This page may contain affiliate links. I receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using my link. This post is about an Easy Spicy Homemade Japanese Curry Roux Recipe!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Japanese-style curry with its rich brown curry sauce and delectable flavors.
Did you know that this dish, especially Japanese curry rice, is one of the most popular foods in Japan? Japanese people absolutely adore their kare rice (curry rice) with its rich gravy!
When we visited Japan, I remember walking past curry houses and inhaling the amazing aromas of the curries being cooked up and served inside. And lots of Japanese households make it at home, often using instant curry cubes which are very convenient for home cooks.
Japanese curries are mouthwatering! And especially so when you use your own homemade curry roux to make it!
Here you've come to the right place to learn how to make this curry roux, and get a workout in while doing so (read about this below)!
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It's Totally Worth It To Make Your Own Curry Roux!
Japan has a ton of ready made instant curry roux, including S&B Golden Curry, and House Vermont Curry, which are some of the most popular brands.
And I was introduced to Japanese curry via the Vermont Curry sauce mix, which I adore. One of the first recipe posts on this blog was for "Amazing Vermont Curry With Chicken" which is my take on this Japanese classic curry using the Vermont Curry Mix.
However, I'm on a path to cutting out as much processed food, which often includes unpronounceable and unnatural ingredients, as I can. So what I don't adore is the ingredient list on my Vermont Curry Sauce Mix.
Please know I am not knocking Vermont Curry and other boxed curry roux, however I am happy to provide an option to those of us that want to make our own curry roux using simple and natural ingredients.
And although Japanese curry tends to be quite mild, I'm someone who loves HOT and SPICY foods such as Thai curries or Indian curry, so I've included some hot pepper powder in my recipe below. If you aren't a spicy foods fan, you can easily omit the pepper powder and still get a fantastic result.
If this sounds good to you, please read on to find out what you'll need to make your own Japanese curry roux. I promise you, making this easy recipe is totally worth it and fun!
🥘 Ingredients
Great news! You only need 5 ingredients to make this spicy curry roux:
- Butter - I recommend grass fed salted butter
- Flour
- Salt
- S&B Oriental Curry Powder - this Japanese curry powder is ESSENTIAL (more about this below)! You should be able to find it at Asian stores and I've linked to Amazon if you'd like to purchase from there
- Scorpion pepper powder - this pepper is HOT! I used Sonoran Spice Company Trinidad Scorpion powder. If this pepper and spice level is too hot for you, feel free to sub cayenne pepper powder, or if you just aren't a fan of spicy foods then you can omit the hot pepper powder completely
Before I get to the easy instructions for this homemade roux, a quick word about the amazing S&B Oriental Curry Powder!
What Is S&B Curry Powder?
S&B Oriental Curry Powder is a product of Japan and made by S&B foods Inc. from Tokyo.
From sbfoods-worldwide.com: "Besides being the first company to successfully manufacture curry powder in Japan, we were also among the first to introduce spices and herbs from foreign shores, adding a savory new dimension to Japan’s unique culinary lifestyle."
Interestingly, the "S" in "S&B" is the first letter of the word "spice," and the "B" is the last letter in the word "herb."
Their curry powder is an intoxicating spice blend which includes:
Turmeric, Coriander, Fenugreek, Cumin, Orange Peel, Pepper, Chili Pepper, Cinnamon, Fennel, Ginger, Star Anise, Thyme, Bay Leaves, Cloves, Nutmeg, Sage, and Cardamom
I also use this Oriental Curry Powder when I make Shrimp Mei Fun (aka Singapore Noodles).
As previously mentioned, this curry powder is a MUST to use when making this curry roux!
🔪 Instructions
Melt the butter on a medium low heat in your saucepan.
Once the butter is melted, add the flour and whisk constantly for around 15 minutes or until you get a lovely golden brown roux.
FUNNY STORY: While whisking, my Apple Watch sent me this message: "Looks like you are working out. Would you like to add an Elliptical Workout?" So be prepared to workout while whisking! 😆
Take the saucepan off the heat, and then add and stir in your seasonings.
To harden the curry roux, you can pour it into a container which has been lined with parchment paper. Allow the curry roux to cool, and then place it in your refrigerator for around 4 hours or overnight.
Once the curry roux has hardened, you can cut it into blocks or just break it up however you like. Store in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to a month!
Suggestions For Using
Now that you have your homemade curry roux cubes, you can use it to make dishes such as:
- Kare raisu (curry rice)
- Katsu curry (pork cutlet served with rice and curry)
- Curry udon (sourced from Wikipedia: Katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) are soaked in boiling water to dissolve the umami ingredients into a broth, which is then thickened with curry and potato starch and poured over udon noodles.)
- Japanese chicken curry
I hope you will use your curry roux blocks to explore Japanese cooking in a way that you haven't before! Enjoy!
FAQ
Some Other Great Japanese Recipes You May Enjoy!
Here are some other great Japanese recipes you may enjoy:
- Japanese Teriyaki Chicken
- Yurinchi Chicken (Japanese Fried Chicken)
- Easy And Quick Tomato Ramen Instant Noodle Recipe
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Finally, I invite you to come along on this food journey with me! Please sign up to get the latest recipes and inspiration for you to expand your food horizons! It's an incredible journey, please join me by signing up here.
Cheers!
Grace
Easy Spicy Homemade Japanese Curry Roux Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 whisk
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoon salted butter ½ cup or 1 stick of butter; use salted butter
- 8 tablespoon flour
- 4 tablespoon S&B Oriental Curry Powder
- ½ ts salt
- ¼ ts Scorpion powder pepper ¼ ts gives you a really nice and hot curry! If this pepper is too hot for you, you can sub cayenne pepper and feel free to vary the amount of any pepper you add to suit your taste buds
Instructions
- Melt the butter on a medium low heat in your saucepan.
- Once the butter is melted, add the flour and whisk constantly for around 15 minutes or until you get a lovely golden brown roux.
- Take the saucepan off the heat, and then add and stir in your seasonings.
- To harden the curry roux, you can pour it into a container which has been lined with parchment paper. Allow the curry roux to cool, and then place it in your refrigerator for around 4 hours or overnight.
- Once the curry roux has hardened, you can cut it into blocks or just break it up however you like. Store in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to a month!
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