Easy and Delicious Japanese Beef Curry

5 from 4 votes

Japanese beef curry is quintessential Asian comfort food. Using curry roux and a secret tip make this recipe simple yet incredibly delicious!

Prep Time20

Cook Time2 40

Total Time3

Course: Main dish

Cuisine: Asian, Japanese

Servings: servings

Calories: 487kcal

Author: Edwina

2 lbs beef chuck try to pick a piece that has even marbling of fat throughout the meat. You can also use beef shank instead.
½ teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon high smoke point vegetable oil
2 medium size onions
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon curry powder I used S&B brand
½ cup red wine
1 bay leaf
4-5 cups water preferably hot water
1½ cups carrot chunks
2 cups potato chunks preferably yukon gold potato
6 oz Japanese curry roux (blocks)
2-3 cloves garlic minced
8 servings cooked white rice

Cut the beef chuck into 1.5" (3.5-4cm) cubes and trim off larger pieces of fat. Toss them with salt, black pepper and vegetable oil and set it aside for 15 minutes. If you have time, I recommend doing this a few hours ahead or overnight in the fridge. This will give the beef better flavor and texture.

Peel and slice onions against the grain. Heat a Dutch oven (I use a 5.5 qt one) over medium low heat with 2 tablespoons of butter. Cook and stir until the onions are slightly caramelized, about 10-12 minutes.

Heat a skillet over medium high heat until it's very hot, then brown the meat on both sides. Don't crowd the pan or the beef might not brown nicely. Do this step in two batches if needed.

Transfer beef into the Dutch oven with onions, turn the heat to medium, and add curry powder and sauté for 20 seconds before adding red wine and bay leaf. Cook for another 30 seconds before adding 4-5 cups of water (preferably hot water) or enough to cover all the ingredients in the pot.
Bring it to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to low and cook for 2 hours. Stir and check if you need to adjust the heat every 30 minutes in order to maintain a gentle boil.

When the beef becomes soft and tender, add carrots and potatoes in the pot and continue to cook for 20 - 30 minutes until the vegetables are soft but not falling apart.
Add curry roux, finish up and serve
Cut curry roux into smaller cubes so it's easier to melt.
Turn off the heat before adding curry roux into the pot (see note below). Cover and let it sit for 5 minutes before gently mixing it to help the curry roux dissolve completely.
Finally, here comes my secret tip -- stir in 2-3 cloves of minced garlic into the curry. This will upgrade your curry and give it a deeper flavor. Make sure you give it a try!
Serve the Japanese beef curry with warm rice and enjoy!

Marinating your beef with salt and pepper the day before allows the beef to be more tender and flavorful after cooking.
Sautéing onion provides a hint of sweetness that's one of the keys for making Japanese beef curry delicious, so make sure you don't skip this step!
Try using a mix of different brands of curry roux for deeper flavor.
The actual amount of curry roux you'll ultimately need depends on the amount of liquid in your pot and also the brand of curry roux you use. I got a 7.8 oz pack curry roux for making this recipe and ended up using ¾ of it. If you are not sure about how much to use, check the recipe on the package as a reference and try adding a little bit less in the beginning and adding more if you need more.
Dutch oven works the best for this recipe as the lid helps retain moisture and prevents drying after a long cooking process. If you use a regular pot, you might need to add some hot water at the end to restore some of the moisture.
The beef and potato should be very tender toward the end of cooking, so when you mix in the curry roux, stir gently to avoid breaking them.
Curry taste better after cooling down and reheating. So make more to enjoy as convenient yet tasty leftovers!