Japanese Chicken Curry (Kare Raisu) from Scratch
Photo: Markus Winkler / Unsplash
Japan's favourite family dinner: a thick, mild and slightly sweet curry sauce made from a homemade roux, with chicken, potatoes, carrots and onions, served beside rice.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Brown the chicken and onions
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook about 5 minutes until browned, then add the onions and cook 10 minutes more, stirring, until soft and golden.
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 500 g chicken thighs
- 2 onions
✅ Done when: chicken is browned on the outside and onions are soft and golden
Simmer the vegetables
Add the carrots, potatoes, stock, grated apple, soy sauce, ketchup and honey to the pot. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer about 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
- 2 carrots
- 3 potatoes
- 800 ml chicken stock
- 1 grated apple
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tbsp honey
✅ Done when: vegetables are easily pierced with a fork and chicken reaches 74°C / 165°F in the center
Make the curry roux
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Thicken the curry
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Serve
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Brown the chicken and onions
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook about 5 minutes until browned, then add the onions and cook 10 minutes more, stirring, until soft and golden.
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 500 g chicken thighs
- 2 onions
✅ Done when: chicken is browned on the outside and onions are soft and golden
Simmer the vegetables
Add the carrots, potatoes, stock, grated apple, soy sauce, ketchup and honey to the pot. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer about 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
- 2 carrots
- 3 potatoes
- 800 ml chicken stock
- 1 grated apple
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tbsp honey
✅ Done when: vegetables are easily pierced with a fork and chicken reaches 74°C / 165°F in the center
Make the curry roux
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Thicken the curry
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Serve
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
The Story Behind the Dish
Curry came to Japan in the Meiji era not from India directly, but via the British Royal Navy. The Japanese navy adopted it as a cheap, nutritious meal for sailors, thickened with a flour roux the British way.
It spread from navy kitchens to schools and homes, and today Japanese curry is one of the country's most popular dishes, usually made with boxed roux blocks.
⭐ Why It's Famous
Mild, sweet and thick, it's the dish Japanese children grow up loving, and every family has its secret ingredient.
💡 Fun Fact
The Japanese navy still eats curry every Friday, a tradition that helps sailors at sea keep track of the days of the week.
Yokosuka and all over Japan
35.28°N, 139.67°E
Related recipes
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!