Japanese Curry Using Roux Cubes (including lots of secret tips)

I've been making curry with roux for longer than I can even remember and this post is pretty much my life's research. I wanna share some tips on how to make the ULTIMATE Japanese style curry using roux. Bring your homemade curry to restaurant level with these tips!

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Jump to:

• What is Japanese Curry Rice (kare raisu)?
• Choosing the right Japanese curry roux
• Protein/meat options
• 3 popular vegetable variations
• Water substitutions to maximize flavour
• Type of rice to serve with Japanese curry
• 7 Topping variations
• Secret tips for making Japanese curry (Surprise Ingredients)
• Storing and reheating
• Watch my video "How to make Japanese Curry with Roux cubes"
• Printable recipe
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Community feedback

What is Japanese Curry Rice (kare raisu)?

It’s safe to say that Japanese curry rice or "kare raisu" (カレーライス) is one of the most popular dishes in Japan. It is eaten and enjoyed at home, in restaurants, diners and takeaways. I must say, Japanese curry rice is a true comfort dish for me!

It's pretty easy to make too, especially if you have the premade roux in a box. In fact, Japanese curry roux is so tasty, you can't really fail... but why stop at tasty? Why not make it the best it can be? I'll be sharing secret tips and ingredients to help you make the best curry you've ever made!

In this post, I will explain everything you need to know to get started with Japanese style curry. I'll admit that the post is very long, but I made it so that you can keep coming back and check whatever you need to know whenever you're making Japanese curry (I appreciate if you bookmark this page!).

First, let's learn a little bit about how Japanese curry came to be. Curry rice surely has an interesting history. As most people probably already know, curry originated from India, the land of spice. It then traveled to U.K. and then made its way from the U.K. to Japan in early Meiji period (1868-1912).

Yep that's right, Japanese curry is based on the U.K's version of curry. Japanese curry rice is not so spicy compared to its Indian counterparts, it’s also quite sweet and thick like a stew or gravy.

I love how curry has travelled around the world picking up new styles and flavours along the way.

Choosing the right Japanese curry roux

The chocolate bar shaped Japanese curry roux comes in lots of brands, spice levels and flavour varieties, so here are some things that are useful to know.

Levels of spiciness

There are 3 main levels of spiciness when it comes to curry roux in Japan, ranging from sweet and mild to hot and spicy. Here are the symbols that you need to look out for.

• 甘口 (amakuchi) - Sweet, mild and even kids can eat it with ease. Not really spicy at all. Usually labeled as level 1-2.
• 中辛 (chuukara) - A little spicy but still pretty easy to handle. Usually labelled Level 3 in spiciness.
• 辛口 (karakuchi) - Hot and spicy curry roux will usually be labelled as level 4,5 or 6, with 6 being the spiciest. Great for spice lovers.

If you're not sure, I'd say sticking with the middle option is always a safe bet.

Recommended curry roux brands

There are so many different brands to choose from that it can be overwhelming, especially if you're in a Japanese supermarket or shopping online.

Read more about the characteristics of these brands below.

Golden Curry

As far as I know, Golden Curry by S&B is the brand that is the most accessible outside Japan. I even saw it in Sainsbury's (U.K. supermarket chain) when I lived in England.

You can buy mild, medium and hot S&B Golden Curry on Amazon. I recommend getting one of each and you can purchase as a bundle for a lower price here.

Characteristics:

• Aroma of different spices (many people in Japan say Golden Curry has the nicest aroma)
• Spicier than normal Japanese curry
• Rich flavour

There also a special editions of golden curry that you can purchase on dokodemo, such as Premium Golden and Extra Hot Golden.

Vermont Curry

I've always known Vermont Curry by House as the curry with the apple and honey on the package. As you can expect, Vermont Curry is sweeter than the others and smells a bit sweet too.

You can buy mild or medium Vermont curry in packs of two on Amazon. (Each pack contains 12 servings.)

Characteristics:

• Sweet flavour and smell
• Fruity
• Lighter in colour
• Kid friendly

House also have a premium curry only available in Japan. It goes simply by the name of "The Curry" and can be bought on Dokodemo in mild or medium.

