Japanese curry


Japanese curry is commonly served in three main forms: curry rice, curry udon, and curry bread. It is one of the most popular dishes in Japan. The very common "curry rice" is most often referred to simply as "curry".
Along with the sauce, a wide variety of vegetables and meats are used to make Japanese curry. The basic vegetables are onions, carrots, and potatoes. Beef, pork, and chicken are the most popular meat choices. Katsu-karē is a breaded deep-fried cutlet with Japanese curry sauce.

Overview

Curry originates in Indian cuisine and was brought to Japan from India by the British. The Imperial Japanese Navy adopted curry to prevent beriberi, and now the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force's Friday menu is curry. The dish became popular and available for purchase at supermarkets and restaurants in the late 1960s. It has been adapted since its introduction to Japan, and is so widely consumed that it can be called a national dish.

History

Curry was introduced to Japan during the Meiji era, at the time when the Indian subcontinent was under colonial rule by the British Empire. By the 1870s, curry began to be served in Japan, and became a staple within the Japanese diet. It wasn't until the early twentieth century, when curry was adopted by the Japanese Navy and Army, that the dish began to become popular with the Japanese. After its favorable reception within the Japanese Army and Navy, it later became common in school cafeterias. By 2000, curry was a more frequent meal than sushi or tempura.
Curry similar to that served in the Indian sub-continent is known as Nakamuraya Curry. It was introduced to Japan by Rash Behari Bose when he began to sell curry at Nakamura Bakery in Tokyo.

Sauce mixes

Curry sauce is served on top of cooked rice to make curry rice. Curry sauce is made by frying together curry powder, flour, and oil, along with other ingredients, to make roux; the roux is then added to stewed meat and vegetables, and then simmered until thickened. A pressure cooking can be used as well. Adding potatoes to curry sauce was introduced by William S. Clark of the Sapporo Agricultural College, due to rice shortages at the time.
In Japanese homes, curry sauce is most commonly made from instant curry roux, which is available in block and powder forms, and contains curry powder, flour, oils and various flavorings. Ease of preparation, and the wide variety and availability of instant curry mixes, has made curry rice very popular, as it is very easy to make compared to many other Japanese dishes. Pre-made curry is available in vacuum-sealed bags that can be reheated in boiling water. For those who still make their curry roux from scratch, there are also curry powders specially formulated to create the "Japanese curry" taste.
Instant curry roux was first sold in powder form by House Foods in 1926, and in block form by S&B Foods in 1956. In 2007, Japanese domestic shipments of instant curry roux was 82.7 billion yen. Market share for household use in 2007 was captured almost entirely by House Foods, S&B Foods and Ezaki Glico. Curry is marketed to children utilizing characters from video games and anime.
Vacuum-sealed curry sauce, prepared by heating the retort pouch in hot water or the microwave, is also popular. As of 2007, curry sauce is the largest single category of vacuum-sealed foods in Japan, making up over 30% of sales.

Side dishes and garnishes

Curry rice is usually served with fukujinzuke or rakkyō on the side.

Other varieties

In the late 1990s, a number of regional specialty curries emerged, popularised as vacuum-sealed curry sauces. These include:
Local curries are also marketed to help boost tourism. Some varieties of this include Yokosuka navy curry, sold in Yokosuka to promote its heritage as a naval base, and Zeppelin Curry in Tsuchiura to promote the Zeppelin landing in 1929.

Outside Japan

South Korea

Curry was introduced to South Korea during the period of Japanese rule, and is popular there. It is often found at bunsik restaurants, donkkaseu-oriented restaurants, and at the majority of Japanese restaurants. Premade curry and powdered mixes are also readily available at supermarkets.

North Korea

Japanese-style curry was introduced to North Korea by Koreans and Japanese who were abducted from Japan to North Korea during the 1960s-1970s repatriation project. Along with other Japanese cuisine, it was traded by new arrivals for local products and used to bribe Worker's Party cadres.

Elsewhere

Mixes can be found outside Japan and Korea in supermarkets that have a Japanese section or in Japanese or Asian food stores. Mixes are also available from retailers online.
The largest Japanese curry company in Japan is House Foods Corporation. The company operated more than 10 Curry House Restaurants in the USA, until mid-2019 when it sold off its interest to a US company CH Acquisitions LLC, which abruptly closed the restaurants in February of 2020. House Foods associated company CoCo Ichibanya or Kokoichi has more than 1,200 restaurants in Japan. CoCo Ichibanya has branches in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Hawaii and California.

Serving

Japanese curry rice is served in anything from a flat plate to a soup bowl. The curry is poured over rice in any manner and amount. Japanese short-grain rice, which is sticky and round, is preferred, rather than the medium-grain variety used in Indian dishes. It is usually eaten with a spoon, as opposed to chopsticks, because of the liquid nature of the curry, and is usually served garnished with vegetables pickled in vinegar such as fukujinzuke or rakkyo.

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