Japanese curry also known as one of the national food of Japan. It is a dish which has curry gravy on white rice, and always in the top ranking of the popular dish which served in school canteen or as a household dish. Besides, there is also a *report saying that a Japanese on average will be eating Japanese curry for 76 times within a year (1 to 2 times a week). Even though the curry is originated from India, however the Japanese curry was influenced through UK and was modified to suit the Japanese taste. Today we are going to introduce you this popular dish of Japanese curry!
*Information from S&B Foods Co., Ltd. official website
The difference between Japanese curry and Indian curry
Unlike Indian curry, Japanese curry is more of a thick broth type and is served on top of the rice. Generally, the ingredients include meat such as beef or pork, carrots, onions, potatoes. Fukujinzuke (sliced vegetables pickled in soy sauce) and pickled scallions may be added as garnish. On the other hand, Indian curry is waterier as it does not use flour for the making of roux. It is stewed with a lot of spices such as cumin, turmeric, saffron, cinnamon, coconut, etc. and is served together with Indica rice, which is less sticky, and naan.
From the chain restaurant to the hotel! Types of curry while eating outside
There are many curry specialty chain restaurants in Japan such as "Curry house CoCo Ichibanya (CoCo壱番屋)", "Curry shop C & C, etc. Most of them are located in front of the station and downtown areas, and often visited by single person who is rushing time. The price is reasonable and is approximately 500 yen per meal. Japanese curry rice with pork cutlets, soft-boiled egg, cheese and hamburger steak are also the popular dishes at a curry restaurant.
Meanwhile, some hotels with long history such as "Imperial Hotel"(Teikoku Hotel) in Tokyo and "Fujiya Hotel" in Miyanoshita, Hakone serve their signature curry which is unique and specially made with their own recipe. Generally, the curry sauce is served in another saucepot separately with white rice.
The solid curry roux which is a must for curry making
The curry roux is made by cooking the curry powder, wheat flour and lard, and processed into cube form. Curry roux is one of the necessary ingredients when preparing Japanese curry. Put the ingredients such as meat and vegetables into a pot to cook with water, when it is boiling just add the curry roux, melt and simmer it, then the curry is ready. In Japan's supermarket, there are curry roux from a variety of brands such as "Vermont Curry" from house foods, "Golden Curry" from SBV foods, and "Premium Jyuku Curry" from Glyco. The price is approximately 200 to 300 yen per box (8 people), and you can choose from the flavor of sweet, medium spicy, spicy depending your preference.
Simple and convenient! Instant pack curry which you just need to heat up
Instant pack curry is sold usually with one-person portion and in a retort pouch packaging. It is a convenient packaging for students and office worker who living alone, because you can just heat the instant pack curry by boiling or heating them in a microwave oven for few minutes. The price range is wide, from 100 yen (1 serving) for the cheaper one, to approximately 1,000 yen for the hotels and famous restaurant one. Besides, many shops such as Daiso 100-yen shop, convenience stores such as Family Mart and Lawson, MUJI, etc. are selling their own house brand instant pack curry as well.
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