Japanese Pork Curry - With a little help from a store, you can create a super easy curry dinner (5 ingredients) in less than 30 minutes!
This is one of my childhood favorite dishes of all time. Although the origin of this dish is from Japan, every child in Korea grew up eating Japanese curry. Now that I know how easy and simple it is to make this dish, I can understand why my mom was so happy I loved this dish!
I know many people are somewhat familiar with Indian and Thai curry but not Japanese. Let's discuss the difference, shall we?
Difference between Japanese, Indian, and Thai Curry
- Japanese curry – In 19 century, curry was introduced to Japan. Then the Japanese people modified the recipe to cater to their taste – not so spicy and sweet. Japanese curry is thicker, umami front, and less spicy than Indian or Thai curry. Most commonly, Japanese curry is served with rice or noodles.
- Indian curry – It has a very pronounced spice-front flavor and it can be much spicier than Japanese curry. Rice and/or bread (such as naan or roti) are served with curry.
- Thai curry – It is soupy of all the curries and a lot of them are coconut milk-based. The curry uses herbs like Lemongrass and/or kaffir lime and seasoned with fish sauce. Such herbs and condiments are not common in Japanese and Indian curry. Often, rice and noodles are served with Thai curry.
What's in Japanese Curry?
- Vegetable - the classic vegetables in Japanese curry are onion, potato, and carrot. But you can always add other vegetables like celery and mushroom.
- Protein - the most popular protein choices are beef (stew meat), chicken, and pork. I'm using pork (boneless pork loin) for this recipe.
- Japanese curry sauce mix/roux - this is a store-bought curry roux.
Japanese Curry Sauce Mix/Roux
The curry roux consists of flour, fat (usually butter), and curry spices. My personal favorite is S&B Golden curry (this is what I use) but Vermont curry from House Foods is another great option.
Both options offer different spice levels. My husband and I both enjoy spicy food so I usually get "Medium Hot" but they do offer a "Mild" version if you are not a big fan of spicy food.
How to make Japanese Pork Curry
- Prepare the vegetables and pork by cutting them into bite-size cubes.
- Brown the pork in the pot.
- Add the vegetables and water. Boil the mixture until the potato is tender.
- Add the Japanese curry sauce mix/roux and stir to dissolve the roux completely.
- Serve over rice or noodles.
Helpful Tips
- For this recipe, you are using half the box of the curry sauce/roux. Store the other half in the refrigerator for a couple of months. If you removed the film from the roux, place them in a zip-lock bag and keep it in the fridge.
- You can reheat the curry in a microwave. Just add a splash of water. As the curry sits in the fridge, the sauce gets thicker. Adding a little bit of water helps thin out the sauce.
- I like to serve my curry with fermented Kimchi. That’s how I always enjoyed my curry growing up. So if you have some kimchi at home, this makes a great side dish!
Would you like to try the vegan-version of Japanese curry?
Try my 30 minute Japanese Vegan Katsu Curry! This is essentially the same dish but instead of using pork, you are using the store-bought vegan Katsu. It's an easy, delicious, and healthy alternative to this dish!
Japanese Pork Curry
Japanese Pork Curry - With a little help from a store, you can create a super easy curry dinner (5 ingredients) in less than 30 minutes!
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main course
- Method: Boil
- Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients
- 2-3 boneless porkchop, cubed
- 2 medium-size carrots, cut into big chunks
- ¼ large onion, cubed
- 1 medium-size potato, cut into big chunks
- 1 teaspoon of oil
- Half a box of Japanese curry sauce mix/roux (3.5 to 4 oz)
- 3 cups water
- Cooked rice (for serving)
Instructions
- In a medium pot, brown the meat in oil.
- Add all the vegetables and water. Bring the mixture to a boil.
- Place a lid on the pot and reduce the heat. Continue to boil until potato is tender, approximately 15 minutes.
- Add the Japanese curry sauce mix/roux to the pot. Stir until the curry mix is completely dissolved. Simmer for a couple more minutes.
- Season to taste with salt. Serve over cooked rice.
Notes
- For this recipe, you are using half the box of the curry sauce/roux (if you bought 7.8oz curry sauce). Store the other half in the refrigerator for a couple of months. If you removed the film from the roux, place it in a zip-lock bag and keep it in the fridge.
- You can reheat the curry in a microwave. Just add a splash of water. As the curry sits in the fridge, the sauce gets thicker. Adding a little bit of water helps thin out the sauce.
Christopher
I made it with added parsnip, bell pepper, peas & coconut & bone broth. Easy, add peppers after 10 min
Erin
Your picture in this post shows a 7.8oz box of curry mix but the link is to a 3.2oz box. The recipe calls for 1/2 box. 1/2 of which size box??
George
Hi Erin,
The recipe uses a half box of 7.2oz box. So if you were to buy a 3.2oz box, you could use the entire box of curry. I hope this helps!
Tee
Excellent recipe! I serve mine with homemade Fukujinzuke
George
Thank you so much, Tee! Because I always have kimchi at home, I like to eat my curry with kimchi but fukujinzuke sounds great too! I'm really glad you like the recipe!
Deborrah
I used a 1.5 lb pork butt I had in the freezer to make this, a whole onion since I had more meat, 2 cloves of minced garlic, and replaced the potatoes with Japanese yam. My friends (dinner guests) loved it so you got big compliments cause these folks are notorious for hating EVERYTHING that even looks like it has a vegetable in it.
George
Hi Deborrah, Thank you so much! I'm glad your guests enjoyed the dish!
Evan Sasowsky
This is a fine, basic, plain curry recipe, but the directions are unclear/bad if the intended box of curry is the one in the Amazon link. The sauce with only half of that box is too thin, light, and flavorless.
George
Hi Evan, Thank you so much for your comment. I agree, and I should have specified the amount of curry in weight to prevent any confusion. I've updated the recipe to make it clearer. I appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback.
Evan Sasowsky
Looking closer at some of the pictures, it could be that the 7.8 oz container of curry roux is intended, but that one is not the one linked and is not one I have ever seen in stores, only the 3.2 oz one. The recipe should be more specific instead of just saying "half the mix", unless a certain size of box is specified.