Keema Curry キーマカレー

Appearing in Japan in the 1950s, keema is a delicious Indian dish of ground meat, minced vegetables, and spices. Now adapted to local tastes and ingredients, Japanese-style Keema Curry is a one-pan recipe made quick and easy using 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

Wish to learn more about Japanese cooking? Sign up for our free newsletter to receive cooking tips & recipe updates! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram.

Keema Curry

4.80 from 84 votes

Appearing in Japan in the 1950s, keema is a delicious Indian dish of ground meat, minced vegetables, and spices. Now adapted to local tastes and ingredients, Japanese-style Keema Curry is a one-pan recipe made quick and easy using Japanese curry roux.

Print Pin

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 rib celery (2 oz, 57 g)
• ▢ ½ carrot (3.5 oz, 100 g)
• ▢ 6 shiitake mushrooms (fresh; 1.7 oz, 48 g; to use dried shiitake, soak in 1 cup water for 15 minutes, squeeze out the liquid, and use the liquid in place of water in the recipe)
• ▢ 1 Tbsp neutral oil
• ▢ 1 lb ground pork (you can use ground beef or ground chicken; for vegan/vegetarian, use mushrooms, zucchini, eggplant, tofu, etc.)
• ▢ ¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• ▢ freshly ground black pepper

For the Seasonings

• ▢ 1 cup chicken stock/broth (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

For Serving

• ▢ 4 servings cooked Japanese short-grain rice
• ▢ 4 fried eggs (I always like to add, but optional)

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

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

 

• Gather all the ingredients. We usually serve this dish with steamed Japanese short-grain rice. Cook the rice ahead of time; see how to make it with a rice cooker, pot over the stove, Instant Pot, or donabe.
  

To Cut the Vegetables

• Chop 1 onion finely. Cut the onion in half. Lay one half on the cutting board, flat side down. With the knife edge toward the root end, make ¼-inch horizontal slices to within ½ inch of the root end, keeping it intact. With the knife tip pointing toward the root end, make ¼-inch vertical slices.
  
• Finally, make perpendicular cuts down through the vertical slices you made. Repeat with the other onion half. If you need to chop the onions finer, run your knife through them using a rocking motion. Hold down the tip of the knife; otherwise, the onions will go flying around the room.
  
• Cut 1 rib celery into 4-inch pieces. Cut them into thin sticks, then mince them.
  
• Cut ½ carrot into 4-inch thin slabs. Cut the slabs into thin sticks, then mince them.
  
• Remove and discard the stems of 6 shiitake mushrooms. Slice the caps, then mince them.
  

To Cook the Keema Curry

• In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp neutral oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté 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 the celery, carrots, and shiitake mushrooms. Mix well with the rest of the ingredients.
  
• Add 1 cup chicken stock/broth and ½ cup water. If needed, add more water so the cooking liquid covers the ingredients.
  
• Add 1 tsp Japanese curry powder and mix well. Cover and bring it to a boil. Skim off the scum and foam on the surface with a fine-mesh skimmer. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, covered, until the vegetables are tender, about 6–8 minutes.
  
• Add 1 Tbsp unsalted butter and 2 cubes Japanese curry roux, one cube at a time. Dissolve it completely in the cooking liquid before adding the next cube. The curry will thicken as it heats up. Add more water or broth to adjust the thickness to your liking (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 loosen it.
  

To Serve

• Portion the steamed rice on individual serving plates and serve the Keema Curry on top. Add one of the 4 fried eggs (optional) to each plate.
  

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

• Curry thickens as it cools, so it tends to burn while reheating. To avoid this, stir in ¼ cup (60 ml) water or more to loosen up the sauce. 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

Calories: 515 kcal · Carbohydrates: 13 g · Protein: 27 g · Fat: 36 g · Saturated Fat: 17 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 254 mg · Sodium: 915 mg · Potassium: 634 mg · Fiber: 2 g · Sugar: 8 g · Vitamin A: 4599 IU · Vitamin C: 7 mg · Calcium: 74 mg · Iron: 2 mg

Author: Namiko Hirasawa Chen

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.

Did you make this recipe?If you made this recipe, snap a pic and hashtag it #justonecookbook! We love to see your creations on Instagram @justonecookbook!

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.