With tender beef, potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, and curry roux, this savory and hearty Japanese Beef Curry makes for a wonderful introduction to new curry rice eaters. Tailored to Japanese tastes, it’s delicate and candy with a stew-like consistency. Even kids take pleasure in it completely! It’s important to give this straightforward recipe a attempt.
Japanese Curry Rice or Karē Raisu (カレーライス) is an especially fashionable dish for all ages in Japan. We like our curry a lot that it’s thought-about one of many nation’s nationwide dishes together with ramen and gyoza! Immediately, I’m bringing you a most comforting Japanese Beef Curry (ビーフカレー).
This takes a little bit of preparation in comparison with the Japanese Rooster Curry however the finish result’s completely price the time and effort. It’s a hearty stew that may fulfill your deepest craving.
What’s Japanese Curry?
In case you’ve by no means tried Japanese curry, I wish to shortly introduce it to you as it’s fairly totally different from Indian or Thai curry or some other rendition of curry for that matter.
The dish has an extended historical past in Japan and was the truth is launched by the British Royal Navy through the Meiji Restoration 150 years in the past. Nonetheless, it was not till the early twentieth century that curry grew to become a mainstream staple in Japanese households.
A basic Japanese curry generally options tender morsels of meat, potatoes, candy bites of onions and carrots, and a thick brown sauce that whispers in a mild sweetness.
Though most spice aficionados would describe Japanese curry as mellow, the diploma of spiciness varies relying the way you’d make it. One can at all times convey up the chili warmth if most well-liked.
Today you will discover many variations of Japanese curry, with some that includes distinctive native components and produce.
The Key Ingredient: Japanese Curry Roux
To make Japanese curry, the recipes nearly at all times embrace a field of Japanese curry roux, which might be discovered at Japanese and Asian supermarkets or in an Asian meals aisle at your native grocery shops.
All of the curry spices are packed in a type of strong roux resembling a block of baking chocolate. You will discover them being labeled in response to the spice ranges of delicate, medium sizzling, or sizzling.
Youthful kids can simply benefit from the “delicate” degree and now that my children are older, I combine the delicate and the medium-hot for my curries. For many who have toddlers, there may be even a Japanese curry roux for toddlers that you could be discover at Japanese grocery shops.
For many who desire tingling warmth, the “sizzling” won’t be sufficient for you, however you may definitely punch issues up by including in some cayenne pepper and black pepper.
Including Taste Boosters
To keep away from “out of the field” style, it’s quite common to combine 2-3 totally different manufacturers of the Japanese curry roux and add totally different condiments to boost the flavour for the curry sauce. We’ll speak extra about it within the cooking tip part beneath.
Selfmade Curry Roux
Not a fan of store-bought curry roux? No drawback! You possibly can make it from scratch.
You want 4-5 components to make this curry roux: Butter, flour, Japanese curry powder, and garam masala (and cayenne pepper for the spicy model).
When you may have time to make curry roux, make a double batch, and retailer it within the freezer for later use!
The right way to Make Japanese Beef Curry
Substances You’ll Want
- Beef (My best choice is chuck roast; learn extra later)
- Veggies: onions, potatoes, carrots
- Mushrooms
- Garlic and ginger
- Wine
- Beef inventory/broth
- Seasonings: tomato paste, Japanese curry powder, Japanese curry roux, bay leaf, and many others
- Elective add-ins: grated apple, milk, Worcestershire sauce
Overview: Cooking Steps
- Lower the onions and begin sautéing them till tender and caramelized.
- In the meantime, reduce all of the greens and beef.
- Sear the meat and add it to the caramelized onion.
- Add the wine, inventory, carrots, mushrooms, and seasonings, and cook dinner for two hours (add the potatoes quarter-hour previous to ending cooking so as to save their form).
- Add Japanese curry roux and serve with rice!
Learn the recipe card beneath for the complete ingredient listing and extra detailed step-by-step directions.
5 Essential Cooking Ideas
1. Get Chuck Roast as an alternative of Stew Beef
Butcher counters promote pre-cut stew beef. This reduce is extra economical as a result of it’s made up of the percentages and ends from different totally different cuts. Chuck roast, then again, is from the shoulder muscle tissues, and whereas initially fairly robust, cubes of chuck roast can break down into tender, succulent, flavorful meat after cooking low and gradual.
So, for a scrumptious Japanese curry (and naturally any beef stew recipe), I strongly advocate getting chuck roast.
For actually tender meat, it often takes two hours. Don’t rush the cooking course of. In any other case, the meat can be robust and chewy. Ensure there’s sufficient liquid and regulate the dish.
For those who can’t get chuck roast, attempt spherical roast, rump roast, or pot roast.
2. Sear the Meat
That is an important step if you wish to take advantage of flavorful meat. Searing caramelizes the pure sugars within the meat and browns the proteins, forming a bronze crust on the floor that amplifies the savory taste of the completed dish.
