P
Japanese · Tokyo
Japanese Curry Kare Development and Philosophy
Japanese curry (kare) is one of Japan's most-consumed dishes — a thick, deeply savoury, mildly sweet stew-like preparation with roots in the British Navy's interpretation of Indian curry introduced to Japan in the Meiji era. The Japanese Navy adopted curry as a high-protein, storable ration food in the 1870s, and the dish spread from military to civilian use, becoming a national staple by the Showa period. Japanese curry occupies a completely distinct flavour space from Indian or Thai curry: thicker consistency (achieved with roux), sweeter profile, less heat, and a depth of flavour built on caramelised onion, apple or honey for sweetness, garam masala-influenced spice blends, and often dark roux. The beloved S&B Golden Curry and Vermont Curry roux blocks defined the home-cooking version for generations.
‹Swipe for the next dish›
I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
600 g
boneless chicken thigh or beef chuck
cut into 3–4 cm pieces
Your own market
400 g
onions
halved and thinly sliced
Your own market
250 g
200 g
carrot
peeled, roll-cut into 3 cm pieces
Your own market
1 medium
2 tbsp
neutral oil
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For the roux
40 g
unsalted butter
Your own market
40 g
plain flour
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
2 tbsp
curry powder
S&B brand or garam masala-influenced blend
Your own market
1 tsp
garam masala
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Secret depth additions
1 square (approx. 5 g)
dark chocolate
Your own market
1 tsp
instant coffee
dissolved in 1 tbsp hot water
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 tbsp
soy sauce
1 tbsp
mirin
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 tbsp
800 ml
water or light chicken stock
Your own market
Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.
II
The Method
1
Heat the oil in a heavy-based pot over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and cook, stirring regularly, for 45–60 minutes until they are mahogany-brown, deeply sweet, and reduced to roughly one quarter of their original volume. If the onions stall before colouring, raise the heat briefly and scrape the fond from the base of the pot. The colour should be the brown of dark caramel, not golden.
2
Add the meat to the caramelised onions and sear over medium-high heat until all surfaces are browned and no raw grey remains. Pour in the water or stock, bring to a gentle simmer, and skim off any foam that rises in the first few minutes.
3
Add the carrot. Simmer, partially covered, for 10 minutes before adding the potato. Continue to simmer for a further 10–12 minutes. The vegetables should yield to the point of a knife but hold their shape without breaking apart.
4
While the stew simmers, make the roux. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and stir continuously for 3–4 minutes until the paste smells nutty and colours to a pale biscuit. Remove from the heat, stir in the curry powder and garam masala, and cook for a further 30 seconds. The roux is ready when it smells fully toasted and no raw flour note remains.
5
Ladle two or three spoonfuls of the hot stewing liquid into the roux and whisk until smooth, then pour the loosened roux back into the pot, stirring thoroughly to incorporate. Add the grated apple, soy sauce, mirin, dark chocolate, and dissolved instant coffee. Stir until the chocolate has fully melted and the sauce has thickened to a consistency that coats the back of a spoon heavily.
6
Taste and adjust: the balance should be sweet-savoury with rounded spice warmth. Add honey if additional sweetness is required. Simmer on the lowest heat for a further 5 minutes, then remove from the heat. Rest the curry, covered, for at least 20 minutes before serving — overnight refrigeration produces a markedly superior result. Reheat gently, thinning with a small amount of water if the sauce has thickened beyond the desired consistency.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Scratch-made roux developed with a personal or house spice blend, aged or high-grade beef chuck, freshly grated apple, and the full set of depth additions. Rested overnight. This is the register of Tokyo's dedicated curry shops, some of which have maintained the same roux base since the Showa period.
02
Estate — Scratch roux using quality curry powder such as S&B, with free-range chicken thigh, grated apple, and the full depth additions (soy sauce, mirin, dark chocolate, instant coffee). Rested for a minimum of several hours.
03
Market — Mixed commercial roux blocks — one medium, one hot intensity — dissolved correctly into hot liquid before incorporating, with grated apple and at least soy sauce and mirin added. Properly caramelised onion mandatory at this level.
04
House — Single commercial roux block (S&B Golden Curry or Vermont Curry) with fully caramelised onion. The roux block must be dissolved in hot liquid before adding to the pot. Skipping the caramelisation step produces a dish that cannot reach even this rung.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Sight. Onions are mahogany-brown and reduced to a quarter of their raw volume — deep caramel in colour, not golden.
◇Smell. The roux smells fully toasted and nutty with no raw flour note remaining.
◇Touch. Potato and carrot yield cleanly to a knife tip but hold their shape without crumbling or fracturing.
◇Sight. The finished sauce coats the back of a spoon with a thick, glossy, even layer that does not run off quickly.
◇Where it lives or dies. The dish lives or dies on the full caramelisation of the onion: 45–60 minutes to mahogany brown is not negotiable, as the sweet-savoury depth of Japanese curry is built almost entirely on this single step.
Pillar V
Cross-cuisine parallels are part of membership.
The dishes this one teaches you, across the cuisines — on every recipe.
Enter · from $49 a year
VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Shochu
From British Columbia
Nothing from British Columbia holds against this yet.
Without alcohol
No pour without alcohol holds against this yet.
Why each one works is part of membership — Enter · from $49 a year →
The whole pairingPillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
Enter · from $49 a year
Sourced through Provenance