Other than Chinese curry, Japanese curry has to be the one curry I eat the most. It is very common in Hong Kong. You can find it in a lot of fusion cafes or Japanese restaurants. I like that Japanese curry is a bit sweet and not spicy, but with tons of flavors. This is definitely my kind of comfort food!
Before I have found this recipe from Just One Cookbook, I always make my Japanese curry with only the curry blocks. I didn’t know that I should build up more flavors with onion, ginger, garlic, apple and honey. Those ingredients make the curry so much better with layers of flavors. Hearty, sweet, comforting and warm….. Just too hard to resist! Even though there are more works and steps to this recipe than cooking with a curry block, it is so worth it at the end! Enjoy!
Japanese Curry with Chicken (Adapted from Just One Cookbook)
3 servings
Ingredients:
– 1½ pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
– 1 carrot (peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces)
– 1 medium onion (chopped into wedges)
– 2 red potatoes or 1 russet potato (peeled and diced into 1-inch cubes)
– ¾ teaspoon grated ginger
– 1 clove garlic (minced)
– 2¼ cups water
– ½ Fuji apple
– ½ tablespoon honey
– 1 teaspoon salt, plus more
– 3.5-ounce Japanese curry roux blocks
– 1 tablespoon soy sauce
– ½ tablespoon ketchup
– ground black pepper
– 4 cups cooked hot steamed rice
– 3 soft boiled eggs (optional)
Directions:
- Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Remove extra fat and cut into 1½-inch cubes. Season with salt and pepper.
- In a medium bowl, soak the potato cubes in water for about 15 minutes.
- In large pot over medium heat, heat the oil. Cook the onions until they are translucent. Add the ginger, garlic and chicken. Mix well and cook until the chicken is no longer pink on the outside. Stir in the carrot. Add the water and bring to a boil. Skim the excess fat.
- Peel the apple, cut into wedges and coarsely grate half of the apple into the chicken mixture. Add the honey and salt. Simmer the mixture for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the potatoes and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add 2 curry blocks to the mixture and let them dissolve. Continue with the rest of the blocks. Add soy sauce and ketchup.
- Turn back on the heat to low heat. Simmer until the curry has thickened, stirring occasionally. If the curry is too thick, add some water. Transfer the curry to serving plates along with hot steamed rice. Top with an egg if using. Serve immediately.
Tips:
- Apple makes the curry sweet. Do not skip.
- For the curry roux blocks, I usually use medium spicy level, which is not really spicy at all. Just keep in mind that Japanese curry spicy level is not like Thai or Indian curry. It is much more mild.
- This curry is great for next day lunch.
- If you are interested to make your own curry roux, check out Just One Cookbook’s recipe. I have tried it once. It was great
Source: Read
I saw this on Nami’s blog too! No idea if I can get those curry blocks over here but I’ll try. Awesome looking curry you got there.
Thanks! Even if you can’t find it, you can make your own roux. Here is the link to the Nami’s curry roux recipe: http://justonecookbook.com/blog/how-to/how-to-make-curry-roux/
Love Japanese curry and this looks fantastic! The apple and honey sound amazing in this dish. I I usually use the curry blocks too so thank you for sharing this 🙂
You are welcome, Kelly. Hope you will enjoy this curry with these extra ingredients. 🙂
Thank you SO much for trying this recipe, Lokness! So happy that you tried adding other ingredients to the Japanese curry roux. It’s easy to make your own version so that every time your curry will have slightly different flavor. 🙂 Your curry look so delicious. I need to eat some Japanese curry soon! Thank you for linking back. I’m going to share your post with my facebook fans. xo 🙂
I love your recipe, Nami! That layer of flavors in the curry really can’t be substituted with just the curry blocks. Thanks a lot for sharing! I am always going to make my curry your way now.
I love Japanese curry too. Yours looks wonderful and beautifully done. 🙂
Thanks Amy! I can’t wait to make the curry with pork katsu next time. YUM.
Finally I have to to shout “飯呀~~~終於有飯啦!!!”
I like Japanese curry too with the same reason as yours, “a bit sweet and not too spicy”. Your dish looks gorgeous and yummy!
I think the Japanese curry in Hong Kong is browner in colour (not sure if it is traditional Japanese), to distinguish it from Indian curry.
Check this out: http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=62265
HAHAHA! Thank you! I didn’t know that you love rice this much. You should make this. 🙂
The color of the curry may have to do with the curry blocks that I used. Each curry blocks are slightly different with taste and color. Since curry powder is a blend of many different spices, the color may also change depends on the amounts of each spice in a certain curry powder.
Although language is Japanese, it is a curry recipe of the Maritime Self Defense Force.
http://www.mod.go.jp/msdf/formal/family/recipe/archive/currey.html
Thank you Kaz! That is definitely interesting and useful!
This curry looks great – I don’t think I’ve ever had a Japanese curry before…. mostly Thai and Indian, so this is new to me!
You really have to try it, Amy. It is very different than Thai or Indian curry. It is sweeter and less spicy.
I didn’t know apple was used in Japanese curry. All those flavors coming together sound great!
Thank you, Lisa. And yes, I didn’t find out until recently too. It is very interesting. But that explains why Japanese curry is slightly sweet.
Don’t you know “Vermont curry” ?
Curry blocks contain apple & honey .
I love it !!
http://flavorofjapan.com/products_detail.aspx?id=72
Oh nice! Actually, I just heard about the Vermont curry a few days ago. I usually can only find the regular curry blocks in the US supermarket. Whenever I was at Japanese supermarket, I didn’t pay too much attention when shopping. I just picked the one I know. I wish I have known the Vermont curry blocks are different earlier. I should really try that now! Thanks for letting me know. 🙂
try 1. dried raisin sprinkle over the rice. 2. please try yogurt (just 1~2 TS for a pat) when too spicy 3. strawberry jam instead of apple & honey.
Thank you for all the tips, Tandi. Strawberry jam one is definitely interesting. I have never heard that before. I would need to try it soon.
I’ve made this recipe from Nami’s website, too! Learned so much and loved it. I’ve made it a couple of times and it’s definitely a keeper. I’ve got to add a soft boiled egg on top, too. Looks wonderful!
Thanks! Yes, it is a wonderful recipe. I will be making my curry like this from now on. 🙂
I’ve never heard of Japanese curry but it sounds really delicious – I love the sounds of the sweet/sour…
If you haven’t tried it, you should try it soon! It is savory with a hint of sweetness. Not sour though. Very comforting! I can eat it everyday. 😛