Japanese Curry Rice
An easy recipe that can be made with as few as 3 ingredients
Japanese curry rice (or ka-rei rai-su) was one of my favorite foods when I lived in Tokyo. It was a simple yet hearty dish that always soothed my soul after a tough day at work. I suspect that many Japanese salarymen who pop into a curry restaurant at the end of the day before going home felt the same way.
Curry was introduced to Japan during the Meiji era (1862–1912) by the Europeans, who had invented curry powder after importing curry from India. Japanese curry is distinctive due to its relative sweetness and lack of spiciness. It also does not use coconut milk. The Japanese also like topping their curry rice with a large piece of deep-fried meat, typically pork, chicken, or minced beef.
It is possible to make the curry roux from scratch. However, most people use the curry roux cubes readily found in supermarkets in Japan. The most popular brands are S&B, Golden Curry, and Vermont, which can also be found on Amazon. I prefer the less sweet brands, such as Java Curry or Premium, although they might not be as easily found outside Japan.
Japanese curry is typically built around 3 main ingredients, namely onion, potato, and carrot. (Please note that the curry roux cubes typically contain beef and/or pork extracts. They are therefore…
