How to make Japanese brown curry from scratch?
 

I'm a huge fan of brown curry. Either alone, or topping tonkatsu, or as a soup with udon... brown curry rules!

There is just one problem: everywhere I try it, it's made from some sort of pre-made mix. If I make it at home, I am forced to use one of those "chocolate bar"-style mix packets, which are made with a ton of palm oil, a substance I abhor. They also contain a lot of corn starch or bleached flour, which I also avoid.

I'm trying to figure out how to make it without these mixes. I'm thinking chicken stock, a Patak's curry paste, and what else?

I want to be able to re-create the flavor of Japanese curry, but so far, I've had no luck. Any ideas, or recipe suggestions?

I love Japanese curry! ^

I haven't found time to make it from scratch though. From my experiences of cooking with mix/paste, I realize I am not into Indian or SE Asia types of curries. Some ingredients/spices are too strong for my taste buds.

See if this would help: Japanese curry powder

Another easy Basic Curry Roux Recipe (Japanese) that got good reviews from About.com.

Isn't Patak's more a Indian curry?

If you want to cook Japanese curry, I would think using powder/paste that are similar to House, S&B and Glico brand may get you better results. Like I say, I think Indian curry is very different from Japanese curry.

Not to mention MSG and/or other glutamic acids for that umami yuminess.

Japanese curry seems more savory to me than generic Indian (yes, I know there are countless "types") curries. Some soy sauce is probably added (MSG or glutamates), is my educated guess.

There are a billion Patak curry pastes-in-a-jar. They're mostly Indian in flavor profile. Make your own curry (which just means a sauce); they sell generic curry powder blends if you are lazy or don't want to spend money buying each separate spice.

Wow thanks for the great finds. Looks like combining lin821's and missydarlin's recipes is the way to go. I'll give it a go and report back. :)

Who needs a recipe when there is カレーハウスココ?

http://www.ichibanya.co.jp/menu_imgs/10111_big.jpg

No no no no can't be runny like that. The crappy curry houses in Honolulu serve it like that, and I can barely eat it. In fact I don't anymore. :td: :td:

When I apprenticed with a Japanese chef in my former life, we made absolutely everything from scratch. Except for the curry. Oh sure, it wasn't just pre-made mix, but it was the main ingredient. I was honestly really surprised, because this guy was in the top 5 of Japanese chefs working in the U.S. at the time. Yet he didn't mind using a crappy mix he ordered from JFC.

I've been seeking to make it all from scratch ever since. Gotta make some stock this week anyway, so I might as well set some aside for curry!

The crappy mix is so full of crap in it that I rarely buy it. These recipes give me inspiration!

[QUOTE=DLSIZE;13313194]Who needs a recipe when there is カレーハウスココ?

Definitely the best curry for my money too. The runiness n that picture is because it is lacking several of the wonderful toppings that one adds. But pund for pound, CoCo kicks all butts for my 1000yen.

[QUOTE=mjm;13313991]It also (used to be) great food after too many drinks.

Soy sauce indeed can be used in lots of Asian food but NEVER with curries.

Though I've seen westerners adding soy sauce to dishes that I can't imagine eating with it. :D

Please do let us know how the recipes work out for you.

[QUOTE=Eastbay1K;13314037]Oh baby, it still is. It still is. Open 24 hours a day in my neighborhood.

Here's the recipe for Japanese curry from my Japanese food guru
http://www.justhungry.com/japanese-beef-curry

If you have problems sourcing the right kind of curry powder, lin821's post should help.

I could never stand the sort of curries available in School canteens and in other kids' homes in the 1970s in England and I can't stand Japanese curry either. I do have absolute faith in the Just Hungry recipes though.

Great recipe!

Calls for an apple. Interesting.

