Across Japan, Japanese Curry holds a special place, enjoyed by students and professionals alike. This culinary staple, just like Tonkatsu, showcases a remarkable variety of recipes.
What is Japanese Curry?
Chefs typically include carrots, potatoes, and various meats, like beef or pork, in Japanese Curry. They create the thick sauce using curry powder or roux.
Brief History
Turns out, the people of Japan first got a taste of curry in the late 1800s, thanks to the British and their surplus of curry powder. And just like they did with Tonkatsu, Japanese chefs put their own spin on it, making it uniquely theirs.
They took a french-style approach to making their style of curry. Chefs mixed curry powder with a french-style roux. A mixture of flour and fat. Then they poured it over rice, adding whatever other ingredients they wanted.
Curry was seen as a luxury Western food at the time. However, as more chefs learned to prepare curry, it gained popularity. It was easy to make, and Chefs could add whatever they wanted from vegetables, rice to different kinds of meat.
Jiyuken is Osaka’s first Western-style restaurant. It is famous for serving one of the first curry rice dishes in Japan.
What’s the Difference Between Japan’s Curry and Indian Curry?
A key difference is the use of a French-style roux in Japan’s style of curry. There are also a lot of ingredients that don’t overlap as well. Some ingredients such as potatoes, beef, and carrots. Japanese Curry is kind of like an umbrella term as well. There are so many variations to it.
Indian Curry also has a lot of different spices added. There is also no flour added, so the sauce thickens with all the spices.
Modern Japanese Curry
Many restaurants have some variations of Japanese Curry. Whether it be curry rice, curry udon, or the famous katsu-curry rice.
Many world famous curry chains such as CoCo Ichibanya are everywhere. There are also well known easy-to-make mixes like the Golden Curry mix.
Through my research I found this great blog / article on the Best Japanese Curry in Tokyo. The author then highlights different restaurants around Tokyo with variations of the dish.
If you are looking for the best Japanese Curry in Tokyo, check this article out as it has everything you need to know.
