I started this journey of learning to make Japanese style curry thanks to my Japanese grandmother. She would make curry with the S&B curry bricks when I was in high-school and it was always the most satisfying meal! It is a meal that is so incredibly savory and tasty, it was one of my favorite that she would cook.When I had left for college, I wasn’t able to cook for myself, so I always looked forward to having it when I came home. Finally I got my own place and decided it was time I delve into the world of curry, specifically the sweet and savory Japanese style.

I continually experiment and change up my proportions when I cook, specifically with the spices and sweeteners. I really enjoy my curry sweet and spicy, so read past the recipe for more explanation. This recipe is a compilation of things I have learned as I am learning more and more techniques to bring in all types of extra and subtle flavors. I have different reasoning for different things I use, but I will explain all of that down below the recipe.

This is a larger recipe, I’m working on a smaller portioned recipe, so portion at your own risk

Ingredients:

• • 1 lb Chicken (optional)*
  • 2 Large Sweet Onions (Vidalia)
  • 2-3 Carrots
  • 1 Large Potato or 2 Medium Potatoes
  • 1.5 Tbsp Grated Ginger
  • 5 Cloves Of Garlic (You really cant go wrong with more…)
  • 1 Apple (Think sweeter like a Fuji)
  • 1.5 tsp Orange Zest (Optional)
  • 6 Cups of Dashi Stock**
  • Curry Roux***
  • 2 Tbsp Honey
  • 3 Tbsp Soy Sauce
  • 2.5 Tbsp Hoisin Sauce
  • Corn starch/Potato starch (optional)

*I suggest cooking your protein (chicken or pork) Katsu style and eating it over the curry and rice, but you can cook with it as well
**You can use other types of stock or even water is fine, but a more traditional route would be to make a dashi
***I’m just linking it out to this post, using this recipe should be what you need for this recipe, but you can make more or less depending on the flavor and thickness of your curry. Adding this whole recipe will result in a flavorful curry that is relatively spicy. 3/4 of this recipe works well, but make sure to thicken your curry with a starch slurry

Directions:

1.   If you’re using chicken or another protein, cut into 1 inch cubes and season with salt and pepper.

2.   Prep your onions. Cutting them into strands.

3.   Prep your carrots. Skin them and cut them Rangiri style.

4.   Prep your potatoes. Cut them in 1 inch pieces.

5.   Mince the garlic and grate the ginger and orange. Peel the apple.

6.   Heat some oil in the bottom of a stock pot over medium heat. Saute the onions so that they are tender and starting to brown. You can also take the time to cook at a little bit lower of heat for a little longer to start to caramelize the onions for some extra sweetness, but I suggest just getting then tender and translucent, maybe browning a little.
7.   If you are cooking with a protein, add it now.

8.   Add your ginger and garlic and cook until your protein is done.

9.   Add carrots and potatoes and mix and add your dashi or stock, ensuring it covers the ingredients.
10.   Bring the curry to a boil.

11.   Grate your apple into the curry. Add orange zest.

12.   Add salt and pepper to taste (I suggest 1 tsp of both) and reduce to a simmer.
13.   Simmer uncovered until the potatoes and carrots are tender, about 15-20 minutes

14.   When ready, ladle some broth into your roux and mix to get it a little thinner to mix in, and mix well with the curry.
15.   If the curry isn’t as thick as you would like it, you can always make a starch slurry with some corn or potato starch and add that to the curry while stirring to thicken it up slightly. Work in measurements of only a couple teaspoons of starch and enough water to get it liquidy, at a time as not to over thicken the curry.

16.   Add honey, Soy Sauce, and Hoisin Sauce and mix well. Add more to taste, I usually just pour them in and taste as I go. See below for more sauce suggestions.

17.   Serve over Japanese rice with a soft boiled ramen egg and Chicken or Pork Katsu if you left out your protein before. Enjoy your hard work!

The Honey and Hoisin sauce add quite a bit of sweetness to the sauce. I personally love Hoisin sauce, its very sweet and with the soy based flavor, I think its the perfect addition for this meal. Other sauces that are common are Ketchup and Worcestershire sauce. Mix and match to test out some different flavors and levels of sweetness!