24 hour CoCo - there is a God

Here's the recipe I use
 

2 tsp oil (I use either organic soy or olive )
2 large onions sliced thin
2 lbs chicken thighs cleaned and cut into chunks (you could also use pork, shrimp, or tofu)
2 carrots cut into chunks
4 C water
2 large yukon gold potatoes cut into large chunks
1 small apple peeled cored and pureed (I use a microplane)
2 tsp kosher salt (use less if you use regular salt)
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 C peas

I am deeply addicted to Japanese curry. This was given to me by a cook at the Curry House in Carson, CA a few years ago. Curry House is the best non-Japan alternative I know of

Actually, I've had curries that went well with fruits. Fruits serve as natural sweeteners and add extra layer of flavor to your curries. I Love sweet curries with pineapples!

Quite a few fruits were mentioned in the other curries thread: apple, banana, coconut, lychees, mango, pineapple, raisins. I've also seen apricot, cranberry, currant and peach in other American recipes.

When I tell people that I lived in Japan for 3 years they all exclaim at how much sushi, teriaki, etc. that I must have eaten. I have to tell them that other than the occasional trip to the soba hut or mori mori bon bon (korean bbq) I mostly ate curry as did most of the japanese around me. Trying to further explain how one purchased 'tokens' from a cigarette machine only furthered the confusion based in misconceptions re japanese daily cuisine.

Fav Japanese curry is still the squid and veggies combo. Mmm...

Anybody have a better US restaurant for Japanese Curry than Curry House around LA?

I'm going to try that, thanks!

Japanese Curry, no. Thai curry (yellow curry) yes. Green Papaya in Alhambra.

All of these recipes posted don't really mean much unless you define what the Garam Masala is. In India, each family/region/area has their own blend of spices. As somebody that did a culinary project on Indian Foods, I can tell you a few things. Getting the blend and proportion of spices is important, as is getting whole spices and toasting them in a skillet (before grinding them and blending them) I add heavy cream to mine, and fresh hebs at the end (expecially cilantro) If you can find a health food or small gourmet shop that will sell spices by the oz/lb this will beat buying little expensive jars of your required spices to make your Garam Masala. Also some small Indian stores sell this (Indian Sweet and Spice here in LA for example)

Hope this helps anybody interested.

Something tells me you've never eaten Japanese curry.

I can assure you that it only has a very passing resemblance to Indian food (and that's a little of the heat you get when passing it)

But anyway, there is a link in the justhungry recipe (also posted by lin821) to how to make your own Japanese style Garam Masala.
Here it is again. Hope this helps you if you're interested.

[QUOTE=mjm;13313991]My husband was stationed in Sasebo Japan for over a year and LOVES CoCo. Does anyone have a recipe similar to their brown curry. He really wants me to make it for him but I have never had it. Help please:)

In Japan most people use store bought curry roux, such as Kokumaro （こくまろ）. I know this brand and other similar ones are available in the US at Japanese/asian super markets. I wouldn't be surprised if it could be ordered online somehow, as this is really a household staple item for Japanese families.

Wow- I just found it for sale at a website called asian food grocer- and they even have an english translation of the recipe. Note that Kokumaro is available in Mild, Spicy, and other varieties. http://www.asianfoodgrocer.com/produ...rry-hot-7-1-oz

An optional extra that makes curry taste better is to add Bouillon cubes to the water.

CoCo Ichibanya recently opened its first mainland US store in Torrance this February.

Address is:
2455 Sepulveda Blvd
Torrance, California 90501

I will try it out as I'll be in Torrance later this week!

I used to go to Hurry Curry in Old Town Pasadena until they closed. There is another one in LA though:

Hurry Curry
2131 Sawtelle Blvd.
West Los Angeles
California 90025

And is it "Oishii" ?

Amazon sells Japanese curry blocks.

It has to be "oishii" if there is a rationale why they went from a single store in 1978 to grow to 1214 stores in Japan and 54 worldwide. ;)

http://www.ichibanya.co.jp/english/info/history.html


BTW, even though they have the name "Curry House CoCo Ichibanya," they have no relation with "Curry House" (wholly owned subsidiary of House Foods, Inc.) that's all around So Cal

As far as i know Miso Paste is an important ingredient but no ones mentioned it.

[QUOTE=mjm;13313991]I have never had brown curry before. I eat Thai food about once a week and yellow curry is my go-to dish. Also, have tried about every Indian curry. I will need to seek out some brown curry sometime soon.