Keema Curry キーマカレー

Keema Curry is an Indian curry made of ground meat and minced vegetables. This type of curry started to appear in Japan in the 1950s and it’s been adapted to the Japanese taste and home-style cooking with Japanese curry roux.

Keema Curry (キーマカレー) is a traditional Indian curry dish made of ground meat, minced vegetables, and spices. In Japan, we have been enjoying this flavorful curry since the 1950s.

Today I’ll show you how to make quick and easy Japanese-style Keema Curry at home. 30 minutes is all you need! You can also swap out the meat for vegetarian/ vegan options.

What makes it Japanese-style? The spices are toned down, and other umami seasonings and curry roux are incorporated to suit the Japanese palate. Anyone who prefers milder heat, you’re going to love this curry!

Keema Curry In Japan

The first Keema Curry appeared in 1957 at a curry and coffee shop, Ajanta in Asagaya, Japan (currently located in Kojimachi). Since then Keema Curry has become a regular menu at Indian restaurants all over Japan.

Because of religious reasons, mutton is generally used in keema curry in India, but it was, and still is, difficult to obtain meat in Japan. Therefore, restaurants have been serving the curry with chicken or pork.

How to Make Japanese-Style Keema Curry

Keema Curry is also a popular dish among Japanese home cooks. Not only it tastes delicious, but it’s also a lot easier to make as compared to regular Japanese curry. The use of ground meat makes Keema Curry a breezy affair when you’re in a hurry. Here are the 3 simple steps:

1. Chop vegetables into small pieces, similar to ground meat.
2. Stir fry vegetables and meat first, add broth/water and curry powder, and simmer till the ingredients are tender.
3. Add Japanese curry roux and simmer for a few minutes.

In India, Keema is usually served with basmati rice, paratha or roti, chapati, and naan, but Japanese-style Keema Curry is served with (short-grain) steamed rice. I like to serve it with a fried egg or halved boiled egg on top, which adds a nice creamy texture to the curry.

Difference Between Keema Curry and Dry Curry

If you’re familiar with Japanese “Dry Curry”, or ドライカレー, you may wonder about the differences between Keema Curry and Dry Curry. Both dishes look extremely similar but here are how they differ:

Keema Curry

• Originated in India
• Use ground meat (mutton, especially in Indian restaurants)
• Can be soupy (more broth)

Dry Curry

• Originated in Japan (it’s a home-style dish)
• Almost no soup or sauce
• Curry Fried Rice or Curry Pilaf is also considered Dry Curry variety.

Other Delicious Rice Recipes

• Arroz a la Cubana
• Taco Rice

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Keema Curry

4.80 from 80 votes

Keema Curry is a traditional Indian curry dish made of ground meat and minced vegetables. This type of curry started to appear in Japan in the 1950s and it's been adapted to Japanese taste.

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Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 30 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 onion (7 oz, 200 g)
• ▢ 1 stalk celery (2 oz, 57 g)
• ▢ ½ carrot (3.5 oz, 100 g)
• ▢ 6 shiitake mushrooms (1.7 oz, 48 g; You can use dried shiitake mushrooms instead of fresh ones. If using dried shiitake mushrooms, soak them in 1 cup of water for 15 minutes. Squeeze the water out from the mushrooms and use this liquid in place of water)
• ▢ 1 Tbsp neutral oil
• ▢ 1 lb ground pork (You can also use beef or chicken; for vegan/vegetarian, use mushrooms, zucchini, eggplant, tofu, etc)
• ▢ ¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• ▢ freshly ground black pepper

Seasonings

• ▢ 1 cup chicken stock/broth (You can use vegetable stock for vegetarian/vegan)
• ▢ ½ cup water (or more)
• ▢ 1 tsp Japanese curry powder
• ▢ 2 cubes Japanese curry roux (Roughly 2 oz, 50 g; you can make homemade Japanese curry roux)
• ▢ 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
• ▢ 1 Tbsp ketchup
• ▢ 1 Tbsp Tonkatsu sauce

Toppings

• ▢ 4 fried eggs (I always like to add, but optional)

Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.

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Instructions

 

• Gather all the ingredients. Prepare the steamed rice first, if you don‘t have any.
  
• Chop 1 onion finely. With the knife tip pointing toward the root, slice the onion to within ½ inch of the base. Make about ¼ inch parallel cuts. Then slice the onion horizontally about ¼ inch parallel cuts.
  
• Then cut perpendicular to the first slices you made. If the onions need to be chopped finer, you can run your knife through them in a rocking motion. Be sure to hold down the tip of the knife; otherwise, the onions are going to go flying around.
  
• Cut 1 stalk celery into 4-inch pieces, then thin sticks, and mince them.
  
• Cut ½ carrot into 4-inch thin slabs, then thin sticks, and mince them.
  
• Remove the stem of 6 shiitake mushrooms and slice them, and mince them.
  
• In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp neutral oil over medium heat. Sauté the onion until translucent.
  
• Add 1 lb ground pork and cook until no longer pink.
  
• Season with ¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
  
• Add celery, carrots, and shiitake mushrooms and mix well with the rest of the ingredients.
  
• Add 1 cup chicken stock/broth and ½ cup water. Add more water, if necessary, so the cooking liquid covers the ingredients.
  
• Add 1 tsp Japanese curry powder and mix well. Cover and bring it to boil. Skim off the scum and foam on the surface with a fine-mesh skimmer as necessary. Reduce heat to medium-low heat and cook covered until the vegetables are tender, about 6–8 minutes.
  
• Add 2 cubes Japanese curry roux (one piece at a time!) and 1 Tbsp unsalted butter and let them dissolved completely. The curry will thicken as it‘s heated up. Adjust the thickness of the curry with water/broth. You can make it soupy if you prefer.
  
• Add 1 Tbsp ketchup and 1 Tbsp Tonkatsu sauce. Mix well and simmer for 3–5 minutes. If the sauce is too thick, add a small amount of water to adjust.
  
• Portion steamed rice on individual serving plates and serve the Keema Curry on top. Divide 4 fried eggs (one per plate) and serve on top of the Keema Curry, if you‘d like.
  

To Store

• Keep in the airtight container for up to 2–3 days. This recipe freezes well, so make a large portion, divide it up, and freeze for up to a month.

To Reheat

• Leftover curry will thicken as it cools, so it tends to burn while reheating. To avoid this, stir ¼ cup (60 ml) water or more into the leftover curry until loosened. Then, gently reheat it on low heat. If it seems thin, continue heating with the lid off to reduce the sauce.

Notes

Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Keema Curry

Amount per Serving

Calories

515

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

36

g

55

%

Saturated Fat

 

17

g

106

%

Trans Fat

 

1

g

Cholesterol

 

254

mg

85

%

Sodium

 

915

mg

40

%

Potassium

 

634

mg

18

%

Carbohydrates

 

13

g

4

%

Fiber

 

2

g

8

%

Sugar

 

8

g

9

%

Protein

 

27

g

54

%

Vitamin A

 

4599

IU

92

%

Vitamin C

 

7

mg

8

%

Calcium

 

74

mg

7

%

Iron

 

2

mg

11

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Author: Nami

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: curry, curry roux

©JustOneCookbook.com Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any website or social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.

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Editor’s Note: The post was originally published on January 4, 2011. The new images are added and the post is updated and republished in August 2020.