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My favourite combo - curry topped with cheese
and a crab cream croquette. |
Ever since I returned from Japan, I've been striving to perfect a curry recipe that lives up to CoCo Ichiban, a famous chain restaurant with locations all over the country.
If you're not familiar with Japanese curry, the first thing I need to point out is that it's verydifferent from Indian curry. The flavour wasintroducedto Japan by the British in the 1800s, and continued evolving to suit the Japanese palette. The standard Japanese-style curry is a thick sauce created from curry powder and usually flavoured with pork or beef, and served over short-grain Japonica rice. Onions, potatoes and carrots are often used in homemade Japanese curry, but you can add whatever you like, or keep it smooth, restaurant-style.
Curry rice is usually considered a comfort food, and it is so popular (especially with children) that it's offered at many restaurants and cafes. None, however, take it to the level that CoCo Ichiban does. They are a curry-only restaurant that offers scaling levels of heat and a myriad of toppings for your dish; things that you may not have ever considered adding to curry rice. Chopped tomato, spinach, asparagus, fried quail eggs...if they think it'll sell as a savoury topping, you'll find it at CoCo Ichiban.
CoCo Ichiban serves a liquidy curry with a yellowish tint, and it's my understanding that the broth is pork-based. Even the lowest spice levels have a kick to them! I found that it was not as sweet as some other curries I'd tried, and I really liked that it was served so basic, without the onion-potato-carrot combination, unless requested.
While I'd made and enjoyed curry before, I found myself craving CoCo Ichiban specifically - something about their curry was just fantastic. When I stayed overnight in Shibuya over winter break one year, I've find myself emerging from my capsule at 7 A.M. and starving. CoCo Ichiban for breakfast? Yes ma'am! A half-plate of cheese curry with a mango lassi to drink set me back just ¥400. Four hundred yen! Seriously! I suspect it was these early-morning curry runs that got me hook, line and sinker - usually I'm so queasy in the mornings that there are only a small handful of foods that I can safely eat. Curry is definitely the strangest.
After coming home to Canada, I started experimenting with various recipes to recreate the CoCo Ichiban taste. As you might guess, this was a tough prospect - a Google search turned up plenty of people, mostly Americans stationed in Okinawa, who had tried and offered their recipes, but none were quite right. The following is the closest I've been able to get:
CoCo Ichiban Cheese Curry - A Work In Progress
- 4 servings cooked Japonica rice
- 3 strips of bacon, chopped
- 1/2 box or 1 small* package S&B Golden curry sauce mix (medium-hot)
- 2 1/2 cups water (reserve an additional 1/2 cup water for the end of the cooking process)
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 cups shredded Monterey, cheddar or mozzarella cheese
- salt, pepper and crushed red chili peppers or cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 thinly sliced onion (optional - tasty, but CoCo's curry is smooth and onion-free)
- Any other toppings you like - why not check out CoCo Ichiban's bilingual menu for ideas?
In a pot or frying pan, cook the bacon through, and sauté the onion, if using.
Add water and bring to a boil, then remove from heat and stir in the curry sauce mix. You can use other brands of curry sauce if your selection is limited, though S&B Golden is the closest to the real thing. You can also experiment by using 1/2 a package of one brand and 1/2 a package of the other. This post on Serious Eats is a great primer! Nowadays, I almost always do a blend of Kokumaro and Golden.
*Note that many stores in the U.S. and Canada carry smaller packs of curry roux - the net weight of these is in the 125 gram/4.4 oz range. In Japan, you will get two "blocks" of roux per 240-gram box. Please check your box to make sure you have the correct amount! If you want to use a large box or two small boxes of different brands, remember to double the amount of water, bacon and sugar written above.
Let the curry simmer for about 5-10 minutes. (Use this time to prepare your toppings! Another favourite of mine is tonkatsu!)
How's the consistency? CoCo's curry isn't as thick as most homemade curries tend to be. Thin it out with the reserved water if you need to. (If you've thinned it too much, add a tablespoon of corn starch dissolved in cold water.) Finally, add the brown sugar and stir it in. If you've added onions, but you still want that smooth CoCo Ichiban texture, strain out the onions with a sieve.
Warm your plates in the microwave - this is really important, or the curry will cool down too fast and congeal! Then dish out the rice, top with 1/2 cup shredded cheese and 3/4 cup or so of the sauce. Sprinkle on a bit of salt, pepper and chili peppers/cayenne pepper to taste.
Eat! Enjoy!
FAQs
"CURRY HOUSE CoCo ICHIBANYA", known as "CoCoICHI", is a chain restaurant specializing in Japanese-style curry rice. Many people enjoy making their very own CoCoICHI curry by customizing the rice portion, spice level, and optional toppings coming in nearly 40 varieties.
