Japanese Curry Rice
カレーライス
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Curry rice is one of the most loved dishes on Japanese school lunch menus, and this is the preschool-kitchen version. Instead of store-bought curry roux blocks, the sauce is built from butter, flour and curry powder, then rounded out with ketchup, chuno sauce, cheese and a splash of milk, so it comes out mild, creamy and gentle enough for toddlers. The steps also show you how to split the pot partway through, keeping a milder batch for little ones while adding more curry powder and seasoning for older children and adults.
Toddlers to adults. Portion out the children's share before the final seasoning, then season the rest for adults.
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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
- 60 gonion
- 18 gcarrot
- 42 gpotato
- 48 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.
- 10.5 gsalted butter
- 10.5 gflour
- 0.9 gcurry powder
- 180 mlwater
Seasonings (A)
- 0.9 gconsommé bouillon (granules or cube)Japanese-style Western soup stock powder or cubes, similar to chicken or vegetable bouillon. Substitute: Chicken or vegetable bouillon granules or a bouillon cube.
- 1.1 gsalt
- 6 gketchup
- 6.6 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.
- 5.4 gsliced cheese
- 3 ggrated Parmesan cheese
To Finish
- 24 mlmilk
- 0.9 platewarm cooked rice
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- 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 (granules or cube) (コンソメ)
- Japanese-style Western soup stock powder or cubes, similar to chicken or vegetable bouillon. Substitute: Chicken or vegetable bouillon granules or a bouillon cube.
- 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.
Directions
Video is in Japanese — the steps below are synced to it, so tap ▶ on a step to jump to that moment.
- 1
Cut the onion into 1.5 cm wedges, the carrot into quarter-rounds (ichō-giri), and the potato into bite-size pieces. Cut the pork into 2 cm strips.
- 2
Put the onion, carrot and 1 tbsp water (not included in the ingredient amounts) in a microwave-safe bowl and mix. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and microwave at 1200W for about 4 minutes. Add the potato, stir, cover again and microwave for about 1 minute more.
- 3
Melt the butter in a pot, add the vegetables from step 2 and sauté over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Add the pork and cook until it changes color.
- 4
Turn off the heat, add the flour and curry powder and stir well. Return to low heat and add the water in two additions, stirring each time. Note: If you are also making a toddler version, reduce the curry powder to about 30% of the amount at this stage.
- 5
Add the A seasonings and simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes. Note: For toddlers, add about 70% of the combined A seasonings, simmer for about 15 minutes, then set their portion aside. For elementary-school age and up, add the remaining curry powder and A seasonings to the rest, tasting as you go. Continue from step 6 the same way for both.
- 6
Add the milk, stir and simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes. Serve over the warm rice.
Tips for Best Results
- It's fine if the curry is still thin and runny when you have just added the water in step 4 — it thickens as the flour cooks in.
- Letting the curry cool once after cooking helps the flavors meld. You can adjust the spiciness with the amount of curry powder, so taste at the end and adjust.
- The grated Parmesan can be replaced with sliced cheese.
Freezing
Remove the potato, then divide the curry into single-meal portions in freezer bags and freeze. Reheat in the microwave and serve over rice.
Keeps for about 2 weeks (best eaten as soon as possible).
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 312 kcal | 624 kcal | 312 kcal |
| Protein | 15.9 g | 31.8 g | 15.9 g |
| Fat | 17.3 g | 34.5 g | 17.3 g |
| Carbohydrates | 28.2 g | 56.4 g | 28.2 g |
| Fiber | 5.9 g | 11.7 g | 5.9 g |
| Salt equivalent | 2.7 g | 5.4 g | 2.7 g |
| Calcium | 132 mg | 264 mg | 132 mg |
| Iron | 1 mg | 2.1 mg | 1 mg |
| Potassium | 597 mg | 1194 mg | 597 mg |
| Phosphorus | 241.5 mg | 483 mg | 241.5 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | Phosphorus | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 312 kcal | 15.9 g | 17.3 g | 28.2 g | 5.9 g | 2.7 g | 132 mg | 1 mg | 597 mg | 241.5 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 624 kcal | 31.8 g | 34.5 g | 56.4 g | 11.7 g | 5.4 g | 264 mg | 2.1 mg | 1194 mg | 483 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.
