My Childhood Chicken Curry: A Japanese Style Curry Recipe
Looking for curry the whole family will enjoy?
Discover the secret twists taking this Japanese style curry to the next level
Sweet, mild, or hot—this recipe has you covered!
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My Comfort Food Story & Discover the Secret Twists in this Japanese Style Curry Recipe
Tips for Selecting Ingredients (including where you can get them)
Detailed Step-By-Step Guidance on this Japanese style curry recipe (with detailed photoes)
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My Childhood Chicken Curry: A Japanese Style Curry Recipe
Why Japanese Style Curry Is So Popular in Taiwan
Japanese style curry rice is a staple in Taiwan, but why? The answer lies in history. From 1895 to 1945, Japan colonized Taiwan, leaving a deep influence on Taiwanese culture—including our food. My family was no exception—one of my favourite dishes growing up was my mom’s Japanese Style Curry Recipe, a sweet apple Vermont chicken curry rice.
A Sweet Family Tradition
Japanese curry cubes, like Vermont Curry, come in a range of flavours: mild, medium, hot, and extra hot. My mom always chose the sweet one because she was cooking for all our kids. As the eldest, I couldn’t wait to try the hot version when I got older, but with siblings 8 and 9 years younger than me, sweet curry was always the family favourite.
Rediscovering Vermont Curry in Australia
When I came to Australia to study in 2017, I was excited to find Vermont Curry cubes at the supermarket. I tried all the flavours—from mild to hot—and while they were all delicious, I found myself missing the sweet flavour from my childhood. So, I began experimenting with ways to recreate my mom’s Japanese Style Curry Recipe, adding my own twists to enhance the flavour. After plenty of trial and error, I found the perfect balance with the following secret twists:
Secret Twists in This Japanese-Style Curry Recipe
🍎 Apple: Adds natural sweetness with a touch of tang.
🧅 Caramelized Onions: The Maillard Reaction creates fonds that deepen the curry’s richness.
🍅 Tomatoes or Canned Tomato: Contribute extra umami and a gentle sour note to balance the dish.
🍺 Beer: Elevates the curry’s depth with subtle richness and complexity.
🥄 Plain Yogurt: Adds a delicate sour finish that perfectly offsets the sweetness or heat of the curry cubes.
This dish is perfect for anyone craving a comforting meal. Whether it’s sweet for the kids or spicy for adults, these easy twists take this Japanese chicken curry to the next level.
Cook with me tonight!
Difficulty: simple
Health benefits: good protein (chicken), good carbohydrate (potato)
Time: 15 minutes for preparing & 1 hour for stir frying and simmering
Serve: 5-6
Japanese Style Curry Recipe with Ultimate Secret Twists!
Ingredients
Chicken breast: 660g (Alternative: chicken thigh or around 4-5 chicken drumsticks)
Carrot: 300g (around 2 medium-sized carrots)
Potato: 400g (around 4 medium-small potatos)
Onion: 1 big (around 270g)
Tomato/plain canned diced tomato: 400g
Red Apple: 200g (1 medium-sized)
Cup Mushrooms: 235g (optional or use other types of mushrooms with mild aroma)
Oil: 5ml
Water: 1L (500ml for stewing & 500ml for additional water after stewing)
Beer: 335ml (Alternative: the same amount of water)
Japanese curry cube (Mild): Vermont 124g + S&B 50g (adjust as personal preference)
Plain yogurt (no sugar): 2 tbsp (optional)
Ingredients to make chicken breast juicy - (you do not need these if you use chicken thigh or chicken drumstick)
Salt: 25g
Water: 500ml
Tips for Selecting Ingredients
Chicken Breast: You can use chicken thighs or drumsticks instead. I use chicken breast because it’s higher in protein and more popular in Australia. However, in Taiwan and many Asian food cultures, chicken thighs and drumsticks are preferred for their juiciness. Don’t worry—I’ll show you how to make chicken breast juicy and tender in this Japanese style curry recipe. Just a quick note: avoid using chicken wings, as they’re not suitable for this dish.
Onion: I recommend using brown onion instead of purple(red) or white. Brown onions have a higher sugar content, making them ideal for the Maillard reaction, which enhances the flavour and aroma of the curry.
Beer: You can use any brand of regular beer you like. Avoid fruit-flavoured or specialty beers, as they can alter the curry’s taste and aroma. If you’re not a fan of beer, simply replace it with 330ml of water—the curry will still taste amazing! However, if you’re using spicy curry cubes, I highly recommend using beer to add depth and create a more “adult” flavour in the curry.
