Japan – Japanese Chicken Curry

by Zayna Khan

Japanese curry is very popular in Japanese because it is a very versatile dish that can be served with different other dishes and served in many forms. It is filled into the bun to form curry bread, it is served with rice, it is also cooked in the form of noodles like noodles over the curry. Japanese curry can be vegetarian curry, or chicken curry, fish curry, etc. It can be spicy chicken curry, curry soup, creamy curry white in color, so sauce-based curry black in color. Meat and vegetables mixed curry can also be cooked because both meat and vegetables are added. Curry’s consistency may be thick in texture and also be soupy consistency. Japanese curry can be cooked with basic vegetables like tomatoes, onions, potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, for the simple vegetarian curry. Meat like seafood, pork, fish, chicken, squid is added to make non-veg curry.

Curry in Japan is served in three different ways :

1.CURRY BREAD

Curry bread is a thick curry sauce filled into a bun, or pastry, bread, etc. Curry is filled or wrapped into the dough then it is fried by covering it with bread crumbs, or you can either bake it like bread.

In Japan, it is known as KARE PAN. Curry puffs or bunny chow are also two dishes in which curry is filled.

CURRY PUFFS

Curry puffs are the special southeast snack of Asia. In which thick gravy of potato and chicken is prepared then filled into the dough. This dough is then baked like puff pastry to make. The layers of puffs appeared filled with potato curry.

BUNNY CHOW

Bunny chow is the South African dish in which a Wide bread slice is cut from the middle and filled with curry. It is topped up with white cream and some vegetables.

2.CURRY NOODLES

This is a very popular dish of Japan, in which curry is soup-like consistency cooked, and top up with noodles. It is also known as UDON. In Japanese cuisine, it is known as COMFORT FOOD. It is very mild in flavors and noodles are all-time favorite dish. Curry is cooked like soup in which dashi broth and chicken stock are added, then some vegetables and pork slices are added served by adding noodles. This dish is different from noodles soup because it has a curry of thin consistency, not soup. Soup is only broth and liquid.

This is more like the thick curry and having noodles with it.

3.KARE RAISU

This is curry in which vegetables and some meat pieces are added then served with rice and tonkatsu. This dish has three elements :

• Rice plate or bowl
• Japanese curry
• Tonkatsu or pork cutlet

HISTORY OF JAPANESE CURRY

This dish was first time introduced in Japan at the MEJI ERA from the 1860s to 1900. Curry was cooked and used to serve in Japan by 1870. This dish was first time made outside Japan in Indian Subcontinent and from that the special curry powder is transported to Japan known as CURRY MIX. It was the western food that was infused with different regional ingredients. Japanese curry is the national dish of Japanese cuisine.

In Japan, Japanese curry is served as the FRIDAY MEAL. It is also said that Japanese curry is used to cure BERIBERI disease. Beriberi disease is the disease of Vitamin B1 deficiency.

Nakamuraya curry is a similar curry cooked in the Indian Subcontinent like in Japan.

SAUCE MIX

Now dried powder of curry powder is sold throughout Japan. The special curry mix or curry powder is easy to cook curry made.

Curry sauce is made by adding curry powder, oil, and flour for thickness and good texture. ROUX is the mixture of flour and oil or butter to thick the sauce. It is used in many techniques and dishes like bechamel sauce.

SERVING JAPANESE CURRY

There are many dishes and elements to serve with curry. We have many bread varieties, rice, pasta, noodles, soups, etc.

This is served with a portion of rice like the following dishes :

DORAI KARE

This dish is actually a rice dish in which curry is mixed up with rice and serve. It is usually a chicken or fish curry without any vegetables. This curry is cooked separately and rice is cooked separately. Then both cooked elements are mixed together and serve.

It is also known by other names :

• Curry flavored rice
• Curry rice

MAZE KARE

Maze kare is also a rice curry assembled dish in which rice is cooked and mixed with curry but having a unique taste hen the usual one. It is served by adding sauce and, raw egg, and fried vegetables.

Jiyūken is also another name of the dish but it is most popular in Osaka. This dish has the special feature of having raw egg on the top of the curry rice.

SUPU KARE

Supu Kare is the curry of a soupy consistency having coarsely chopped vegetables and meat served with rice. It has a special element that is roasted chicken leg over the soup curry rice.

AIGAKE

It is a rice dish in a bowl in which rice is placed over the base of the bowl and then add curry over the top of the rice. This is a special curry of beef meat and is also very popular in the West known by the name Hashed beef rice

It is a curry made with Beef, onions, mushrooms, tomato sauce, etc.

It has two names :

• Hayashi rice
• Hashed beef rice

OTHER LOCAL CURRIES

• Scallop curry
• Chicken curry
• Nashi pear curry
• Mackerel curry
• Oyster curry
• Black pork curry
• Fish curry
• Natto curry
• Sika deer curry

SERVED WITH

SAUCES

This dish is served with many soups and broth if the curry is thick and gravy-like consistency :

• Dashi broth
• Miso soup
• Tsuyu
• Soya sauce
• Vegetable dashi

TOPPINGS

• Raw egg
• scallions
• Negi
• Sesame seeds
• Nori sheets
• Daikon radish

SIDE DISHES

• Rice
• Udon Noodles
• Pasta
• Curry bread

INGREDIENTS OF THE DISH

• Chicken : 2 lbs
• Vegetable oil : 2 tbsp
• Garlic : 6 cloves
• Onions : 1
• Salt : 1 tsp
• Cayenne powder : 2 tbsp
• Russt potatoes : 2
• Mushrooms : 1 cup
• Soya sauce : 1/2 cup
• Japanese curry mix : 1 packet
• Sesame oil : 4 tbsp
• Cream : 3 tbsp
• Yogurt : 3 tbsp
• Chicken stock : 1 cup
• Dashi broth : 1 cup
• Mirin : 4 tbsp
• Sake : 4 tbsp

COOKING METHOD

• For Curry, add sesame oil and vegetale oil in a sauce pan. Add onions, garlic in it and sauteed it for a while.
• When onions are soft enough add dashi broth and chicken stock and chicken pieces in it.
• When it brings to boil, add salt and cayenne powder in it an let it cook.
• On other pan, add oil with potato and mushrooms and fry them to tender.
• When chicken is cooked enough add vegetables with sauces like soya sauce, mirin, sake, etc.
• When 50% of water is dried add yogurt and cream is added and serve.
• Enjoy 🙂