Japanese Beef Curry Recipe with Homemade Curry Roux
Japanese Beef Curry is a richly spiced curry stew with tender pieces of beef, as well as potato, carrot, and onion in a balanced sweet and savory gravy. The secret to the depth of flavor is the curry roux, which you can easily make yourself or use store-bought if you prefer.
Add the butter to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, stir in the spices and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Whisk in the flour and cook 1 minute more. Remove from the heat (it will harden as it cools).
For the Japanese Beef Curry:
Add the vegetable oil to a 5-quart Dutch oven or equivalent pot over high heat. Add the beef cubes in a single layer and sear on both sides, about 3 minutes per side (cook the beef in batches if necessary so you don’t over-crowd the pan). Stir in the onion and cook until starting to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook 1 minute. Add 4 cups of beef stock. Bring up to a boil, then cover the pot, turn the heat down slightly, and boil until the meat is almost fully tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Add the carrot, potato, apple, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, honey, unsweetened cocoa powder, salt, black pepper, bay leaf, and remaining 3 cups beef stock to the pot with the beef. Stir, and bring up to a boil. Once boiling, cover the pot, turn the heat down slightly, and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 20 to 25 minutes.
Once the vegetables are tender, stir in the curry roux (it will be hard; you can crumble it in). Continue to cook while stirring frequently until the curry roux is completely mixed in, about 5 minutes.
Serve:
Serve the curry garnished with sliced scallion along with steamed white rice.
Notes
Nutrition Information: The nutritional information for this recipe was calculated without the serving suggestions.
Storage: Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Substitute for Homemade Curry Roux: Instead of making Japanese curry roux from scratch, you can use store-bought curry cubes. S&B Golden Curry is a popular brand, and they make it in mild, medium, hot, and extra hot spice levels, which are all available for purchase on Amazon. You will need one 8.4 ounce/240 gram box to make this recipe.