Tomatoes/tomato can: Any type of tomato works, except cherry tomatoes. If you’re using canned tomatoes, make sure they are unseasoned.
Cup Mushrooms: I use cup mushrooms because they release a lot of water during cooking, which enhances the curry base by adding a natural vegetable stock. Alternatively, you can skip them or use other types of mild-taste mushrooms, such as oyster mushrooms or king oyster mushrooms. Avoid mushrooms with strong aromas, as they can overpower the curry’s flavour.
Japanese curry cube: When choosing Japanese curry cubes, it’s best to use at least two different brands. Mixing them helps create a richer flavour and aroma. Vermont and S&B are the most common and tasty options, but feel free to try others. For this recipe, I use Vermont and S&B mild flavours because Vermont was a favourite in my mom’s kitchen and brings back comforting memories. You can pick the spice level you like—mild, medium, hot, or extra hot. In Australia, you can find Vermont and S&B at Coles, Woolworths, and Asian supermarkets, and sometimes other brands at Daiso.
Plain Yogurt: Any plain, unsweetened yogurt works well in this curry. It adds a slight tang that balances the sweet or spicy flavours. If you don’t have yogurt, that’s okay—tomatoes will still add a bit of sourness to the dish.
Quick Steps Snapshot - Japanese Style Curry Recipe
Day 1 (Skip this step if you use chicken thigh or chich drumstick):
Prep Chicken Breast: Soak in 5% salt water (25g salt + 500ml water) overnight or for at least 3 hours to make it juicy.
Day 2:
1. Prepare Ingredients:
• Chicken Breast: Cut into 2–3 cm chunks.
• Onion: Slice thinly (0.2–0.3 cm).
• Carrot: Roll-cut into medium chunks.
• Potato: Dice into 2–3 cm cubes.
• Apple: Dice into 2 cm cubes.
• Cup Mushrooms: Cut into 3 cm chunks or leave whole if small.
• Tomatoes: Dice into small cubes (or use canned diced tomatoes).
2. Start Cooking:
• Sauté Onion: Saute on medium-low heat for 15+ minutes until brown (Maillard reaction).
• Add Carrot: Stir-fry for 1–2 minutes to reduce stewing time.
• Add Chicken Breast: Stir-fry until all sides turn white.
• Add Cup Mushrooms: Stir-fry until mushrooms shrink and release water.
• Add Tomatoes: Cook until soft, breaking down into a paste and releasing liquid.
• Add Apple, Potato, Beer, and Water: Bring to a boil, then stew for 40 min on medium heat.
• Add Hot Water: Ensure all ingredients are covered and bring to a boil again (3-5 min).
• Add Curry Cubes: Cut into small pieces and stir gently until fully dissolved.
3. Ready to Serve! Enjoy with rice or udon noodles, and savour your comforting Japanese chicken curry!
Feel free to experiment with the spicy or mild versions and let me know your favourite! 😋🍚🍜
Detailed Step-by-Step Guidance of this Japanese Style Curry Recipe
Day 1: Make chicken breast juicy - soak them in the 5% salt water (25g salt and 500ml water) overnight or at least 3 hours
There are several ways to make chicken breast juicy, such as marinating it in yogurt or onion. However, in my humble opinion, soaking it in 5% salt water is the most effective method. I highly recommend this step, as it’s the key to ensuring your chicken breasts turn out tender and not dry.
Be careful not to use too much salt because this can make the chicken overly salty.
If you’re using chicken thighs instead, you can skip this step and cook them directly.
Day 2: Cook this comfort food - Japanese Chicken Curry
Reminder about the pot: Use a larger pot to avoid the liquid overflowing while stewing later on.
1. Prepare ingredients: onion, carrot, potato, chicken, mushroom and tomatoes.
Chicken breast: Cut into medium-sized chunks around 2-3 cm each.
Note: if you use a chicken drumstick, I highly recommend you boil it with cold water and turn off the flame once the water start boiled. This can remove excessive blood and unwanted substance in the chicken bone. Check out my previous post (with video) - Four Herbs Pork Ribs Soup about the details of how to do it!
Onion: Slice into 0.2-0.3 thinner pieces. This will help with Maillard Reaction later on.
Carrot: Roll-cut the carrot into medium-small chunks. This size ensures a good bite while allowing the carrot to soften quickly during the stewing process for Japanese chicken curry. I do not peel the skin to maintain nutrition and reduce food waste.
Potato: Cut into medium-sized cubes around 2-3 cm. Don’t cut it too small to avoid it breaking easily. I do not peel the skin to maintain nutrition and reduce food waste.