Java Curry

Even though it might not be as accessible as the two above, Java Curry has always been my favourite. It's known as the spicy brand and their products have many different spice levels. The one in the picture above is the spiciest curry by Java.

You can buy medium hot and hot Java curry in single packs on Amazon. (One pack makes 9 servings.)

Characteristics:

• Spicy and hot
• Rich and sharp
• Slightly sour

Other brands available in Japan

There are many other curry roux brands available in Japan such as:

• Kokumaro Curry (こくまろカレー): Rich and creamy (medium and hot available on Amazon)
• Dinner Curry (ディナーカレー): Elegant (mild/sweet, medium and hot available on Dokodemo)
• Premium Juku Curry (プレミアム熟カレー): Complex flavour (mild, medium and hot available on Dokodemo)
• Zeppin: Rich and spicy (medium available on Dokodemo)
• S&B Curry Prince (カレーの王子さま): Especially for kids, sweet and mild taste (available on Dokodemo)
• PLATINUM: Most gourmet and expensive curry blocks I have found in Japan so far, made by CANYON SPICE company.

The reason why I always mix different brands

Even though each product has so many different spices, I always mix at least 2-3 different brands. Why? I don't have logical explanation to it, but I truly believe that one secret of good Japanese curry is jumbling all the different flavours to a certain degree.

I usually try to mix at 2-3 different spice levels (Sweet, Medium, Spicy) because that way, you can get sweet apple and honey flavour from a mild one like Vermont and also complex spiciness and heat from brands like Java.

Mixing brands is actually a common thing you can see in ordinary Japanese home cooking as well. If you use one brand and stick to the instructions, your curry won't be unique. Complexity is a key.

For this recipe I mixed 2 cubes of golden curry (medium), 2 cubes of Java (hot) and 2 cubes of Vermont (sweet).

If you want to experiment with different brands, I highly recommend these bundles on Amazon.

MILD bundle (Contains Golden curry and Vermont)

MEDIUM bundle (Contains Golden curry, Vermont, Java and Kokumaro)

HOT bundle (Contains Golden curry, Vermont, Java and Kokumaro).

Protein/meat options

After buying a few of these Japanese curry blocks explained above, now you consider what kind of meat you want to go for. Although beef curry is the classic for Japanese curry rice, it's not uncommon to use other protein sources.

In this section, I will explain popular meat options people opt for in Japan.

Beef

As I already mentioned, "the Japanese curry rice" is beef curry. Beef gives it a great richness and flavour to go very well with Japanese style curry roux. However, choosing part of beef to use is very important.

Whichever part you choose, it should be cut into small chunks (like when you make beef stew) ideally. I personally opt for 70% shank and 30% sinew most of the time.

Beef shank and sinew are the parts that become more tender as they are stewed. However, I limit beef sinew to about 30% because its texture can be chewy (but if you stew for too long, it kind of melts into the curry) and also has a considerable amount of fat, regardless of the fact that the dissolved collagen makes the beef curry richer. At the end of the day, I want beefy meat in my curry as well!

If you are looking for a cut that does not require so much braising time, I recommend beef shoulder.

Pork

The good thing about using pork instead of beef is it's easier, cheaper and quicker to cook. You can also use most parts of pork for Japanese curry.

When choosing, you should consider whether you want to make your curry lean or fat and rich. If you prefer lean and easy to eat pork curry, then my recommendation is pork leg or medallion.

On the other hand, if you want to enjoy the richness of fatty meat, pork belly is the best choice. Cut the block into cubes and use them to enjoy a rich pork curry. I would say shoulder, shoulder loin and loin would be somewhere in between of those.

Chicken

You might be surprised, but chicken is not as popular meat choice as beef and pork for Japanese style curry. However, I'm not saying chicken doesn't work! More than anything, it's quite important to choose right parts of chicken.

For the best result for Japanese chicken curry, I recommend thigh, wings or drumsticks. If you have time, use chicken wings and simmer them slowly until the meat comes off the bones to make a chicken curry full of rich chicken flavor. Chicken thigh is more for a quicker option.

Chicken breast is passable, but I personally think it's too lean and dry to go with Japanese curry. I tend to feel like chicken breast and curry roux don't mingle together well.

