Japanese Beef Curry
Japanese curry is very different to most curries you might be familiar with. It takes a bit of French sauce technique and Japanese stewing technique and combines it for a unique style of curry where the European-style roux forms the base of a richly flavoured thick curry sauce that is used to coat the main ingredients.
Curry was introduced to Japan by the British navy which usually had canned curries for ocean voyages, and today it is often made from packaged curry roux blocks. If you want to try making it from scratch, here’s how you do it.
Ingredients
1 kg beef chuck, cut into 3cm cubes
salt and pepper, to season
1 tbsp oil
75g unsalted butter
75g plain flour
3 tbsp curry powder (or 2 tbsp curry powder and 1 tbsp garam masala)
¼ tsp chilli powder (or to taste)
150g shimeji mushrooms, broken into clumps
1 large brown onion, thickly sliced
3 large carrots, peeled and cut into irregular chunks
2 sebago potatoes, peeled and cut into irregular chunks
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp salt
1 apple, grated
Japanese pickles (rakkyo and fukujinzuke), to serve
cooked Japanese rice, to serve
Method
Season the beef with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the beef in batches until well browned. Return all of the beef to the saucepan and add around 2L of water to completely cover the meat. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 1 to 1.5 hours, skimming to remove any scum that forms on the surface.
When the beef is tender (but not falling apart), add in the potato and carrot and simmer for a further 15 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Remove from the heat and strain off the solids, reserving the stock.
Heat another large saucepan and add in the butter and flour. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine into a roux and cook until just starting to turn colour. Add in the curry powder, garam masala and chilli powder and stir for 1 minute. Add in the stock a ladle at a time until a smooth sauce develops. You can add more stock or water if it is too thick. Add the shimeji mushrooms, sliced onion, grated apple, and other remaining ingredients and simmer for 10 minutes until the onion is softened, stirring regularly to stop the sauce from sticking to the saucepan. Remove from the heat. Stir through the beef, potatoes and carrot, adjust seasoning for saltiness and allow to stand covered for at least 15 minutes before serving. Adjust seasoning (you will probably need to add some additional salt) and then serve with rice and pickles.
Top Tips for Japanese Curry
- This version uses beef, but you could easily substitute any other meat or vegetable you like. If you use chicken the cooking time will be much shorter as you won’t need to wait for the chicken to become tender as for the beef chuck.
- Using a mixture of curry powder and garam masala will give a more fragrant curry with less heat.
- If you can’t find the rakkyo or fukujinzuke, try adding a few pickled cocktail onions instead.
- Try making the sauce only and using that as a topping for a crumbed and fried pork cutlet for another Japanese favourite, katsu kare.
There’s not mention of stock in the ingredients list, or the mushrooms. I’m slightly confused!
You keep the stock from the beef carrots and potatoes. Then add slowly back in to the roux.
You keep the stock from the beef carrots and potatoes. Then add slowly back in to the roux.
You make the stock by boiling the meat and vegetables. After they are done you remove them from the boiling liquid and use, don’t discard, that flavourful stock. You don’t pour it out. Use tongs or a paddle strainer to get the meat and vegetables out of the stock.
The stock comes from the liquid you boiled the beef in.
“Season the beef with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the beef in batches until well browned. Return all of the beef to the saucepan and add around 2L of water to completely cover the meat. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 1 to 1.5 hours, skimming to remove any scum that forms on the surface.
When the beef is tender (but not falling apart), add in the potato and carrot and simmer for a further 15 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Remove from the heat and strain off the solids, reserving the stock.”
You will be making the stock yourself.
“150g shimeji mushrooms, broken into clumps”
Mushrooms are in the list. Maybe Mr. Liaw updated it?
The stock is from the water that was used to cook the beef and root vegetables. Mix that with the roux afterwards to get your curry.
The water used to cook the beef and carrots//potatoes is the stock used in this dish.
the stock is made from cooking the meat in the 2L of water for 1.5 hrs. and the mushrooms are indeed listed.
Your making the stock yourself by cooking the beef with water.
The stock is from the boiled beef, carrots and potatoes. The list included 150g shimeji mushrooms. Get an eye exam my friend.
The stock is reserved from the beef and onions and carrots after straining.
I think he uses the ‘stock’s made from cooking the beef and be yes.
