Curry Rice
カレーライス（乳なし）
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Curry rice is one of the best-loved dishes on any Japanese school lunch menu, and it is a sure bet with children at home too. Instead of store-bought curry roux blocks, this version builds its own mild roux from flour and curry powder, so you control the heat and the salt, and a splash of sweetened soy milk rounds everything out with a gentle creaminess. The vegetables are cut small enough for little mouths and given a head start in the microwave, so they turn soft and tender without a long simmer. Let it rest and cool once after cooking if you can - the flavors settle and meld beautifully.
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Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 75 griceJapanese short-grain white rice (japonica), which cooks up soft and slightly sticky. The amount listed is for uncooked rice. Substitute: Sushi rice, or another short-grain or medium-grain rice such as Calrose.
- 30 gthinly sliced pork (komagire)Small, thin offcuts of pork sold in Japan for quick stir-fries and simmered dishes. Substitute: Thinly sliced pork shoulder or loin cut into bite-size pieces.
- 15 gcarrot
- 30 gonion
- 45 gpotato
- 150 gwater
- 13.5 gsweetened soy milk (Japanese chosei tonyu)Japanese 'prepared' soy milk that is lightly sweetened and flavored to taste milder than plain soy milk. Substitute: Regular (original, lightly sweetened) soy milk from the supermarket.
Seasonings
- 6.8 gvegetable oil
- 7.5 gflour
- 0.2 gcurry powder
- 0.4 gconsommé bouillon (allergen-free)Japanese-style consommé stock granules or cubes, used as a Western-style soup base. This kind is made without egg and milk, but most recipes on this site that use it list wheat in their allergens, so check the label if you avoid wheat. Substitute: A chicken or vegetable bouillon powder or cube made without egg, milk or wheat (check the label).
- 2.7 gketchup
- 3.8 gchuno sauce (Japanese medium-thick brown sauce)A sweet, tangy, fruit-and-vegetable-based brown sauce that sits between thin Worcestershire and thick tonkatsu sauce. Substitute: Tonkatsu sauce, or Worcestershire sauce mixed with a little ketchup.
- 0.6 gsalt
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- rice (米)
- Japanese short-grain white rice (japonica), which cooks up soft and slightly sticky. The amount listed is for uncooked rice. Substitute: Sushi rice, or another short-grain or medium-grain rice such as Calrose.
- thinly sliced pork (komagire) (豚こま切れ肉)
- Small, thin offcuts of pork sold in Japan for quick stir-fries and simmered dishes. Substitute: Thinly sliced pork shoulder or loin cut into bite-size pieces.
- consommé bouillon (allergen-free) (コンソメ（アレルゲン不使用）)
- Japanese-style consommé stock granules or cubes, used as a Western-style soup base. This kind is made without egg and milk, but most recipes on this site that use it list wheat in their allergens, so check the label if you avoid wheat. Substitute: A chicken or vegetable bouillon powder or cube made without egg, milk or wheat (check the label).
- chuno sauce (Japanese medium-thick brown sauce) (中濃ソース)
- A sweet, tangy, fruit-and-vegetable-based brown sauce that sits between thin Worcestershire and thick tonkatsu sauce. Substitute: Tonkatsu sauce, or Worcestershire sauce mixed with a little ketchup.
- sweetened soy milk (Japanese chosei tonyu) (調製豆乳)
- Japanese 'prepared' soy milk that is lightly sweetened and flavored to taste milder than plain soy milk. Substitute: Regular (original, lightly sweetened) soy milk from the supermarket.
Directions
- 1
Cut the pork into 1 to 2 cm wide pieces. Cut the carrot into 5 mm thick quarter-rounds and the potato into 2 cm quarter-rounds. Halve the onion lengthwise and slice it thinly.
- 2
Put the carrot, onion and 1 tbsp water (not included in the ingredient amounts) in a microwave-safe bowl and toss together. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave at 1200W for about 4 minutes (8 minutes at 600W). Add the potato, stir, cover again and microwave for about 1 minute more (2 minutes at 600W).
- 3
Heat the vegetable oil in a pot and stir-fry the carrot, onion and potato over medium heat for about 3 minutes.
- 4
Add the pork and stir-fry until it is no longer pink.
- 5
Turn off the heat, add the flour and curry powder and stir to coat. Turn the heat back on and add the water in two additions, stirring well each time. Once the flour and water have blended smoothly, add the consommé, ketchup, chuno sauce and salt, and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.
- 6
Stir in the soy milk and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. (Letting the curry cool once after it is finished helps the flavors meld.)
- 7
Spoon the curry over warm rice.
* Microwave heating times vary depending on how much you are making. Keep an eye on the vegetables and adjust the time as needed.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 454.5 kcal | 909 kcal | 454.5 kcal |
| Protein | 13.1 g | 26.1 g | 13.1 g |
| Fat | 11.1 g | 22.2 g | 11.1 g |
| Carbohydrates | 78.4 g | 156.9 g | 78.4 g |
| Fiber | 5.9 g | 11.7 g | 5.9 g |
| Salt equivalent | 1 g | 2.1 g | 1 g |
| Calcium | 27 mg | 54 mg | 27 mg |
| Iron | 1.2 mg | 2.4 mg | 1.2 mg |
| Potassium | 502.5 mg | 1005 mg | 502.5 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 454.5 kcal | 13.1 g | 11.1 g | 78.4 g | 5.9 g | 1 g | 27 mg | 1.2 mg | 502.5 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 909 kcal | 26.1 g | 22.2 g | 156.9 g | 11.7 g | 2.1 g | 54 mg | 2.4 mg | 1005 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
