Active Time
30 minutes
Total Time
1 hour
First popularized in the Japanese navy, kare raisu or Japanese curry rice, is a cultural icon and a weeknight comfort food staple enjoyed by countless families across Japan and abroad. Most home cooks rely on concentrated bricks of store-bought S&B Golden Curry sauce mix or Vermont Curry to make the signature thick and rich sauce. As a child, former senior food editor Christina Chaey thought those spiced blocks were magic. As an adult, she realized she could make her own easily—sans preservatives and fillers—and probably save a few bucks along the way.
“There are countless ways to prepare homemade kare raisu,” explains Chaey, “but the one nonnegotiable for me is S&B Curry Powder.” The blend of 17 spices, including cumin, turmeric, and black pepper, gives the dish its nostalgic flavor. Here, it’s added along with garam masala to a simple butter-flour roux that thickens the sauce.
The Japanese curry roux forms the bedrock of the dish, which you can spin in any number of directions. Chaey anchors her curry with large, bite-size pieces of mushroom and kabocha squash, but you can swap in other veggies or proteins—adjust the cook time accordingly. Watch Chaey making it and try out other variations, like curry udon (which swaps the rice for noodles), katsu curry (topped with crispy fried tonkatsu or chicken katsu), or Japanese beef curry (adding in beef along with the base vegetables).
Japanese curry is often served with fukujinzuke, a relish made with daikon, eggplant, cucumber, and lotus root, preserved in a sugar and soy sauce brine. You can find it at Japanese supermarkets like Mitsuwa, smaller East Asian grocery stores, and online.
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What you’ll need
Large Saucepan
$60 At Amazon
Vegetable Peeler
$12 $10 At Amazon
Whisk
$10 At Amazon
Small Saucepan
$155 At Amazon
Chef's Knife
$34.53 At Amazon
Ingredients
4 servings
4
¼
¼
2
3
8
1
1
2
3
1
6
12
1
Preparation
Step 1
Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook, whisking often, until roux is light golden brown, 5–8 minutes. Stir in curry powder and garam masala and cook, stirring, until very fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from heat; set curry roux aside.
Step 2
Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large saucepan over medium-high. Cook mushrooms, tossing occasionally, until golden brown, about 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a small bowl; reserve saucepan.
Step 3
Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in reserved saucepan over medium. Add onion, carrot, and celery and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are slightly softened and onion is translucent, 6–8 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Pour in broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add squash and mushrooms; simmer gently until liquid is reduced by a third and vegetables are very tender, 20–25 minutes. Whisk in honey and reserved curry roux until incorporated and roux is lump-free. Simmer, whisking occasionally, until sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 5–10 minutes. Taste curry and season with more salt if needed.
Step 4
Divide curry among shallow bowls; top with scallions. Serve with rice.
Do ahead: Curry can be made 4 days ahead; let cool. Transfer to an airtight container; cover and chill.
Editor’s note: This recipe was originally published in December 2021. Head this way for more Japanese recipes →
How would you rate Japanese Curry With Winter Squash and Mushrooms?
Leave a Review
Reviews (67)
Back to TopTasty and a little spicier than expected but I kept thinking something was missing, wasn't sure what. I wasn't getting that complete umami you would get at a restaurant. I convinced myself it was the MSG that was missing. Problem solved by adding some soy sauce! Also, be sure to let it reduce enough, as instructed, I was a little short on the reduction and it affected the flavor. You will get a more concentrated flavor if you let it reduce enough.
Claudia in SF
San Francisco, CA
2/9/2023
Good flavor and an easy “clean it the veggie drawer” meal. Very runny texture, never thickened up and not sure why.
Anonymous
Wisconsin
1/16/2023
I haven’t been able to view the recipe even though I am signed in.
Margi
Austin
1/5/2023
Not so happy with this recipe. Too much curry sauce for the amount of vegetables. Pretty tasteless and cut tires don’t need a roux to be good, in fact I think it too away from the depth of the curry spices.