Apple: Dice into small cubes, approximately 2 cm on each side. I do not peel the skin to maintain nutrition and reduce food waste.
Cup mushroom: Cut into medium-sized chunks, about 3 cm, as they will shrink significantly during cooking. Cutting them into larger pieces helps retain some texture for a satisfying bite in the curry. If the mushrooms are very small, you can leave them whole.
Tomato: Dice it into small cubes. (skip it if you use plain diced tomato can)
2. Add 5ml of oil and heat it over high heat.
3. Maillard Reaction! Add the onion and saute it patiently over medium to low heat until it turns brown.
This is a crucial step in creating the delicious flavour of this Japanese style curry recipe. It will take 15 minutes or more, so patience is essential. Sauté gently to avoid burning the onions.
If you’re using a stainless steel pot or one with a lighter colour, you might notice the bottom of the pan turning brown. Don’t worry—this is exactly what we want! These browned bits, known as ‘fonds,’ are the result of the Maillard reaction and will add depth of flavour to your Japanese style curry.
4. Add carrots and stir-fried them for 1-2 minutes.
We add carrots early in the cooking process because they take longer to soften when stewed. Stir-frying them first helps reduce the stewing time needed later.
If you don’t mind stewing the curry for a bit longer, you can skip this step and simply add the carrots before adding water.
5. Add chicken breast. Keep stir-frying until it turns white.
When stir-frying the chicken, it’s normal for some liquid to be released. Make sure to stir-fry the chicken until all sides turn white.
6. Add a cup of mushrooms and continue stir-frying until the mushrooms shrink and release a significant amount of water.
At this stage, the pot may already be quite full, so gently stir and mix the cup mushrooms with the other ingredients from time to time. Be careful not to break the cup mushrooms.
After a few minutes, you’ll notice the cup mushrooms releasing their water, which will enhance the flavour of the Japanese chicken curry base.
If you’re using a different type of mushroom, remember that not all varieties release large amounts of water.
7. Add the tomatoes and continue stir-frying until they become very soft, start to break down into a paste, and release plenty of liquid. This step is key to creating a subtle sour aftertaste that balances the sweetness of this Japanese chicken curry.
If you use canned tomatoes, this step can take less time.
Whether you use mild or hot curry cubes, tomatoes are the key to adding a tangy touch to this Japanese chicken curry, creating the perfect balance between sweetness (or spiciness) and sourness.
8. Add the apple, potato, beer, and 500ml of water to the pot. Bring it to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium heat and stew for 40 minutes.
If you’re not a beer fan, you can replace it with the same amount of water (330ml), and the Japanese chicken curry will still taste delicious! However, if you use spicy curry cubes, I highly recommend using beer to add an ‘adult’ flavour to your Japanese chicken curry.
9. Add additional hot water to the pot to ensure the water slightly covers all the ingredients. Bring it to a boil again before moving on to the next step.
To check whether the Japanese curry base is ready to add curry cubes, use a spoon to cut through the carrot. If not, boil it for another 5-10minuteses.
After 40 minutes of stewing, the water level will have dropped below the ingredients. Add some hot water to ensure all ingredients are covered. It is not necessary to use up all the rest 500ml of water as the recipe indicated.
Use high heat to bring the curry to boil again before we add the curry. This step will be around 3-5 minutes.
10. Cut the curry cubes into small pieces and add them to the pot. Stir gently until all curry cubes are fully dissolved. Add 2 tbsp of plain yogurt and mix thoroughly as a last step.
Cutting the curry cubes into smaller pieces helps them dissolve more quickly.
Note: Make sure the curry cubes are completely dissolved. I’ve made the mistake of not dissolving them properly before and found bits of undissolved curry cubes coating some ingredients, which ended up tasting super salty! 😂
11. Ready to serve! This Japanese chicken curry is perfect for dinner or as a lunch box meal!
When I was a busy law student, I loved cooking a big pot of this Japanese-style curry, as it would last for several days!
With Rice: This Japanese chicken curry pairs wonderfully with a variety of rice, such as multigrain rice, basmati rice, jasmine rice, or white rice… just be sure not to use sticky rice! 😂
With Udon Noodle: This Japanese style curry also goes perfectly with udon noodles! If you’ve already had the curry with rice for several meals, I highly recommend trying it with udon for a delicious change.
I always have a hard time deciding whether to have it with rice or udon noodles—both are just too delicious! Hahaha! Do you prefer this Japanese chicken curry with rice or udon noodles? 😋🍚🍜
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Japanese Style Curry Recipe with Ultimate Secret Twists!