Curry – Japanese Style

Japanese curry has a savory richness, along with a subtle sweetness, that enhance the spices in an amazing and very delicious way.

Let’s get started making Japanese curry

A typical Japanese curry is usually made with meat, carrots, potatoes, and onions. Grated apple and a touch of honey lend sweetness (I use maple syrup).

Adding peas isn’t traditional, but I like the extra pop of color. If you want it more old-style, then omit the peas or maybe add edamame.

It is typically served over rice, and usually accompanied by pickled side dishes. I like it with Kimchi, which adds a nice spicy zing, or pickled onions are tasty too.

Curry Spices:

The go-to curry spice for Japanese style is S & B Oriental Curry Powder.

You can find it in Asian grocery stores, but it’s also available online. A Google search shows quite a few options.

I use this as the main spice, but to add another layer of awesomeness, you really should add a second curry spice to the mix.

My favorite is Frontier Co-op, which I think is pretty similar to garam masala. If you don’t have access to Frontier, then use latter.

Preparing the Vegetables 

I like cutting the carrots at an angle, more for presentation than anything else. lol

For the onions, I dice half of the onion. The other half I cut it into longer slices (see photo above).

This adds different tastes to your dish. The smaller onion bits will caramelize, and basically melt into the curry. The larger slices will add more texture.

The potatoes I just cut into bite sized chunks. You can cube them if you want. This is how my mom always did it, so that’s how I like them.

The potatoes and carrots are still raw in the photo above. The next time I made the curry though, I cooked them as the recipe below directs.

It turns out better this way, so you don’t have any under-cooked vegetables. (I had to dig the potatoes out and boil them- hence the changes. haha)

Vegan Meat Choices

You can use vegan chick’n, I like Sweet Earth the best, or tofu. (See recipe below)

Sweet Earth brand tastes fantastic in recipes. The chick’n pieces don’t get spongy or slimy, and they have a neutral taste- which is perfect for using in recipes.

I made a yummy pot pie with them, and they are fantastic in my Ginger Miso Chicken.

Note: I don’t eat them plain, but definitely add them to recipes that call for chicken.

Pan Fried Tofu for Curry

Important: Begin the draining process before you start making the curry.

Drain the tofu, and then use a tofu press. If you don’t have one, you can follow these directions- choosing method number 4. 

–> Do the following, while the carrots and potatoes are cooking…

Cut the tofu in half lengthwise. With tofu halves still stacked on each other, cut the tofu block into 5 long strips. Then cut them into about 1 inch cubes.

Add the tofu cubes to a medium bowl, along with 2 tablespoons cornstarch, and gently fold/stir to coat.

Heat 1 tablespoons oil in a large skillet, over medium heat, and add the tofu. (Work in batches if using all the tofu.)

Cook the tofu, gently flipping/stirring the tofu for about 3 minutes until crispy and golden.

Remove tofu to a paper towel lined cookie sheet.

Note: You may want to use just half a tofu package, or you can save any leftovers for another meal.

There are a couple of steps, but it really is this easy to make Japanese curry.

Really, the only other advice I would give is to make it the day before serving it.

The flavor deepens and the potatoes absorb more of that ultra-delicious curry sauce. Enjoy!!