Ground beef in Japanese curry–a quick and easy recipe that is ready in 30 minutes. Made with ground beef, carrots, potatoes cooked in your favorite Japanese curry roux.
When we think of Japanese food, the first thing that comes to mind is probably sushi. But for comfort food, nothing beats a big bowl of this easy and delicious curry!
This Japanese curry recipe uses just a handful of ingredients and it's all cooked in one pot. It's quick and easy to cook because it uses ground beef instead of beef chunks. Perfect for days when you're short on time in the kitchen.
Ingredients
Here’s what you need. Just a quick note on a few of the ingredients:
- Ground beef - the best ground beef for curry is lean ground beef with around 80 meat and 20 fat.
- Yellow onion and garlic
- Ginger - use grated ginger so the flavor blends well with the sauce.
- Carrots and Potatoes - staple vegetables. You can also add mushrooms, green peas, and red bell peppers.
- Beef stock - use homemade beef stock or dissolve 1 ½ piece beef bouillon in hot water.
- Japanese Curry roux - use mild, medium hot, or hot based on your preference. You can buy this in Japanese grocery stores, online, or in the Asian section of most supermarkets.
- Ketchup and Worcestershire sauce - secret ingredients to making Japanese curry even more flavorful.
Other Ingredients
Here are other ingredients you can add to Japanese curry to vary the flavor :
- Red bell pepper
- Green peas
- Button mushrooms
- Grated apple
- Bay Leaf
How to Make It
Nothing complicated. Just a few cooking tips that I'd like to share with you:
- Brown the beef - this will enhance the flavor of the dish and separate the fat. If you're watching your diet, you can remove some (not all) of the excess fat by scooping it with a spoon.
- Dice the vegetables into small cubes for a quick cooking time.
- Bring the broth to a boil then lower the heat before adding the curry cubes.
- Simmer until tasty - the longer it simmers the better the flavor. This won't take more than 30 mins because we're using ground beef!
- If curry is too salty, add hot water about ¼ cup at a time until desired taste is achieved.
Serve with
Japanese curry is always best served with a warm cup of white rice or brown rice. I personally enjoy it with soft-boiled eggs and a sprinkle of green onion leaves on top. I love it with Japanese pickled ginger too!
Best Japanese Curry Roux
After countless recipe tests, I found that the best Japanese curry roux is mixing two, sometimes three brands. Yes, you read it right 🙂
I use equal amounts of cubes from different brands to make a one-pot recipe. My current favorite combinations are Vermont Curry and S&B Golden Curry. Try it to believe it 🙂
Love Asian food? Try these recipes next...
- Instant Pot Congee (30 mins only)
- Egg Drop Soup 3 Ways
- Easy Cabbage Stir-fry
- Braised Chicken in Soy Ginger Sauce
- Salmon Teriyaki Fried Rice
Complete Recipe
Ground Beef Japanese Curry (30 minutes only!)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil (I used canola)
- 300 grams lean ground beef
- 1 med-size yellow onion (chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 1 potato (diced)
- 1 carrots (diced)
- ½ thumb ginger (grated)
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 pack Japanese curry roux (4 cubes) (see note 1)
- 1 ½ - 2 cups beef broth (see note 2)
- chopped green onions/scallions (for garnish)
Instructions
- Heat oil in a small pot. Add ground beef. Cook until no longer pink and fat has rendered. Scoop out some of the excess oil if preferred.
- Push beef to the side of the pot. Add garlic, onion and ginger. Cook until translucent. Add carrots and potatoes. Stir all ingredients together. Pour beef broth, Worcestershire sauce and ketchup. Bring to a boil.
- Lower heat. Break the curry roux cubes then add to the pot. Stir to dissolve gently. Adjust heat to medium. Simmer for 20 mins or until vegetables are fully cooked. Do a taste test. If it's too salty, add more hot water about ¼ cup at a time until desired taste and consistency is achieved.
- Serve with rice and soft boiled eggs. Garnish with chopped green onions. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes and Tips:
- Japanese curry roux - use mild, medium hot or hot based on your preference. You can buy this in Japanese grocery store, online or Asian section of most supermarkets. Tip: I use equal amount of cubes from different brands to make a one pot recipe. My current favourite combinations are Vermont Curry and S&B Golden Curry. Try it to believe it 🙂
- Beef Broth - you can also use 1 pc beef bouillon dissolve in 1 ½ cup hot water.
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