Seafood

I must say, seafood is a hidden gem for Japanese curry. If I have to rank the protein ingredients, seafood comes second after beef for me. It's that good and I would like you to try it one day as well! The umami from different varieties of seafood is indescribable.

Unlike the other meat options, it's actually important to use a few different seafood and mix rather than choosing one here. So my recommendation is, use small portion of each seafood or frozen seafood mix!

Also, the possibilities of seafood options for Japanese curry is endless, so you can experiment with other seafood from your area as well (for example crab, lobster, etc).

3 popular vegetable variations

Once you choose the meat/protein option, now it's time to consider vegetables to use for your Japanese curry. In this section, I will explain a few popular variations for your inspiration.

Classic curry: Onion, Carrot and Potatoes

The most standard home cooked Japanese curry has these ingredients, onion, carrot and potatoes. What is so good is, wherever you live in the world, you can get these ingredients easily.

If you have never had Japanese curry yet, I would recommend this standard vegetable combination.

Summer Curry: Eggplant, Okra, Pumpkin...etc

This combination is also known as "summer vegetable curry" in Japan. Tomatoes, courgette, and bell peppers are also commonly used, and many summer vegetables are beautifully colored, making the dish vibrant and fresh.

The difference is that these vegetables are grilled separately, rather than simmered with the curry roux. This is because many summer vegetables are soft and lose their shape and texture.

Some people even use grilled tomato for summer vegetable curry!

Winter Curry: Turnip, Broccoli, Napa cabbage...etc

On the contrary to summer vegetables, these are the winter vegetable variation. Since there are more root vegetables, they will taste even better when cooked together. However, vegetable like broccoli or spinach are some exceptions as they can break easily in roux, so it's best to boil and garnish them at the end.

However, there is no rule to which vegetables to use for Japanese curry. My best advice is, use your local and favourite ingredients and experiment! Remember, creativity is always a key for making Japanese curry.

Water substitutions to maximize flavour

So all of the curry roux cubes will tell you to mix with x amount of water, but you're certainly not limited to using plain water. The liquid added to curry is yet another opportunity to add extra flavour.

In this section, I will list a few options of alternative liquids you can add to your Japanese style curry instead of plain old water. These will range from not-so-scary ones to very quirky ones that you probably haven't heard of.

Unsalted stock/broth

If you can get unsalted beef stock, chicken stock, vegetable stock etc. these would be a great flavour boost for Japanese curry.

Stock powders/Bouillon

Since stock powders can be quite salty, you have to be quite careful if you want to add them. I recommend using water in the beginning, then adding small amounts of stock cubes/powders after you've mixed in the curry roux. This way, you can taste test as you go to prevent having an overly salty curry!

Dashi stock

You want to make your curry extra Japanesey? In that case, you might want to consider using dashi stock for the liquid. The good thing about dashi is that they don't contain any salt so you can simply replace it with water.

Some Japanese curry specialty restaurants use this technique as well. If you're interested in making dashi, I have a recipe for homemade dashi here!

Fond de veau

If you want to make your curry more elegant, French fond de veau is a great option! Fond de veau is a type of French broth made by simmering veal bones and meat with aromatic vegetables and other ingredients for a long time.

Even in Japanese supermarket, fond de veau jelly/powder is sold for making Japanese style curry, so it's safe to say this is a top choice!

Black tea

This is the quirky one that I was talking about. This is an idea that I found when I was randomly watching a TV show a few years ago. The show was featuring curry development society at Kyoto University (one of the best universities in Japan). It's interesting enough that one of the smartest people in Japan study curry as a club activity but using black tea for curry was mind blowing to me.

According to them, the use of black tea mellows the curry. The program was very interesting as it introduced various other science based techniques. But instead of substituting all water for tea, you may start with a small amount.

Wine / Juice

Other than these above, you can also replace 10% of the water with red wine for beef/pork curry or white wine for chicken or seafood curry. If you don't want to use alcohol you can use a bit of apple juice, grape juice or something like that instead!

Type of rice to serve with Japanese curry

You might wonder what kind of rice works the best with Japanese style curry. The short answer is, short grain Japanese sticky rice (Japonica rice). Just like some other curries in the world work better with long grain rice (for example Indian curry or Thai curry), Japanese style curry works the best with short grain rice.

