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–+ servings

Curry Fried Rice (Japanese-Style)

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Author Yuto Omura
Servings 3 servings

Ingredients 
 

  • 350 g cooked Japanese short-grain rice or Calrose, leftover rice or firm rice recommended
  • ¼ onion medium, finely diced
  • ¼ bell peppers cubed
  • ¼ carrot medium, small cubes
  • 2 tbsp green peas
  • 1 tsp lard or neutral oil
  • 100 g ground pork or ground chicken
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 pinch sugar
  • 1 tbsp Japanese style curry powder or regular curry powder mix
  • 1 tsp grated ginger root or ginger paste
  • 1 tsp grated garlic or garlic paste
  • 2 eggs room temp
  • 2 tsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu)
  • 1 pinch garam masala
  • 1 tsp unsalted butter cold
  • fukujinzuke pickles optional topping
  • sunny-side-up eggs optional topping

Sauce

  • 1 ½ tbsp tomato ketchup
  • 1 tsp Chinese-style chicken bouillon powder based on 1 tsp = 200ml soup ratio, scale to your brand's strength
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp red wine

Instructions 

  • Prepare all of your ingredients before you start. All vegetables should be washed, peeled and finely diced. Spread 350 g cooked Japanese short-grain rice out in a wide container, measure out 1 tbsp Japanese style curry powder and grate the aromatics. Mix the sauce in a small bowl (1 ½ tbsp tomato ketchup, 1 tsp Chinese-style chicken bouillon powder, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tbsp red wine) and set everything within arms reach.
    Mise en place for Japanese style curry fried rice
  • Heat a wok or large deep pan on medium high and grease with 1 tsp lard (or neutral oil). Once hot, add 100 g ground pork and sprinkle with 1 pinch salt and 1 pinch sugar. Cook undisturbed for 2 minutes or until browned underneath, then flip and cook the other side for 1 minute.
    Browned ground pork in a wok on the stove
  • Transfer the pork to a plate and return the wok to the stove. Add ¼ onion, ¼ bell peppers, ¼ carrot , and 2 tbsp green peas . Stir fry until the onions turn translucent and the carrot is tender crisp (about 2-3 minutes).
    finely diced onion, carrot, green bell peppers and green peas in a wok with a dark wooden spatula
  • Push the vegetables to one side, and drizzle a touch of oil in the empty space. Add 1 tsp grated ginger root, 1 tsp grated garlic and the measured curry powder to the pan, and mix with the oil for 15 seconds.
    Vegetables in a wok pushed to one side and grated garlic & ginger and curry powder in the empty space in the pan
  • Add the bowl of sauce from earlier and mix everything together. Reduce the sauce until thickened and coats the vegetables.
    Condiments added to the wok for making Japanese style fried curry rice
  • Push everything to one side one more and crack in 2 eggs. Scramble until about 80% cookied.
    Half cooked eggs and flavored vegetables in a wok (for makign Japanese curry fried rice)
  • Add the rice and cooked pork mince to the wok and mix everything together using a cut and fold motion with a spatula.
    Cooked and cooled Japanese rice, and cooked ground pork added to the pan with eggs and curried vegetables
  • Push the fried rice to one side again, and pour 2 tsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu) directly onto the wok. Let it sizzle, then push the rice back into the space and toss a few times to incorporate the charred soy flavor.
    Japanese style curry fried rice pushed to one side of the wok
  • Turn off the heat and stir in 1 pinch garam masala and 1 tsp unsalted butter.
    Japanese style curry fried rice in a wok with butter and garam masala
  • Serve with fukujinzuke pickles and sunny-side-up eggs. Enjoy!
    Japanese style curry rice on an off-white plate topped with a sunny-side up egg and some fukujinzuke pickles

Notes

Chicken bouillon powder varies by brand. My brand is 1 tsp per 200 ml, so if yours is more concentrated (e.g., 1 tsp per 300 ml), use less to avoid oversalting.
If you use day-old refrigerated rice, warm briefly to body temperature (20 seconds in microwave).
Choose a large wok or skillet to maximize surface area.
Do not substitute curry powder with Japanese roux blocks.
Taste and adjust before serving. If under-salted, fold in soy sauce or salt pinch by pinch. If too savory, balance with a touch of sugar.
This recipe yields 2-3 main-dish servings or 4-5 side servings.
Storage (Fridge): Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days, and cool fast in a shallow layer before sealing to limit condensation.
Storage (Freezer): Freezing is recommended for up to 1 month when stored in single-portion airtight bags to prevent freezer burn.
Meal Prep: Prep ahead by chopping the vegetables, mixing the sauce, and chilling measured cooked rice in advance.
Reheating: Microwave refrigerated or frozen portions until steaming (1-2 minutes per serving, stirring halfway), then transfer to a hot skillet for 60 seconds to drive off moisture and restore slight crispness.
Serving Suggestions: Authentic Chicken Karaage, Pork Gyoza, Yamitsuki Cabbage Salad, Steamed Shumai