Homemade Japanese Curry

Rich, savory Japanese curry sauce, served with hot rice, ready-made tempura fish bites and fresh salad.

Do you enjoy having Japanese curry whenever you visit a Japanese restaurant or eatery?

I do! Whenever I have no idea what to eat, or if I prefer a quick meal, I’ll always check if the restaurant has Japanese curry! It’s sort of like comfort food to me.

So it’s no surprise that I love making Japanese curry at home too!

若想阅读中文版本，请在网页的右边 “Google Translate” 点击选择 中文简体 (Chinese Simplified）或 繁体 (Chinese Traditional) 翻译。可能食谱读起来会怪怪的，所以如果有疑问都可以问哦！

During the circuit breaker a while back, I was so glad to have received some products from Pacific West! While working from home, it can be very challenging to be able to work, arrange activities for the kids and make sure they have their food on time!

My kids had always enjoyed the cod fish fingers from Pacific West, whenever I only had time for a super quick meal fix for them.

We’re excited to be trying the Pacific West Tempura Fish Bites. We got to know that these Tempura Fish Bites were made using natural fish fillets coated in crispy Tempura batter. The toothsome and meaty nature of the Tempura Fish Bites is a perfect match to be served with curry rice.

>> MORE MEAL IDEAS:

• Chicken & Potato Stew
• Easy Bak Kut Teh
• Old Cucumber Soup

How To Make Japanese Curry From Scratch?

What I like about this dish is that, I can cook the Japanese curry with just potatoes and carrots. Then I’ll cook the rice and simply bake the ready-made tempura fish bites just before meal time. Time saving and so easy! I didn’t have to run to the supermarket specially to get fresh meat to cook in the curry, yay!

I made the curry with homemade curry roux. You can also use the Japanese curry cubes available in supermarkets for an even more fuss-free meal.

To make this meal lighter and more balanced, serve with a refreshing, cool side salad with some fruity salad sauce. Yum!

Is It Difficult To Make The Homemade Curry Roux?

Nope! It’s surprisingly easy to do!

You simply need butter, flour, curry powder and garam masala. It takes just about 20 mins to patiently stir together the ingredients and cook till thicken over the stove. You can also make a larger batch in advance and store in the freezer for 3-4 months.

If you do not have garam masala in your pantry, you can also opt to replace with curry powder. I omitted chilli spice in this recipe, as my children do not take spicy food. For adults, you can add in some chilli flakes or cayenne pepper while cooking the roux. Or, you can also sprinkle chilli flakes on top of the non-spicy curry when it’s cooked.

What’s The Difference Between Store-Bought and Homemade Roux?

I’ll say that homemade roux taste slightly different, with a distinct buttery aroma. It also does not contain MSG or artificial additives that are usually found in store-bought curry cubes.

But of course, store-bought ones would be more convenient, which you can always use to whip up a quick meal! So if you do not have time for homemade roux, you can always choose the store-bought curry cubes!

Homemade Japanese Curry

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• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 3 Adults 1x

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Description

Warm, comforting and rich curry sauce, with soft potatoes and carrots. Serve with Tempura Fish Bites and hot rice.

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Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

Homemade Curry Roux

• 42 g unsalted butter
• 30 g plain flour
• 1 tbsp curry powder*
• 1 tbsp garam masala

Japanese Curry

• 2–3 potatoes
• 2 carrots
• 1 onion, (diced)
• 1 clove garlic, (diced)
• 3/4 tbsp oil
• 2 cups chicken stock or water ((about 500ml))
• homemade curry roux ((or store bought 90g Japanese curry cubes))
• 1.5 tsp soy sauce
• salt (optional, to taste)

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Instructions

Homemade Curry Roux

1. In a small saucepan, melt butter over low heat.
2. When butter is melted, add in flour and stir to combine well.
3. Keep stirring over heat to ensure the mixture does not burn. After 15 mins, you will smell a nice buttery aroma, and the mixture should turn brown.
4. Add in the spices. Cook and stir for about 30 secs. Let cool in a bowl or container. Set aside.

Japanese Curry

1. Peel and cut carrots and potatoes into wedges at an angle. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a deep saucepan or pot. Add in diced onion and saute till fragrant and translucent.
3. Add in diced garlic and saute till fragrant.
4. Add in cut carrots and potatoes. Stir well.
5. Add in the chicken stock or water. It should cover the ingredients well. Otherwise, top with a little bit more water.
6. Let it come to a boil before turning down the heat slightly to let carrots and potatoes cook well (about 15 -20 mins).
7. When the potatoes are soft and ready, off heat. Place the Japanese curry roux in a bowl. Scoop up a few ladles of the soup liquid in above step, to dissolve the curry roux. Mix till smooth before pouring back into the pot.
8. Mix well, continue to simmer over low heat. Add in soy sauce and mix well. Stir occasionally over low heat and the curry should thicken up after a while. Taste the curry, add salt if required.

Pacific West Tempura Fish Bites

1. Preheat oven to 220C.
2. Place tempura fish bites on lined baking tray and bake for 12-14 mins.
3. Serve together with Japanese curry and hot rice.

Notes

1) I’ve used non-spicy curry powder bought from NTUC Finest for my kids. I used 2 tbsp of curry powder because I did not have the garam masala. The roux will be lighter in color. You can also get spicy Japanese curry powder from Japanese specialty stores, or add in chili flakes for spicy version.

2) Curry roux can be made ahead of time and be stored in freezer (portioned) for 3-4 months.

Recipe adapted from JustOneCookBook.

• Category: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
• Cuisine: Japanese

Hope this quick meal fix and convenience food can cheer you up slightly in this circuit breaker. Hang in there, we’re approaching the last leg of the circuit breaker. Yay!

This post is brought to you in collaboration with Pacific West. Join me in creating your own #tasteathome dishes and win amazing prizes, such as air fryer, pans and food jar! See more at Pacific West Singapore’s Facebook page.

Disclosure: Some of the links contain affiliate links, meaning, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

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