry sauce has influence from Britain in Meiji era as India was a colony, there was also a rice shortage at that time, therefore potatoes are added to the curry sauce which is made by frying together curry powder, flour, and oil to make a roux (using corn starch as a thickener works as well), then other ingredients such as apricot jam, worcester sauce, vegetables and stewed meat are added in low cooking until it is thicken.
- Melt butter or add oil in a sauce pan on low heat.
- Add flour into the pan, and cook until the mixture turns into a brown sauce, stirring until it is thicken.
- Add curry mix powder (garam masala=Indian curry spices) and chili powder (add paprika powder instead if you do not like spiciness) into the pan. Stir it until it is blended, then remove from heat.
There is a variety of ingredients such as mushrooms (Shiitake or champignon mushrooms) and when the curry is added over rice, so called Kare Gohan=curry over rice.
Sometimes is served with bread or a dough filled with curry and other ingredients (kare pan).
It can be curry with rice in separated bowls.
The menu with noodles is called Udon Curry (kare udon).
The easiest way to make this in everyday life in Japan is by using an instant curry block that you can make it at home.
if you cannot find spices, you can order them from us. (Registration is required for ordering) Thank you!
