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Japanese Curry Rice

East Asian · 55 min · Easy · 4 servings

Japanese Curry Rice

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A thick, glossy, faintly sweet curry sauce over rice, with soft potato and carrot. Mild by design and deeply comforting. Japan's favorite home dinner.

~640 cal per serving — Calories are approximate, per serving — a guide only.

nut-free
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Method

  1. 1

    Cook the rice

    ⏱ 20 min

    Rinse the rice until the water runs clear and cook it with the water for the rice: boil, cover, lowest heat, then rest off the heat with the lid on.

  2. 2

    Brown the vegetables

    ⏱ 15 min

    Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat and cook the onions until soft and golden, then add the carrot, potato, garlic and ginger and cook for a few minutes more.

  3. 3

    Simmer

    ⏱ 20 min

    Pour in the stock, bring to a boil, then simmer until the potato and carrot are completely tender.

  4. 4

    Make the roux

    ⏱ 7 min

    In a separate small pan, melt the vegan butter, stir in the flour and cook it to a pale sandy paste. Take it off the heat and stir in the curry powder and garam masala, then whisk in a ladleful of the hot broth until smooth.

  5. 5

    Thicken and season

    ⏱ 10 min

    Stir the roux back into the pot along with the soy sauce, maple syrup and ketchup, and simmer until the sauce is thick and glossy enough to coat a spoon. Season with salt and serve over the rice.

Notes

The roux is what gives Japanese curry its distinctive thick gloss. Do not try to thicken with cornflour instead. Ketchup and maple syrup sound wrong and are exactly right; the style is mild and slightly sweet.

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