Incidentally, there are more than 300 varieties of rice grown in Japan, and more than 1,000 varieties of rice grown worldwide. The rice grown in Japan is collectively called "japonica rice," characterized by its rounded oval shape, stickiness, and sweet taste.

Look out for these types for the most authentic Japanese curry experience! If you want to cook Japanese style rice without rice cooker, you can check out my how to cook Japanese rice on stove recipe.

If you don't mind extra effort for richer Japanese curry rice, you can make garlic rice that I used for hayashi rice recipe. The simplified instruction for garlic rice is below:

7 Topping variations

Now we come to the topping section. You can customize your Japanese style curry by using all the techniques we have talked about, but you can also make a big difference with toppings too.

So in this section, I will list every popular curry rice topping in Japan and explain how they can change your Japanese style curry.

Fukujinzuke pickles

Fukujinzuke is a non-fermented sweet pickle made by seasoning vegetables such as radishes, eggplants, lotus roots, cucumbers, and shiitake mushrooms with soy sauce, sugar, mirin, and other seasonings.

I said "topping variation", but this is almost a must item to go with Japanese curry. I personally think it's not complete without fukujinzuke.

You might recognize it as "red pickles", but the red color is made by food coloring to make it contrast with the dark curry roux. In fact, naturally, fukujinzuke is orangey brown in color.

Shredded cheese

Melty cheese is also a very popular topping option for Japanese curry. The addition of cheese gives the curry a unique dairy richness and depth. It may also be used to soften the spiciness of curry when it is too hot. Other than shredded cheese, some people use powdered cheese for a tangier taste.

If using melty cheese, I'd recommend cheddar or gouda cheese, and if using powdered cheese, Parmesan or Pecorino cheese will add a stronger cheesy flavour to Japanese curry.

Egg

Eggs as a topping for curry can be used in all forms: raw, semi-cooked, onsen, boiled and fried. I especially recommend the half-boiled egg, which blends easily with curry.

It is a popular topping in Japan because the curry roux becomes milder when mixed with egg and also because it is a common household ingredient that you likely already have in your fridge.

Tonkatsu

Tonkatsu is basically a Japanese deep fried pork cutlet. You might already know it but when Japanese style curry topped with tonkatsu is called "katsu curry". It's safe to say it's the ultimate version of Japanese curry and it's so good.

If you want to make an ultimate homemade tonkatsu, check out my tonkatsu recipe! You can also make it with chicken katsu variation as well!

Karaage

Karaage is a Japanese style fried chicken, and it's not as popular topping as tonkatsu, but a lot of people like it together with Japanese curry.

If you want to use Japanese fried chicken as topping, you can either check out my karaage recipe or tatsuta age recipe.

Rakkyouzuke

Rakkyo (Allium Chinense) is a vegetable belonging to the Liliaceae family and the leek genus. In English it has many names such as "Chinese onion", "Chinese scallion", "Japanese scallion" and looks a bit like a cross between a garlic clove and shallot. It has a unique aroma and pungent taste. When rakkyo is pickled in sweet vinegar, it's called rakkyozuke.

Some people use it as a topping for curry instead of fukujinzuke. While some people love the unique flavor of rakkyo, there are quite a few who dislike it as well.

Natto

This can be the most surprising topping, but it is one of the most well known toppings for Japanese curry. Natto is a fermented food made from softened soybeans that have been boiled or steamed and fermented by the bacillus natto.

You might think "it's never going to work" but in fact, they go very well together. I liked it as a kid myself, and still like it to this day.

However, natto is a food that can be loved or hated, so do not put natto on your curry unless you're 100% sure that you like natto on its own first. If you want to know more about natto, I have a comprehensive article about natto here.

Secret tips for making Japanese curry (Surprise Ingredients)

Now we have come to the last part, secret ingredients! Using only curry roux cubes makes great curry for sure, but using secret ingredients with roux cubes makes pro curry and rice.

In fact, did you know most restaurants serving curry rice do not actually make curry from scratch. They actually use roux cubes too! So what makes them special compared to home cooked curry? The answer is in the secret ingredients.

I'll give you some ideas of secret ingredients that improve the taste of home cooked curry rice. Using different secret ingredients every time and then see how's different from last time!