What is the difference between Japanese curry and Indian curry? ›
For one, Japanese curry uses curry powder with less spices whereas Indian curry uses a variety of bases such as cumin, paprika, turmeric, and many more. Indian curry is more vibrant and bursting with flavor, while Japanese curry is sumptuous and “umami” but in a more understated manner.
Why do Japanese put chocolate in curry? ›
The tip I know from food magazines that source from Japan, normally japanese curry needs to rest overnight to get the flavor more "mature", but what if we don't want to wait? Then the tip is to add dark chocolate! Dark chocolate will help deepen the flavor (kind of like ageing a steak).
What is the pickled stuff at Coco Ichibanya? ›
"f*ckujinzuke (福神漬) is one of the most popular kinds of pickles in Japanese cuisine, commonly used as a relish for Japanese curry. In f*ckujinzuke, vegetables including daikon, eggplant, lotus root and cucumber are finely chopped, then pickled in a base that is flavored with soy sauce.
What is the difference between Thai and Indian coconut curry? ›
Thai curries have a brighter flavor and soupier consistency, because they use lots of fresh herbs and are cooked for less time than Indian curries. It's worth your time stocking up on some of the unique ingredients — you can freeze herbs like lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves for multiple future uses.
Why does Japanese curry taste so good? ›
The stand-out feature of a Japanese curry is its thick, rich sauce. The thickness of the sauce which can only be found in Japanese curry is supported and beloved by many. The rich and indulgent sauce mixes with rice so perfectly, you will find it difficult stoping eating.
Can I use regular curry powder for Japanese curry? ›
The main difference between Japanese curry powder and Indian curry powder is the level of spiciness. When curry powder was first imported into Japan, they altered it to their taste, making it sweeter and less spicy. In fact, if you ever purchase 'hot' curry roux, you'll find its actually still quite mild.
Does Japanese curry have coconut milk? ›
Unlike Thai or Indian curries that are thickened with yogurt or coconut milk, Japanese curry gets its richness from a deep, dark roux.
What is the red thing in Japanese curry? ›
Japanese curry is often served alongside with steamed rice and an accompaniment of bright crimson red relish called f*ckujinzuke (福神漬け). These pickled vegetables are sweet and tangy, which is perfect to set off the richness of curry.
What vegetables to put in Japanese curry? ›
The triad of vegetables most commonly found in Japanese curry are onion, potato, and carrots, but you can use almost any combination of vegetables and protein. Here, I've added celery, green beans, and corn to the mix, and use chicken thighs as my protein.
Some would describe Japanese curry more like a hearty stew than a typical curry like Thai or Indian. It isn't spicy, so it is suitable for children. It's also served with Japanese short-grain rice, which is sticker than basmati rice or long-grain rice.
What are the secret ingredients to a good curry? ›
Here are a few suggestions: Add more spices: Store-bought curry sauces often lack the depth of flavour that homemade sauces have. To remedy this, you can add more spices like cumin, turmeric, coriander, and garam masala. Use fresh ginger and garlic: Fresh ginger and garlic add a lot of flavour to curries.
What vegetables to put in curry? ›
The curry base is made with onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, red chilli powder and garam masala. I prefer to go with potatoes, carrots, peas, green beans, cauliflower, corn and bell peppers. Though you can use other veggies like baby corn, sweet potato and broccoli, the curry will have different flavors.
Why do Japanese eat so much curry? ›
It is hypothesized that curry became popular in Japan because the Imperial Japanese Navy, modeled after the British Navy, adopted it as a menu item for its ship's mess, or because it was on the menu of the Imperial Japanese Army's mess hall.
What is the difference between Massaman curry and regular curry? ›
It originated in the south of Thailand near the border of Malaysia and is a thick sauce with a mild, slightly sweet flavor. Massaman curry dishes distinguish themselves by the inclusion of several whole spices and peanuts, otherwise uncommon in a Thai curry.
What are the three types of Thai curry? ›
In general, Thai yellow curry is the mildest, Thai red curry is medium-hot and Thai green curry is spicy, although it can sometimes vary depending on what region of Thailand you are in.
What is the difference between yellow curry and Penang curry? ›
For example: yellow curry paste contains curry powder and turmeric, panang curry paste has cumin seeds and coriander seeds, massaman curry paste has a whole truckload of dry spices, and green curry paste uses fresh green chiles.
What is the difference between Indian curry and Caribbean curry? ›
The greatest difference between the two spice mixes comes into play when examining heat levels. Indian curry powders tend to have more chile powder in them while Jamaican curry powder. Some commercial versions may have a bit of cayenne pepper in them, but most recipes usually omit that spice.
