Japanese Chicken Curry | Instant Pot Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is Japanese curry sauce made of? ›

What is it? The usual ingredients added in Japanese curry include potatoes, carrots, onions and meat. The sauce itself is usually made from curry powder or roux, which consists of a blend of basic Indian spices.

For one, Japanese curry uses curry powder with less spices whereas Indian curry uses a variety of bases such as cumin, paprika, turmeric, and many more. Indian curry is more vibrant and bursting with flavor, while Japanese curry is sumptuous and “umami” but in a more understated manner.

While curry is prevalent in multiple countries, Japanese curry is usually thicker in texture, sweeter, and less spicy than its Thai or Indian counterparts. That sweetness often comes from the addition of an apple and/or some honey.

Beef chuck or shoulder: These cuts are commonly used in Japanese curry due to their balance of tenderness and robust flavor. They break down beautifully during cooking, infusing the curry with their rich taste.

To say it in simpler words, Japanese curry is not a much healthy meal since it is not nutritionally balanced. Depending on the ingredients, it may contain more than 500 calories and more sodium than anyone should consume in a month.

The sauce is thickened by a roux (a mixture of fat and flour and an addition of curry spices). You can find many variations of Japanese curries, ranging from regions to households, but the most basic one uses chicken, which is the recipe I'm sharing here.

The stand-out feature of a Japanese curry is its thick, rich sauce. The thickness of the sauce which can only be found in Japanese curry is supported and beloved by many. The rich and indulgent sauce mixes with rice so perfectly, you will find it difficult stoping eating.

Korean curry has similar ingredients and methods of preparation as Japanese curry but is notably spicier (and tends to be a bit heavier on the garlic). Korean curries utilize a roux as their foundation like Japanese curries to get its thick consistency.

Known in Japan as “kuro” (black) curry, this rich and luxurious dish is made by adding dark-colored ingredients such as squid ink or bittersweet chocolate to standard Japanese curry. The result is a dark, smooth, elegant sauce.

The triad of vegetables most commonly found in Japanese curry are onion, potato, and carrots, but you can use almost any combination of vegetables and protein. Here, I've added celery, green beans, and corn to the mix, and use chicken thighs as my protein.

What is traditionally served with Japanese curry? ›

Serving. Japanese curry rice is served in anything from a flat plate to a soup bowl. The curry is poured over rice in any manner and amount. Japanese short-grain rice, which is sticky and round, is preferred, rather than the medium-grain variety used in Indian dishes.

Japanese curry is often served alongside with steamed rice and an accompaniment of bright crimson red relish called f*ckujinzuke (福神漬け). These pickled vegetables are sweet and tangy, which is perfect to set off the richness of curry.

The curry base is made with onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, red chilli powder and garam masala. I prefer to go with potatoes, carrots, peas, green beans, cauliflower, corn and bell peppers. Though you can use other veggies like baby corn, sweet potato and broccoli, the curry will have different flavors.

In Japan, when we say " Katsu Curry", we mean the one with deep-fried pork. It's important to note that Japanese people will never call curry without deep-fried cutlets on top "Katsu Curry". It's called 'curry rice'.

It starts a little sweet as curry should, thanks perhaps to coconut paste in the mix, but right away the spices kick in, and they are harsh. There is no subtlety in the transition from sweet to spicy, nor in the medley of spices. Java Curry is perhaps for those who enjoy the heat and sweat resulting from a hot curry.

Although each ingredient is relatively healthy, Japanese Curry is still a high caloric sauce that adds a lot of extra carbohydrates to your meal. For every serving of Japanese Curry, there are around 250 calories with 6 grams of fat, 40 grams of carbohydrates, and 10 grams of protein.

Although spicier versions exist, the commonly encountered versions of Japanese curry powder are relatively mild, with turmeric and coriander forward notes and a residual sweetness (S&B's version purportedly contains 30 spices).

Perhaps when you hear curry you automatically think of a spicy Indian or Thai dish, but curry is very popular in Japan as well. Japanese curry is quite different from its spicy cousins though. It is more like a thick mildly spiced gravy.