Have you ever noticed a specific area in Japanese grocery stores that sells many types of packages with pictures of curry and rice? That’s a curry roux area. This is because Japanese people love “curry rice” so much. Many companies are pitching their special features to consumers. Today, I’m going to introduce why Japanese people like it so much. Let’s go!
What Is Curry Rice (カレーライス)?
According to Wikipedia, it came from the UK around the Meiji period and then evolved in unique ways here. Curry rice( カレーライス) isn’t English, it’s Japanese English. Of course, curry is originally from India. Compared to Indian curry, Japanese curry sauce is thicker than the kinds you might find in India, and less spicy. Nowadays, curry rice is one of the most popular items on the school lunch menu among young kids. Plus, it’s not only for young kids—many people like it. So you might see curry rice stands around Japan.
What Is Curry Roux (カレーのルー)?
Curry : カレー
Roux : ルー
Curry roux ( カレーのルー) is a type of base for creating a curry sauce, usually involving frying flour in butter and mixing it with curry powder. You can make it from scratch by yourself if you put your energy into it. However, although it might be nice to try to make it homemade from scratch, don’t worry about buying the ready-to-cook, instant products in your supermarket. In fact, in Japan, people also usually prefer to use instant curry roux that is sold in supermarkets. It’s an amazing idea because you can cook curry rice at your home without any hassle. It possibly takes as little as an hour to cook it. Many companies offer a variety of seasonings and spiciness levels. The oldest instant curry powder was sold in 1906 (the Meiji period) by Hachi Foods Co., Ltd. Wow, people have been loving curry rice for around a hundred years! It goes without saying that curry rice is soul food. My recommendations are below.
How To Use
It’s a breeze! Today, I’m going to share the simplest recipe. All you need is hot water and roux. You put four cubes into hot water. Wait until it dissolves into the water, and then pour it on the freshly cooked rice. That’s it!
That being said, you feel like there’s something that you miss. I recommend adding meat and whatever other toppings you want, such as potatoes, onion, or carrots. Other than that, you can check the package. My personal favorite topping is adding natto and raw egg. Nothing beats freshly cooked curry on them. But my wife doesn’t like it. One more thing, it is said that the taste of curry will be even better the next day. The longer you simmer it, the better the taste is.
Other Tips
The curry roux is useful for other dishes beyond just curry. For example, let’s say you want to fry some vegetables one day: just add the roux (usually, one cube is enough; the more cubes you add, the thicker the sauce will become, so take care!), and enjoy the curry-flavored vegetables immediately! Other than that, you can cook it with noodles, fried rice, hot pot, and so on… The variations are endless! It’s one of my go-to instant sauces.
How was that? Japanese curry is very different from authentic Indian curry, but it’s unique and delicious in its own way, I’d say. Also, if you love curry, you might also want to try stew roux (シチュー) and hayashi rice roux (ハヤシライス). As Japanese people love curry rice, you can find many curry restaurants and menus. Even soba noodle restaurants have their curry menu with Japanese soup stock. In case you miss the taste of Japanese curry, it’s a good idea to get a couple of curry roux boxes as your souvenir, and don’t forget to check out where curry roux might be sold in your home country as well. Thanks for taking time to read my article to the end. See you in my next article.
I worked at a trading company for many years. I live in Tokyo with my wife. Love skiing, traveling, IPAs, wine , X-treme sports, fashion, and learning English and Chinese.
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