Japanese Curry Rice
Falling-apart tender beef simmered low and slow with sweet onion, carrots, and potatoes in a deep, savory curry sauce, ladled over steamed rice. A generous, crowd-sized comfort meal.
- 1 pound stewing beef, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons butter (or margarine)
- 5 large onions, thinly sliced
- 2 inches ginger root, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 3 medium carrots, sliced into coins
- 4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 8 cups water
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 box (240 grams) curry sauce mix (S&B or Vermont House are good brands)
- Plain steamed rice, enough for about 1 cup per serving
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a dutch oven over high heat. Add the beef cubes and sauté until well browned on all sides, then remove the meat to a plate and set it aside — this deep browning is where a lot of the dish's flavor comes from, so don't rush it.
- Add the remaining oil and the butter to the same pot. Stir in the sliced onions, garlic, and ginger, and cook over medium-low heat until the onions turn soft and lightly golden, about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally so nothing catches.
- Turn the heat back up to high and return the browned beef to the pot. Sauté briefly to combine, then add the carrots and potatoes. Pour in 7 cups of the water and tuck in the bay leaves; once the pot reaches a boil, lower the heat to a gentle simmer.
- About 20 minutes into the simmer, check the potatoes with a fork — once they're fully cooked through, lift them out with a slotted spoon or spatula and set them aside so they don't overcook while the beef keeps going.
- Continue simmering the sauce, uncovered or partially covered, until the beef is falling-apart tender, about one hour longer.
- Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the remaining cup of water to cool the sauce slightly. Break the curry sauce mix into small chunks and stir it in, mixing until it has fully melted into the meat mixture with no lumps remaining.
- Return the reserved potatoes to the pot and bring the sauce back to a gentle simmer over medium heat, just until everything is heated through.
- Spoon about a cup of hot steamed rice onto one half of a shallow bowl and ladle the curry over the other half. Serve as is, or alongside fukujinzuke, pickled shallots, grated cheese, or a raw or sliced hard-boiled egg, if you'd like to dress it up.
Chef's Note: Cooking the onions low and slow until they've softened and turned lightly golden is what gives this curry its deep, almost sweet background flavor — rushing that step with high heat trades that complexity for something flatter and more one-note. Pulling the potatoes out partway through the simmer and adding them back near the end keeps them intact and creamy instead of dissolving into the sauce over the full hour of cooking.
This recipe makes a generous batch, which makes it an easy candidate for a crowd or for freezing portions ahead — the sauce actually deepens in flavor after a day in the fridge. Keep the classic toppings in mind when you serve it: a soft egg or a spoonful of tangy pickled vegetables on the side cuts nicely through the richness of the curry.
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