Japanese Curry Rice

Japanese curry rice is one of the most satisfying dishes you can cook and eat!

Japanese curry rice takes a little time and work to make, but it’s well worth the effort. We usually make a double batch (a double-batch serves 8), so there’s some leftover for a couple of lunches or even another dinner (just freeze what you had made). It’s that good.

There are a couple of different ways to make this, but they’re essentially the same, with the veggies being the major difference. It is really flavorful, but not spicy-hot.

What you need for the roux:

• 3T butter or duck fat
• about ¼-cup flour
• 2T garam masala
• 2 pinches of cayenne pepper (the more you use, the spicier the curry)
• Ground black pepper
• 1T plain ketchup
• 1T tonkatsu or Worcestershire sauce

What you need for the curry:

• 2t vegetable oil
• 2 large onions, sliced
• About 2 pounds of boneless chicken thighs
• 2 large carrots, cut into chunks
• About 4 cups of water
• 2 potatoes (Yukon gold are best)
• 1 pureed apple (optional, but recommended)
• Whole smashed garlic cloves (optional)
• Ginger (optional)
• Salt, to taste
• 1t garam masala
• ½-cup frozen peas
• Rice or Japanese/Chinese noodles

What to do (for the roux)

1. Melt the butter in a nonstick pan and add the flour and garam masala; combine until it becomes a paste.
2. Add the pepper and stir it in to the roux.
3. Add the ketchup and tonkatsu sauce (or Worcestershire sauce) and stir in to the roux.
4. Set aside until needed.

The roux is what gives the entire dish its flavor.

What to do (for the curry):

Heat the oil in a large pan (I use cast-iron) and cook the onions at medium-low heat until golden.

Raw onions when they start cooking.

Onions that have cooked for about 30 minutes.

Turn up burner temperature and brown the chicken.

The onions are cooked and the chicken is browning.

Now for the fun part: add water and carrots; bring to a boil.

Now the chicken, potatoes and carrots are simmering.

De-foam, if needed, reduce heat a bit and add the garam masala, apple (if you’re using it), potatoes and salt. Simmer for about 30 minutes, until carrots and potatoes are cooked.

Now things are cooking at a medium simmer.

Now you’re almost done—take about 1.5-2 cups of the liquid from the curry and add it to the roux that you’ve made.

Mix liquid and roux until all the roux has diluted back into the liquid and add back in to your pot with the chicken, carrots, etc.—if you skip this step the final curry will be lumpy.

Add the diluted roux back into the pot.

Mix well and add the peas. Keep on medium-low heat until everything is cooked through.

As a final step, the peas have been added. Just heat everything to serving temperature.

Serve over rice (or noodles).