Caramelized onions

This is a pretty recent discovery for me. I always add onions to curry (despite not being a huge fan of onions myself haha) and I always thought that frying them until softened is enough. That is until I tried adding "caramelized onions" and it was a game changer!

Whether you have Japanese curry roux or not, caramelized onions will add a rich, gravy like taste to your curry as well as improve the colour. It's time consuming, but it's worth putting in that time to level up your curry. I've included steps on how to caramelize onions in the recipe below.

• Timing: 40 mins
• Amount: 1.5 - 2 onions
• Recommended: Someone who wants depth of flavour
• Effect: Richer more gravy like taste, deepens the brown colour

Chocolate

This one is kind of understandable, isn't it?

A small amount of chocolate will make the curry richer. It's a secret ingredient so don't put too much though!

• Timing: After the roux has melted
• Amount: 2-3g
• Recommended: Someone who's not good with spice
• Effect: Softening the spiciness

Instant coffee Powder

Whenever I make curry and rice with roux cubes, I make sure to add instant coffee.

It definitely contributes to a richer taste!

• Timing: After the roux has melted
• Amount: 2 tsp
• Recommended: Someone who wants deeper and richer taste
• Effect: Richen the curry

Red wine

This is another secret ingredient that I use regularly.

It will add a nice punch too the roux and give it a little bit of European stew taste.

• Timing: Same time as water
• Amount: Substitute 10% of water amount (so this recipe would be 720ml water 80ml wine)
• Recommended: Someone who wants to add some sourness
• Effect: Making it more refreshing, adds a touch of sourness

Soy sauce

I personally add a bit of soy sauce every time. I usually use Japanese brand Kikkoman.

As you can guess, it will add a bit more umami and Japanese taste to the curry!

• Timing: Right before the roux cubes
• Amount: 1 tbsp
• Recommended: Someone who wants to add Japanese/Wafu taste
• Effect: Making it more Japanesey / adding umami

Tomato juice/puree/ketchup

This is a popular addition but I personally don't use it as I don't like curry being too sour.

But if you want to add tomato's sourness, you can add any of these tomato products. But be careful with tomato puree, a little goes a long way and adding too much can make it too tomato-y. (Speaking from my experience)

• Timing: When you add the vegetables
• Amount: 1 tbsp-3 tbsp
• Recommended: Someone who wants to add sourness
• Effect: Making it sour and tomatoey

Additional secret ingredients

There are seriously endless possibilities when it comes to curry and I'm always on a mission to create the best curry there can be, but in the end it all comes down to personal preference.

Here are a few more ingredients you can try depending on whether you want to make your curry sweeter, richer, spicier or more sour.

If you know any other ingredients that have improved your curry, comment below and I'll add them to the list!

Storing and reheating

Lastly, I will add helpful tips for storing and reheating leftover Japanese curry. As you might expect, there are two methods you can use, refrigerated or frozen. Avoid storing at room temperature to prevent foodborne illness.

Refrigerated up to 2-3 days

If you can't eat it in a couple of days, please consider freezing it as explained below.

Frozen up to 1 month

The standard storage guideline for freezing curry is one month, which allows for long-term storage, but there are a few things to keep in mind when freezing and reheating from frozen.

Next day curry is better? (Myth?)

What every Japanese family knows about curry is, “Second day curry is the best curry” meaning Japanese curry tastes better next day than on the day it's cooked. As a Japanese person myself, I personally think that is true. Well, I did a bit of research and found a scientific reason for that.

Over night, the ingredients (vegetables and meat) in curry start to give out “umami" (glutamic acid) as well as fructose, starch, fibre…etc

So it generally builds up depth of flavour and thickness over night, it also becomes richer. That’s why it’s better to eat it the next day if you can wait! Or why not eat it two days in a row and compare the difference?

Watch my video "How to make Japanese Curry with Roux cubes"

I hope this post inspires you to try out new ingredients and helps you to make the best curry you've ever made! And if you don't have access to Japanese roux cubes, check out my post on how to make Japanese curry from scratch here!

I think overall, my favourite secret ingredient is coffee, I add it every time!
What's your favourite surprise ingredient? Comment below and let us know!

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