Main image by Ocdp. Originally posted April 9th, 2020. Updated April 9th, 2022.
If you have non-existent cooking skills, instant Japanese curry is what you need in your life (especially if your life is sad and filled with only Beef Taco Hot Pockets).
Millions of Japanese families survive and live off of karē raisu (curry rice), and now you can find out how easy it is to prepare and to tweak it to make it your own.
If you can boil water or microwave a brick of roux or a pack of brown goo, then all you need to do is dump it over some potatoes, rice, noodles, or dip a Hot Pocket in will have you feeling like a pro chef (also that pack can be kept/stored between your sofa cushions or La-Z-Boy).
I know labeling it as “brown goo” doesn’t sound appetizing, but it is.
Japanese Curry Has Roots in Indian Curry
To give you an idea of what it is like if you have never had Japanese curry, it is a lot like Indian curry because Japanese curry originally came from India via the British Royal Navy who introduced it to the Japanese in the mid to late 1800s. After a few centuries tho, the Japanese have made it distinctively their own.
House Foods and S&B Are the Two Major Japanese Curry Brands
- House Foods (house-foods.com)
- S&B Foods (sbfoods-worldwide.com)
Three Major Types of Japanese Curry Products
- Instant Curry Roux: It comes in “bricks” that look like chocolate bars, so all you need to do is a drop a few bars in a saucepan with water.
- Curry powder: if you are the type that wants more control over your curry, curry powder will be your best bet. The ingredients include: Turmeric, Coriander, Fenugreek, Cumin, Red Pepper, Black Pepper, Cinnamon, Ginger, Star Anise, Cloves, Cardamon, Fennel, Nutmeg, Laurel Leaves, Allspice and Garlic.
- “Ready to Eat/Made” Curry Sauce: comes in a pouch that just needs to be warmed up which is why this would be my goto product for camping trips.
I have provided pricing per unit so that you can compare pricing. I also have Tokyo Central pricing, which is on par with Walmart pricing for Japanese food (brick and mortar only).
The Optional Added Ingredients
You can get by with just the curry roux and water, and you don’t have to include everything else to make it a meal.
The Suggested Main Ingredients to Add to Japanese Curry
- Meat (ideally a beef chuck)
- Onions
- Potatoes
- Mixed vegetables
What to Eat Your Curry With
- Rice
- Potatoes
- Udon (noodles)
- Bread
- Anything you want
If you are feeling cray cray, you can combine two different brands of curry roux together for a flavor hack.
Ingredients Used to Tweak and Switch Up the Curry Flavor
- Milk/cream/yogurt
- Butter/ghee
- Beef stock
- Red wine
- Ketchup/tomato
- Worcestershire sauce
- Soy sauce
- Apples
- Honey
- Spice! Red pepper to flakes
Japanese Curry Condiments
- Beni shoga (pickled ginger)
- Fukujinzuke (daikon/eggplant)
- Green onion and fried garlic chips (something I got hooked on in Korea at Abiko’s).
My favorite is Vermont Curry, and I prepare it the way I had it in Korea (yea, not in Japan, but it was at a Japanese style curry shop called Abiko’s), which is with garlic chips and diced green onions.
S&B and House Food’s Product Line up and Pricing
There’s only two types of products that I buy which is Vermont Curry and House Foods Ready Made. I’ll buy either one in whatever range of spiciness because Japanese food is never spicy even if you get HOT (Thai spicy is eff’n spicy AF).
Also about the pricing, Amazon typically has the fastest turnaround times, but they can be outrageously priced if you go through businesses that specialize in Japanese food (I have one of them listed below, along with a link to a full listed of specialized businesses).
NOTE: the links are provided to make it easier for you to shop, and as of April 15th, I have included affiliate links where I may make a small commission at no cost to you.
HOUSE FOODS
For the curry roux, House offers 3 products: Vermont Curry, Java Curry, and Kokumaro curry.
