If you know I’ve painted hundreds of mini Japanese foods, it’s likely no surprise to you that I love good food. When I posted about Japanese curry recently, there were many responses curious about the recipe so here it is!
Japanese curry is a household staple like mac and cheese. It’s comfort food that I could eat daily. The boxed roux is delicious but I was hoping for a healthier alternative without additives that could also be vegan. So, a few years ago I started my curry recipe quest. It was intimidating. I consulted the first recipe at least 20 times, and it ended up way too spicy and tasted flat. Since then I’ve tried a few others, and my staple is now based on this one at NoRecipes.com. The rich flavor without butter or pork fat comes from tons of caramelized onions so it can be made vegan without compromising any flavor. His step-by-step photos and descriptions are really good for reference.
This is my shorter, simplified version with ingredients that I can get anywhere. My favorite thing about curry these days with a busy little one is that it tastes even better day 2 so leftovers are a treat!
INGREDIENTS (Serves 6-ish)
Neutral cooking oil
1.5-2 C chicken/beef, bite sized OR firm tofu, pressed
1/2” ginger & 2 cloves garlic, grated
3 yellow onions, sliced thin across the grain
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2.5 T S&B Curry Powder (YES, this S&B brand is essential or “Japanese curry powder”)*
3 carrots, cut in wedges
2 C yukon gold potatoes, kabocha, or butternut squash, large pieces
2 T ketchup OR tomato paste & honey/brown sugar to taste
2 T soy sauce
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 banana, ripe
2 tsp cocoa powder or 1 T chocolate
3-4 C broth (veg or chicken**)
1 bay leaf
1 C frozen green peas
Optional: 1/2 C apple sauce or 1 T honey
METHOD
PREP PROTEIN: If using chicken, brown it with some oil. If using tofu, option to brown it for better texture but if it’s pressed well it’ll hold up either way.
Remove from pan. Add garlic, ginger, onion and stir.
SPEED-CARAMELIZE THE ONIONS: Once fragrant, add baking soda and salt. Stir. Lower heat and place lid on for 10 min.
Remove lid. For 10-20 minutes, stir onions occasionally on med heat. Let the liquid evaporate and onions brown all the way to fully caramelize.
PREP VEG & SAUCE: Meanwhile chop veggies and measure other ingredients. Steam carrots and potatoes to partially cook them.
Add curry powder to onion mix and stir.
BLEND: Combine the onions, 2-3 C broth, ketchup, sauces, banana, and cocoa in blender.
SIMMER: Pour back into pan along with veggies, protein, and bay leaf. Add stock as needed or more of other seasonings to taste. Sauce should be thick. Simmer until veggies are fork-tender.
Add frozen green peas.
EAT: best on white short/medium grain rice, but brown rice or quinoa are ok too. If you can find it, fukujinzuke (type of sweet pickled relish) will make it shine.
If you end up making it I’d love to hear what you think! Or I can just make it for you if we live close.
*This curry powder makes the flavor. It’s S&B’s proprietary blend. If the curry powder name doesn’t have S&B or “Japanese” in it, it will be a tasty dish but not the distinct, warm, not-too-spicy flavor of Japanese curry.
**For broth, I’ve used Japanese Torigara Soup Base, Vegan “Chicken” Broth, Better than Bouillon Chicken, Trader Joe’s Chicken Broth Concentrate, and they all work.