Watch the video… It’s all there
Mushrooms are in the ingredients list actually
And the stock’s mentioned in the method – it’s what’s left over after boiling the meat
Yes there is. Its where you took out the meat and carrot and potato. That is the stock
Yes there is. Its where you took out the meat and carrot and potato. That is the stock
Yes there is. The stock is in the pan you take out the meat and carrot. And the mushrooms you put in the curry when you mixed the powder and stock. Its all in the text
You should read more carefully before complaining. He clearly says you use the stock from the beef that you boiled, and he mentions adding the mushrooms towards the end of the recipe. A thank you to the man would’ve been nice instead of a childish whining.
You are reserving the stock that is created by the previous steps.
Not sure if this has been touched on yet, but you make the stock yourself.
Where are the mushrooms?
Has anyone seen the mushrooms?
In the ingredients list. 150g of shimeji mushrooms broken into clumps
Stock is in the method and the ingrefiants are clearly listed!
Stock is in the method and the ingrediants are clearly listed!
I made this for lunch today. It was surprisingly delicious. I followed the recipe exactly except that I had leftover turkey from Thanksgiving so I use that instead of beef. Worked out great. I think when he means chili powder he actually probably meant cayenne powder. Because it was very mild. I used US chili powder. I added additional cayenne powder to kick it up a notch.
stock isn’t an ingredient you buy… when you boil chicken or beef after you have strained the water into a bowl, that water is what is called stock.
Watch the video guys, all will be made clear.
Is the Worchestershire sauce an important part of the curry? I’m from Indonesia and I’m currently having difficulty acquiring them. Will it be okay if I just not add the sauce instead?
Mushrooms are there: “shimeji mushrooms. broken into clumps”. The stock is made from cooking the beef in the pot. Also mentionted in the second paragraph of the “method” section.
Your making the stock yourself by cooking the beef with water.
Maybe this has been updated, but you make the stock, and mushrooms are in the list.
Just made this and it is fantastic!
Dave, retain the water used to stew the beef – that’s your stock. It’s explained in the video
Really a good dish for winter. I used the curry powder and garam masala from my Indian grocery. In the end it’s like a beef stew. Instead of Japanese rice my family was thinking bread or noodles would have be just as good as a site dish.
@Rizqi Worchestershire sauce adds just umami and is in the same category like soy sauce or mild fish sauce. So just add something like this as an alternative to taste.
Hey Adam! Love your channel nd have made many of your recipes! Quick question, if I want to make Katsu Kare with curry from scratch rather than a roux block, what ingredients stay and which go? A pretty typical Katsu Kare doesn’t have much “chunks” so to say so I dare assume most of the carrots, potato, mushroom and meat goes (not necessarily of course but let’s think only making the sauce). Should I do anything to fancy up the water for the curry roux like using a bouillon cube or similar or is it as simple as a rouc, apple and spice to desired level? I’m thinking maybe some grated onion should still get in there cause when making the curry from the recipe I felt a lot of flavor development when adding the onion.
Sorry for the long ass comment, I’d really love to develop “my own” curry for katsu kare and the likes so I really want to learn how to do it from scratch! Thanks for all the inspiration! 🙂
Because I’m a dum dum who don’t labe the stuff in my freezer properly I accidentally made it with pork today and it was delicious. I subbed the shimeji mushrooms with portobello mushrooms because I couldn’t find any in my supermarket. The sauce is actually very close to how we make old style curry sauce in Denmark.
I made this, it was not good. Did you use 15ml or 20ml tablespoons?
Tablespoons are 15 ml all the time never 20 ml.
How would i do this type of curry with chicken? I imagine that the french style stock wouldn’t be as rich in flavor with chicken? Or is it fine to do the same method with chicken for the stock?
How many portions does the sauce make?
I just made this for dinner tonight and it turned out delicious. It tasted just like I’ve had in Japan on various occasions.
Thanks for the recipe and the explanatory video! I made this beef curry for dinner tonight, and it was really delicious!
Thanks Adam I just made this curry and it was amazing ! great video and details!
I have an 18-month-old who won’t be able to eat the carrots, onion, potatoes, beef, and mushrooms in chunks like that, is there ways to make the Japanese Curry smoother for her for her to enjoy? Also, is there ways to make Japanese Curry thicker?