Dinner is solved on a busy weeknight with this easy and delicious Pressure Cooker Japanese Curry using an Instant Pot!
My Instant Pot has been saving me plenty of time cooking for my family’s dinner. It has so many conveniences, but my favorite part is I am also able to cook up complex dishes like this Pressure Cooker Japanese Curry without having to sacrifice the flavors.
The actual pressure cooking time is only 15 minutes, and you don’t even have to be in the kitchen if you use an electric pressure cooker. I simply add the ingredients in the pot, set up the timer, go out for my kids’ activity, and come home for a fabulous dinner ready to eat. Who’s in?
Japanese Curry Rice カレーライス
Have you heard of Japanese curry or Curry Rice (Karē Raisu)? If not, it’s best described as mild and thick curry. Even though curry was originally from Southeast Asia, it has become one of the most popular foods in Japan enjoyed by people of all ages.
Japanese curry is always served with steamed rice, and the common ingredients include a variety of proteins (chicken, beef, pork, seafood), potatoes, onions, and carrots.
To make Thai or Indian curry, you would add the curry spices from the very beginning. However, Japanese curry is seasoned with curry roux toward the end of cooking. Until then it’s just a plain soup/stew.
What is Japanese Curry Roux?
As I mentioned earlier, Japanese curry is seasoned with curry roux. Typically made from fat and flour, roux is a type of thickening agent used for thickening soups and sauces.
Most Japanese make curry with a boxed Japanese curry roux like this (picture above). You can find different spice levels and various brands of curry roux at Japanese or Asian grocery stores. These days I can even find it in the Asian aisle at American supermarkets.
If you prefer to make curry roux from scratch and have an additional 30 minutes to spare, check out my Homemade Curry Roux recipe. All you need is flour, butter, curry powder, and additional spice.
Personalize the Store-Bought Curry with Additional Seasonings
Growing up in Japan, curry rice was a “fast food” for my family; the food that my mom made ahead of time or the previous day when she knew that she couldn’t prepare dinner in time.
I always saw my mom adding grated apples and different condiments to the curry while she was making them. She said, “If you put just the boxed curry roux, your curry will always taste the same. It will not be different from your neighbor’s curry.”
So she taught me two tricks. Use two different brands of curry roux (sometimes mix the spice level, like mild and medium spicy) and use additional seasonings.
My mom and I would use the combination of the following ingredients.
- Chocolate
- Coffee
- Butter
- Yogurt
- Grated apple
- Honey
- Red wine or sake
- Oyster sauce
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Tonkatsu sauce
- Soy sauce (used in this recipe)
- Ketchup (used in this recipe)
Other ingredients that my mom or I haven’t added in our curry include peanut butter, marmalade, and banana. Do you add any additional flavoring to your Japanese curry?
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Pressure Cooker Japanese Curry
Video
Ingredients
- 3 onions (large; 2¼ lb, 1,005 g)
- 1½ carrots (5 oz, 143 g)
- 3 Yukon gold potatoes (15 oz, 432 g)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp ginger (grated, with juice)
- 1½ lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs (see Notes for substitutions)
- ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper
For the Curry Sauce
- 1 Tbsp neutral oil (for cooking)
- 3 cups chicken stock/broth (for lower sodium, use water only or half stock and half water)
- 1 package Japanese curry roux (7–8 oz or 200–230 g; or make my Japanese Curry Roux)
- 1 Tbsp ketchup
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
For Serving
- 6 servings cooked Japanese short-grain rice
- fukujinzuke (Japanese red pickled vegetables) (optional; or make my Homemade Fukujinzuke)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients. Please read my blog post about options for add-on condiments to season the curry sauce.
To Prepare the Ingredients
- Cut 3 onions in half and cut each half into 5 wedges.
- Peel 1½ carrots and cut into bite-sized pieces. I use a Japanese cutting technique called rangiri. This cut creates more surface area, which helps the carrots absorb more flavor and cook faster. Tip: You can cut the vegetables slightly bigger to avoid a mushy texture.
- Peel 3 Yukon gold potatoes and cut them into quarters. Soak them in water for 15 minutes to remove the excess starch. Tip: Do not use russet potatoes since they would break down too easily.