VERMONT CURRY
“Enjoy the rich, smooth taste of curry, made possible by a blend of apple, flavorful honey, and onion.”
| Hot 8.1oz (230g) | Amazon $9.99 (2 pack) ($4.99 each) |
| Medium hot 8.1oz (230g) | Amazon $11.97 (2 pack) ($5.98 each) |
| Mild 8.1oz (230g) | Amazon $27.64 (5 pack) ($5.52 each) |
JAVA CURRY
“Robust flavorful curry with caramelized onion, roasted garlic and cardamom.”
| Hot 6.52oz | Amazon $49.95 (10 pack) ($4.99 each) |
| Medium Hot 6.52oz | Amazon $14.88 (2 pack) ($7.44 each) |
KOKUMARO CURRY
“A blend of rich and creamy curry mix with caramelized onion, roasted garlic and miso.”
| Hot 4.93oz | Amazon $49.93 (10 pack) ($4.99 each) |
| Medium Hot 4.94oz | Amazon $5.80 (1 pack) ($5.80 each) |
| Medium Hot 4.94oz | Amazon $14.90 (3 pack) ($4.96 each) |
| Medium Hot 4.94oz | ($3.28 each) |
CURRY SAUCE WITH VEGETABLES MILD
“Our ready-to-eat, smooth and mild flavor vegetable curry sauce is easy to prepare and could be ready in minutes! Pairs perfectly with rice, pasta or bread.”
| Hot 7.0oz | Amazon $37.98 (10 pack) ($3.79 each) |
| Mild 7.0oz | Amazon $44.00 (10 pack) ($4.40 each) |
| Mild 7.0oz | ($3.08 each) |
S&B
GOLDEN CURRY ROUX
I grew up eating this, and my mom never switched it up with her own tweaks which is why I can easily identify the flavor.
This is a taste of my childhood.
| Hot 7.8oz | Amazon $22.74 (5 pack) ($4.54 each) |
| Medium Hot 8.4oz (240g) | Amazon $24.54 (5 pack) ($4.90 each) |
| Medium Hot 3.2oz (92g) | Amazon 2.73 (1 pack) ($2.73 each) |
| Mild 7.8oz | Amazon $23.47 (5 pack) ($4.69 each) |
| Mild 8.4oz (240g) | $4.08 |
GOLDEN CURRY “Ready Made” (Pouch)
I would buy these IN BULK when they went on sale for about $1 (regularly $2.68) something at Japanese markets because it can’t get any easier than this.
| Hot 8.1oz | Amazon $22.70 (5 pack) ($4.54 each) |
| Mild 8.1oz | Amazon $21.00 (5 pack) ($4.20 each) |
| Mild w/Veggies 7.4oz | Amazon $18.02 (10 pack) ($1.80 each) |
| Hot | $2.68 each |
GOLDEN CURRY “Ready Made” (from mild to extra hot)
The scale of 1-5 is silly because if you can chug down chili peppers like it’s nothing, level 5 will not be hot for you. Although, if you are sensitive to heat, you may want to start at mild.
Curry Powder
I have never used this product before because I’m not going to bother producing curry from scratch when it’s way easier to buy the roux.
| Curry Powder 3.0oz (85g) | Amazon $11.17 (2 pack) ($5.58 each) |
| Curry Powder 3.0oz (85g) | Amazon $5.90 (1 pack) ($5.90 each) |
| Curry Powder 3.0oz (85g) | $4.28 each |
For the Japanese, There Is No Karē Raisu Without the Rice.
Nishiki Premium Grade Rice
Medium grain rice, gluten free, vegan, non GMO, and can be stored at room temperature. Microwavable cooked rice. Ready in 1 min. 30 sec! Product of U.S.A.
| Microwable Steamed Rice 7.4oz (210g) | Amazon $16.09 (6 pack) ($2.68 each) |
| Microwable Steamed Brown Rice 7.4oz (210g) | Amazon $13.74 (6 pack) ($2.29 each) |
| Microwable Steamed Brown Rice 7.4oz (210g) | Target $2.29 (1 pack) ($2.29 each) |
| Microwable Steamed Rice 7.4oz (210g) | $1.78 per serving ($1.78 each) |
| Microwable Steamed Rice 7.4oz (210g) | Walmart $8.49 (1 pack?) ($8.49 each) |
| Microwable Steamed Rice 7.4oz (210g) | Yummy Bazaar $2.95 (1 pack) ($2.95 each) |
