Japanese curry powder is a unique blend of South Asian and East Asian spices with Western herbs, giving Japanese curry its trademark flavor, tailored to Japanese tastes. It’s a pantry staple of Japanese home cooking. S&B curry powder, made by S&B Foods, is the most common brand found outside of Japan. Still, its availability is generally limited to Japanese supermarkets, so I’ve been working on my own blend for over a decade. Through trial and error, I narrowed in on the taste, but I could never get the balance of flavors quite right. Recently, I found a make-your-own-curry-powder-at-home spice kit. It’s made by Gaban, a major spice company in Japan, and a subsidiary of House Foods. Aside from being one of the largest Japanese food companies, House Foods got its name from one of its first products, “House Curry.” This was the first mass-produced instant curry mix in Japan, dating back to 1926. I figured if anyone knows the secret ingredients to the flavor of Japanese curry, it’s them, so I picked up a few sets to give it a shot. The good news is that the curry powder is good. I actually like it better than S&B’s curry powder, which is the benchmark for Japanese curry taste these days. Because all of the spices are individually packaged and labeled, I was able to reverse engineer a recipe.
Why This Recipe Works
A mix of traditional South Asian spices like turmeric, cumin, coriander seeds, and fenugreek seeds with East Asian spices like star anise and mandarin peel along with Western herbs like dill, sage, bay leaf, and thyme gives this curry powder a complex flavor profile that balances sweet and savory aromas with herbal and citrus notes. Adding some oil and toasting the ground spices helps bring out and redistribute the aroma in the curry powder blend. Aging the curry powder for a few days helps the flavors of the individual ingredients meld together.
Ingredients for Japanese Curry Powder
Savory spices - Curry powder generally contains a mix of savory and sweet spices, and this one includes turmeric, cumin seeds, coriander, fenugreek, fennel seeds, and black peppercorns that provide savory, earthy flavors. Sweet spices - Sweet spices aren’t literally sweet, but they have aromas that are generally associated with sweet foods. This curry powder includes cinnamon, allspice, cardamom, cloves, star anise, and nutmeg. Citrus peel - One of the defining characteristics of Japanese curry powder is its strong citrus flavor. In this blend, dried mandarin orange peel powder is added, but I’ve also seen blends using powdered yuzu zest. The thing that surprised me here is how much of it is added (it makes up about 10% of the curry powder). This ingredient doesn’t even show up in most curry powders from other places. Chili pepper - Four grams of cayenne pepper is where this curry powder gets its heat. As far as curry goes, it’s a relatively mild to medium heat level, so you can double or even triple the amount if you like it hotter. Be careful not to over-do it, though; you can always add more heat to your dish, but you won’t get the full flavor if you have to decrease the amount of this spice blend. And if you have people in your household who don’t tolerate spicy ingredients, you can substitute mild paprika to get the pepper flavor without the heat. Herbs - Japanese curry powder somewhat surprisingly contains Western herbs such as dill, sage, thyme, and bay leaves, none of which are commonly used in Japanese cuisine, and most aren’t even in curry powders from other countries. Aromatics - Garlic powder and ginger powder provide a nice, rounded savory and spicy element. Neutral oil - Because many aromatic compounds in the spices are oil-soluble, adding a small amount of oil when toasting the spices helps draw out and meld their flavors.
How to Blend Japanese Curry Powder
Before you start, it’s important to know that turmeric will permanently stain porous materials such as wood and plastic. At the same time, cloves can break down the polymers in some plastics, so choose your utensils and cookware wisely. All of the ingredients in this recipe are ground into powder. If any of your spices are whole, you will need to use either an electric spice grinder or mortar and pestle to grind them into a powder first. Then you want to measure all of the spices into a bowl and give them a preliminary mix to ensure everything is evenly distributed. Next, you want to toast the curry powder in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium-low heat, along with a tablespoon of neutral oil. Be sure to stir the mixture constantly to keep it from burning. If the spices start to smoke, get them out of the pan as soon as possible. Start low. You can always turn the heat up if you need to. After toasting the mix for 2-3 minutes, it should be very fragrant, and you can transfer it to a bowl to cool. Once the Japanese curry powder has cooled to room temperature, store it in a sealed non-reactive container, like a glass jar. I recommend letting the curry powder age for a few days before using it, which allows the aromas to mingle and mellow out.
How to Use Japanese Curry Powder
Japanese curry powder is a versatile ingredient that can be used to add aroma and depth to a wide variety of recipes. If you’re in the mood for some comforting carbs, Curry Udon provides a warm, savory option, while Curry Fried Rice offers a quick and satisfying meal. For a unique fusion treat, don’t miss the savory goodness of Curry Bread. If you’re pressed for time, there’s quick Japanese Curry Rice, or my flavorful Japanese-style Keema Curry both of which can be made without a curry roux. Finally, if you want something hearty, there’s nothing better than combining crispy katsu with spicy curry sauce. I even have a Vegan Katsu Curry and a Vegan Japanese Curry recipe.
📖 Recipe