As soon as the sauce is thickened, you’ll be rewarded with a scrumptious curry with tender items of meat in a wealthy, velvety sauce.
3. Caramelize the Onions
If you gradual cook dinner the onions over an prolonged time period, the pure sugars within the onions caramelize, bringing out their sweetness and making them extraordinarily flavorful. It takes time, however you may at all times get the opposite prep work carried out whereas sautéing the onions.
4. Personalize Your Curry with Taste Boosters
The fantastic thing about curry is its room for personalisation. Each cook dinner has the liberty to boost and personalize the flavors with totally different components (some might be surprising). You possibly can see the complete listing in my Japanese Rooster Curry recipe, however listed here are a few of my favourite ones:
- Grated apple
- Honey
- Ketchup
- Butter (Add with roux)
- Garlic (Add whereas sauteeing)
- Ginger (Add whereas sauteeing)
- Milk
- Purple wine
- Soy sauce
- Tonkatsu sauce or Worcestershire Sauce
Pair one or two of the above with the principle components of your curry. For instance, I don’t use purple wine except it’s for a beef curry. Check out totally different combos or change up the proportions to see what you want.
5. Add the Potatoes 15 Minutes Earlier than Ending
As a result of the meat must be simmered for about 2 hours, I like so as to add the russet potatoes towards the tip of simmering. That method, we’ll retain the form of the potatoes as an alternative of them being dissolved into the curry sauce.
You should utilize Yukon gold potatoes, which are likely to maintain their form. However I just like the floury, mild, and fluffy texture of russet potatoes for the curry.
The right way to Serve the Curry
Japanese curry is sort of at all times served with steamed rice. I’ve detailed directions on the best way to cook dinner Japanese short-grain rice in a pot over the range, a rice cooker, an Immediate Pot, or a donabe (Japanese clay pot).
Serve the steamed rice in half of a shallow bowl, after which add piping-hot curry sauce to replenish the opposite half of the bowl.
Sometimes, the Japanese curry is garnished with fukujinzuke (purple pickled radish) and rakko (pickled shallots). Put the additional pickles in a bowl/plate on the desk so you may add extra as you eat.
The right way to Retailer Japanese Beef Curry
You possibly can maintain the leftovers in an hermetic glass container and retailer them within the fridge for as much as 3 days or within the freezer for a month. The feel of the potatoes will change within the freezer, so I like to recommend eradicating them earlier than freezing.
Defrost the frozen curry within the fridge for twenty-four hours and reheat in a pot to serve. If wanted, add ¼ to ½ cup (60-120 ml) of water to dilute the curry when reheating.
FAQs
I don’t have 3 hours to make curry. Are there some other recipes which might be faster?
If you wish to reduce down on the simmering time for beef curry, you can also make my Immediate Pot Strain Cooker Japanese Curry recipe.
Or attempt my Japanese Rooster Curry or Japanese Seafood Curry!
My broth disappeared whereas cooking!
If you simmer stews like this for an extended time period, it’s crucial to make use of a heavy-bottomed pot with a tight-fitting lid. The pot I exploit is Staub model and their lid seals completely. Le Creuset is okay, however I nonetheless see some evaporation from the hole between the lid and the pot.
Can I make a vegetarian model?
Japanese curry often features a protein of your alternative (often beef, rooster, pork, or seafood), onions, potatoes, and carrots. For a vegetarian choice, you may add agency tofu proper earlier than you serve simply to warmth it by. Or make my Vegetarian Japanese Curry that’s full of a colourful medley of veggies!
Why is my meat robust and chewy after cooking?
First, I like to recommend getting chuck roast as an alternative of stew beef. Beef stew meat is usually made up of the percentages and ends from different totally different cuts. Chuck roast is a fairly robust reduce, however after cooking low and gradual, it turns into melt-in-your-mouth tender.
Secondly, you do have to cook dinner it for two hours as all the meat stew recipes do. Don’t rush it. In any other case, the meat can be robust and chewy. Ensure there’s sufficient liquid and regulate the dish.
What to Serve with This Japanese Beef Curry Recipe
Extra Japanese Curry Recipes You’ll Love
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Forestall your display from going darkish
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Collect all of the components. Please be aware that 4 rice cooker cups (720 ml, 3 cups, 600 g) of raw rice yield 8¾ cups (1320 g) of cooked rice, sufficient for five–8 servings for Japanese curry rice. See the best way to cook dinner short-grain rice with a rice cooker, pot over the range, Immediate Pot, or donabe.
To Caramelize the Onions
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Lower 2 onions into skinny slices.
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Preheat a big heavy-bottomed pot (I used a 5.5 QT Staub Dutch oven) on medium warmth. When the pot is sizzling, add half of the 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, half of the 2 Tbsp impartial oil, and the onions to the pot. Stir to coat the onions.
