What is Japanese Dry Curry?
Dry curry (ドライカレー) is a type of broth-less curry that contains little to no liquid. It is typically prepared without adding liquid, or using only a little which is then simmered down and evaporated during cooking. The absence of liquid and fixed ingredients are key characteristics of this dish.
The Japanese dry curry was inspired by the “keema curry,” a similar curry dish using minced meat. It is believed that dry curry was first created in the 1910s on the Mishima Maru, a cargo ship that traveled to Europe.
While dry curry is currently considered more of a curry-flavored rice dish, it initially resembled keema curry more. At the time of its creation, minced meat and onions were combined with curry powder, and then the mixture was cooked until all of the water had evaporated.
Over time, dry curry evolved in Japan, becoming a unique dish without a broth.
How I Developed This Recipe
Dry curry might not be the most visually appealing dish, but I made sure to add some colorful ingredients to create a beautiful dish that would be perfect for a café.
In addition to the regular Japanese curry spices, I included red and green bell peppers for a pop of color. I added chopped green onions, chili peppers, and hot spring eggs for toppings to make it even more visually appealing.
The taste is not too spicy, making it easy to eat. It is also designed to be eaten with white rice, so please enjoy it with freshly cooked rice.
Ingredients & Substitution Ideas
- Cooked Japanese Short-grain Rice: This is the ideal base for your curry. Not sure which brand to go with or how to cook it just right? For more detailed recommendations on U.S.-available brands and foolproof cooking methods, check out our “How to Cook Japanese Rice” recipe.
- Ground Meat: I suggest using a 50-50 blend of ground beef and pork for a balanced taste and texture. However, feel free to customize it to your liking.
- Vegetables: Make a colorful and nutritious base with onions, carrots, bell peppers, button mushrooms, garlic, and ginger. Feel free to use your favorite local, seasonal vegetables to make this curry your own.
- Unsalted Butter: Go for unsalted butter to have the freedom to control the saltiness of your dish. If you only have salted on hand, no problem! Just remember to reduce the amount of added salt in the recipe accordingly.
- Cake Flour: If you don’t have cake flour, don’t worry. All-purpose flour is a great substitute.
- Japanese Curry Powder: Take a look at my article on Japanese curry powder for the best brand and a homemade recipe.
- Chicken bouillon soup: I usually use Chinese-style bouillon, but Western-style chicken stock works great, too. No matter which type you choose, be sure to follow the package instructions for the perfect stock concentration.
- Flavor Boosters: Give your curry a boost with a splash of red wine, tomato ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and bay leaf.
- Toppings: My choices include onsen tamago, chopped green onions, and sliced dried chili peppers. If onsen tamago isn’t available, boiled or raw eggs are suitable substitutes.
Make it plant-based:
Swap the ground meat and chicken stock for plant-based alternatives to make this dish suitable for vegetarians and vegans!
Jump to Full Recipe Measurements
Visual Walkthrough & Tips
Here are my step-by-step instructions for how to make Japanese Dry Curry at home. For ingredient quantities and simplified instructions, scroll down for the Printable Recipe Card below.
Heat a pan on medium-high and add unsalted butter. Once melted, add finely diced garlic, ginger and yellow onion, and fry until fragrant.
Add the ground meat, diced bell peppers, sliced mushrooms and finely diced carrot. Stir fry everything together until the meat is cooked through.
Add the curry powder and cake flour, and mix until evenly distributed.
Add the ketchup, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce, and mix. Finally, add the chicken stock and a bay leaf, and simmer until the liquid has almost gone.
Once thick and soupless, sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and remove the bay leaf.
Serve with white rice and your favorite toppings. I used chopped green onions, dry red chili pepper and an onsen tamago.
Enjoy!
Jump to Full Recipe MeasurementsHow to Store
To maintain the flavor and quality of dry curry, avoid storing it at room temperature, as this can lead to spoilage. Instead, refrigerate or freeze it.
Refrigerated dry curry lasts about two days; always check its smell and color before consuming it.
For extended storage, dry curry can be frozen for up to one month. Before eating frozen curry, reheat until piping hot and ensure it smells and looks fresh.
Storage summary
Room temperature – Not recommended.
Refrigerated – About 2 days.
Frozen – Up to a month.
I hope you enjoy this Dry Curry recipe! If you try it out, I’d really appreciate it if you could spare a moment to let me know what you thought by giving a review and star rating in the comments below. It’s also helpful to share any adjustments you made to the recipe with our other readers. Thank you!
More Curry Recipes
Japanese Dry Curry Rice
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tsp ginger root finely diced
- 1 tbsp garlic finely diced
- ½ yellow onion finely diced
- 150 g ground meat beef or pork, or a mix of both
- 4 brown button mushrooms sliced
- ½ bell pepper any color, diced
- ½ carrot finely diced
- 2 tbsp Japanese style curry powder
- ½ tbsp cake flour
- 1 tbsp red wine
- 200 ml chicken bouillon
- 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
- ½ tsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 pinch salt and pepper
- 2 portions cooked Japanese short-grain rice
- finely chopped green onions
- dried red chili pepper thinly sliced
- 2 onsen tamago or soft boiled eggs
Instructions
- Heat a large pan on medium high and add 1 tbsp unsalted butter. Once melted, add 1 tsp ginger root, 1 tbsp garlic and ½ yellow onion and stir fry until fragrant.
- Add 150 g ground meat, 4 brown button mushrooms, ½ bell pepper, and ½ carrot. Stir fry until the meat is cooked through.
- Add 2 tbsp Japanese style curry powder and ½ tbsp cake flour and mix until evenly distributed.
- Add 1 tbsp red wine, 200 ml chicken bouillon, 2 tbsp tomato ketchup, ½ tsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce and 1 bay leaf. Cook until the liquid has almost gone, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
- Add 1 pinch salt and pepper, mix well and remove the bay leaf. Remove the pan from the heat and serve.
- Divide 2 portions cooked Japanese short-grain rice between serving plates and pour the dry curry next to it. Sprinkle with finely chopped green onions and dried red chili pepper, then top with onsen tamago or a soft boiled egg.
- Enjoy!
Leave a rating and a comment