Japanese curry (カレー) is usually served with rice, so It is also called "curry rice" (カレーライス) (kare raisu). Hugely popular in Japan, it is the stuff of Japanese school lunches and quick weeknight dinners. It is often the first cooking lesson for Japanese children in their home-economics classes.
Curry Rice is Japanese comfort food at its very best!
Legend has it that curry was first introduced to Japan by a shipwrecked British sailor in the Meiji Era (1868-1912), according to Dr. Merry White, a Boston University anthropology professor whose work explores Japanese food culture. This was a time that coincided with British colonial rule over India, and the Brits adapted curry for use on the high seas so as to avoid alienating any particular battalion with an adaptation of a regional English dish.
Considered a Western food because of its British introduction, the Japanese adjusted the flavors to suit their own palate.
The difference between Indian curry and Japanese curry lies in the curry powder. Indian curry requires a mixture of spices, whereas Japanese curry only uses curry powder which rooted from a British recipe.
The usual ingredients in Japanese curry include potatoes, carrots, onions and a choice of pork, chicken, or beef.
The sauce itself is usually made from curry powder, flour, oil, and other spices to create a roux before adding meat and vegetables and simmered to thicken. The typical Japanese curry is not only thicker in texture, but also sweeter and less spicy than its Indian counterpart.
You will often find a dish of curry rice garnished with fukujinzuke, a slightly sweet mix of pickles, or rakkyo, pickled Japanese scallions.
The dish’s popularity has spread to creations beyond curry rice. Curry can be found with udon noodles, inside bread, and poured over crispy chicken or pork katsu.
In the Houston area, you can experience delicious Japanese curry rice, available for take-out at Nippon, Shun, Izakaya-Wa, Zen Japanese Izakaya, Yakitori Gunso, Go!Go Curry, and Pepper Lunch, to name a few.
Let’s support Japanese restaurants on this #GreatAmericanTakeout day!
—by GEN-J Facilitator Keiko Tsubokura