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Sauté the onions, stirring sometimes, for about 20–25 minutes. In the meantime, transfer on to the subsequent step (however stir the onions and regulate them). When the onions are wilted, cut back the range‘s warmth to medium low (as they have an inclination to burn shortly) and maintain cooking. As soon as the onions are tender, translucent, and a bit caramelized, take away the pot from the warmth and put aside till the meat is finished searing.
To Put together the Different Substances
To Sear the Beef
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Preheat a carbon metal pan or forged iron skillet on medium-high warmth. When it is sizzling, add the remaining half of the oil and butter. Cook dinner the meat in 2 batches. Add the meat cubes in a single layer, ensuring to not crowd the skillet; in any other case, the surplus moisture within the pan will find yourself steaming the meat.
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Sear the meat cubes (don’t transfer them) on one facet till brown and crusty, about 3–4 minutes, then flip them over to sear the opposite sides. The meat will launch itself from the pan when the floor is seared properly. Switch the seared meat to a plate and work on the subsequent batch.
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When you‘ve seared and transferred all of the meat, deglaze the pan. Add ½ cup purple wine to the pan and use a wood blunt-end spatula to scrape and launch the flavorful browned bits (the “fond“) which might be caught to the underside of the pan. Flip off the warmth and put aside.
To Cook dinner the Curry
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By now, the onions ought to be caramelized and prepared for the subsequent step. Reheat the pot with the onions on the range over medium warmth. Add the minced garlic (I exploit a garlic press) and grated ginger.
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Add ½ Tbsp Japanese curry powder and 1 Tbsp tomato paste and sauté for 1 minute.
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Add the seared beef, any juices from the plate, and the deglazed pan liquid to the pot and blend all of them collectively. Cook dinner, stirring sometimes, for 3 minutes, letting the alcohol from the wine evaporate.
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Add the carrots and mushrooms and blend all of them collectively. Add 4 cups beef inventory/broth (or half inventory/half water) to simply cowl the components. Cowl the pot with a tight-fitting lid and convey it to a boil. Tip: In comparison with Le Creuset, I believe Staub lids create a terrific seal that stops evaporation.
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As soon as boiling, skim off the scum from the broth’s floor. I add water to a 2-cup measuring cup and dip my fine-mesh skimmer in it to rinse off the particles. For full directions, see my submit How To Skim Off the Scum and Fats from Soups and Shares.
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Grate ⅛ apple and add it to the broth. Then, add 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce and 2 Tbsp milk.
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Add 1 bay leaf and canopy the pot with the tight-fitting lid. Simmer on low warmth till the meat is tender, about 1 hour and 45 minutes. For those who don’t have a tight-fitting lid, you could want so as to add extra beef inventory or water, sufficient to simply cowl the components. Tip: To get tender beef, 2 hours of simmering is commonplace.
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When the meat is tender, add the potatoes, shut the lid, and simmer for quarter-hour till the potatoes are cooked by.
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When the potatoes are tender (and a wood skewer can pierce by the potato), discard the bay leaf and flip off the warmth.
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Add as much as 1 bundle Japanese curry roux off the warmth. Put 1–2 cubes of roux in a ladleful of cooking liquid, dissolve it with a spoon or chopsticks, and stir it into the broth to include. Repeat with the remaining roux. Style as you go and alter the quantity; you could not want to make use of the entire roux (you may refrigerate or freeze the additional for one more use). After including the curry roux, simmer on the bottom warmth, stirring typically, for 3–5 minutes till the sauce thickens. Watch out to not burn the sauce! If it‘s too thick, add water to dilute. If it‘s too skinny and soupy, uncover the pot and simmer a bit longer.
To Retailer
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Maintain the leftovers in an hermetic glass container (so no stains!) and retailer it within the fridge for as much as 3 days or within the freezer for a month. The feel of the potatoes will change within the freezer, so take away them earlier than freezing. Defrost the frozen curry within the fridge for twenty-four hours earlier than you wish to reheat it. When you’ve got any further roux, maintain it in an hermetic container and retailer within the fridge or freezer for 1–3 months.
To Reheat
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Leftover curry sauce will thicken right into a paste because it cools, so it tends to burn whereas reheating. To keep away from this, stir ½ cup (120 ml) water or extra into the leftover sauce till loosened. Then, gently reheat it on low warmth. If the sauce appears skinny, proceed heating with the lid off to cut back the sauce.
Energy: 426 kcal · Carbohydrates: 28 g · Protein: 23 g · Fats: 20 g · Saturated Fats: 10 g · Polyunsaturated Fats: 1 g · Monounsaturated Fats: 8 g · Trans Fats: 1 g · Ldl cholesterol: 73 mg · Sodium: 938 mg · Potassium: 873 mg · Fiber: 4 g · Sugar: 10 g · Vitamin A: 3992 IU · Vitamin C: 13 mg · Calcium: 66 mg · Iron: 3 mg
Editor’s Notice: This submit was initially printed on April 15, 2011. It has been up to date with new photos and video and the recipe instruction was barely revised on Could 15, 2022.