Nancy
Toronto
1/5/2023
This is a delicious big-batch curry that freezes well and is ready for those busy days. To make it vegan I substituted olive oil in place of butter and sweet chilli sauce instead of honey. I left out the celery, used oat flour which gave it a nutty flavour and creamy texture, some tomatoe paste to increase depth of flavour, and mild curry powder in addition to a hotter curry powder in place of garam masala. I added green beans, cauliflower and butter beans which all go so well with the warming spices. I cooked the onions first and just added the mushrooms into the same pot to save time. Even with a few adaptions, making use of ingredients on hand, this recipe was super tasty. I've saved it and it will be in my winter meal rotation. Highly recommend.
Shaen MacDevette
Pretoria, South Africa
5/16/2022
Outrageously good, thank you! I found more time efficient to make the roux whilst the veg was initially simmering. Can’t wait to make again!
Jessica
New York
2/11/2022
Watched the cooking video for this recipe and thought, “Great! I can finally use that curry powder I have in my cupboard!” Didn’t have enough shitaake mushrooms so I adjusted the recipe accordingly. Planning on making panko crusted beef tomorrow to add to my leftovers! Well written recipe!
Heather
East Orange, NJ
1/8/2022
LOVE the fact that I can get the same flavor of the boxed block curry that I grew up with sans the unhealthy additives & preservatives. The flavors of the curry spice mix worked well with the addition of fresh garlic, ginger, and garam masala with a hint of subtle sweetness to round out the flavors from the touch of honey. I followed the recipe exactly, but will make a few adjustments next time. I found the amount of time the vegetables were cooked to be unnecessary- especially the carrots. I found the 20 minute simmer to cause the veggies to break down so much that the veggies began disintegrating & I was missing texture in the end. Next time, I’ll probably wait to add the carrots, potato/kabocha, and mushrooms to allow the base to start coming together first so I can have more control over the texture of the veggies. I grew up with green beans in my “kare” so I’ll definitely add those next time as well. I’m thinking 5-10 min with the veg would be plenty. Next time, I’m thinking of making a double batch of roux & freezing a portion in these silicone molds I have (made for storing homemade baby food) to have some ready-to-go curry cubes handy. Overall great flavor & I’ll definitely be making again :)
Mel E
Long Beach, CA
1/6/2022
While it did take us about 2 hrs to make in its entirety (mostly due to lack of experience with kabocha and how to prep it), it was well worth the effort. Will be making this for many fall/winters to come!
Laura
Nashville, TN
12/31/2021
This turned out beautifully. Perfect flavor balance - just like a restaurant! I subbed the mushrooms and winter squash out for chicken and potatoes. Will be using this recipe again!
Carmen
Oakland
12/30/2021
Good flavor but kind of gloppy texture with the rice. By itself it works.
Anonymous
California
12/30/2021
Great recipe! Really easy and swappable. Used shiitakes and broccoli. The roux turned out to be kinda pasty (not saucy), not sure if that was the right way but it turned out good anyways! Deifnitely like that this recipe is sans all the preservatives found in the cube version.
Sam
Singapore
12/28/2021
Amazing recipe! This was my first time trying a Japanese curry and could not have stumbled upon a better recipe! Full of flavour and great texture, although it did took me a while to prepare it was totally worth it. I live alone so I made half a recipe so I would have another serving for the following day, it reheats perfectly.
Teresa
Peru
12/27/2021
Excellent recipe. Loved this meal on a cold winter day. Fragrant, sweet, spicy, umami. It did take me a while to make. Maybe 1.75 hours with all the prepping. I’m not a very experienced chef, but this was restaurant quality.
Andy Challenger
Chicago
12/22/2021
one of the best recipes i've made in a while! i subbed chicken stock and delicata squash bc it's what i had at home and it didn't disappoint. definitely will be making this again!
kellyejd
new rochelle, ny
12/15/2021