- Mince 2 cloves garlic (I like this garlic press). Then, grate the ginger with a microplane zester or ceramic grater and reserve 1 tsp ginger (grated, with juice).
- Cut 1½ lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces. I use the sogigiri Japanese cutting technique to create more surface area and flatten each piece so it cooks faster. Season with ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper.
To Cook the Curry
- Press the Sauté button on your Instant Pot (I use a 6 QT Instant Pot) or preheat a stovetop pressure cooker over medium heat. When the inner pot is hot, add 1 Tbsp neutral oil.
- Then, add the onion wedges, minced garlic, and grated ginger with juice.
- Add the chicken pieces to the pot and mix until just coated with the oil.
- Add the carrots and potatoes to the pot and mix well.
- Add 3 cups chicken stock/broth and use a spatula to press down the meat and vegetables into the liquid. Then, place the cubes from 1 package Japanese curry roux (I combine half mild and half medium spicy packaged roux) on top of the other ingredients. DO NOT MIX! Otherwise, the roux may sink to the bottom of the pot and burn while cooking. For solidified homemade roux, place the cubes on top of the ingredients and do not mix. For non-solidified homemade roux (that you just made), add it after pressure cooking is done.
- Cover and lock the lid. Make sure the Instant Pot‘s steam release handle points to Sealing and not Venting. Press the Keep Warm/Cancel button on the Instant Pot to stop sautéing. Then, press the Meat/Stew button to switch to pressure cooking. Press the “minus“ button to change the cooking time to 15 minutes.
- For a Stovetop Pressure Cooker: Close and lock the lid. Set the pressure level to high. Heat the pot on the stovetop over medium-high heat until you‘ve reached high pressure. Then, reduce the heat to medium low to maintain high pressure, and cook for 15 minutes.
- When it is finished cooking, the Instant Pot will switch automatically to the Keep Warm mode. Slide the steam release handle to Venting to let out steam until the float valve drops down, OR let the pressure release naturally (this takes about 15 minutes).
- Unlock the lid. (If you‘re using homemade curry roux, add it to the pot now and heat on Sauté mode for an additional 5 minutes until well blended into the stew.) Add 1 Tbsp ketchup and 1 Tbsp soy sauce now. Mix well, stirring to dissolve the curry roux and checking one last time that there are no undissolved chunks left. Tip: If you use my unsalted homemade curry roux, taste the curry sauce now and add salt to your liking. I recommend adding 2–4 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, but this will vary based on the brand of the chicken broth and condiments you added.
To Serve
- Portion 6 servings cooked Japanese short-grain rice on individual plates and serve the curry on top. Serve with optional fukujinzuke (Japanese red pickled vegetables) on the side.
To Store
- Keep the leftovers in a glass airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and in the freezer for a month. The texture of the potatoes will change in the freezer, so remove them before freezing. Defrost the frozen curry in the refrigerator for 24 hours before you want to reheat it.
To Reheat
- Leftover curry sauce will thicken into a paste as it cools, so it tends to burn while reheating. To avoid this, stir ½ cup (120 ml) water or more into the leftover sauce until loosened. Then, gently reheat it on low heat. If the sauce seems thin, continue heating with the lid off to reduce the sauce.
My daughter loves this recipe! (and me too 😉 ).
Last time, as additional “secret” ingredient, I used TJ Umami paste… it was pretty good!
https://www.bonappetit.com/story/ways-to-use-trader-joes-umami-paste
Hi Barbara! Thank you for trying this recipe! Good to hear, I have been wondering about the product but haven’t purchased yet. I’m going to grab one next time. 😀
How much of the home made curry roux do you add?
Hi Kathy! The homemade curry roux is for 4 cups liquid. This recipe requires 3 cups so you may not need to use all the homemade curry. Use most of it – and depends on the thickness you prefer, you can add more after pressure cooking is done. Hope this helps and enjoy the Japanese curry. 🙂
Hello Nami!
I am going to make this today! I’m new to the Instant Pot. After it is done, how long can you leave it “warming”? Is that the best option if I am leaving the house for about an hour, then want my family to eat it right away when we get home?
Thanks!
Hiroko
Hi Hiroko! I’m so sorry for my late response… You can keep it warm for a couple of hours. I do the same: I prepare the food, go out with the kids, and come back for dinner. Just make sure to cool completely before storing the leftover. 🙂
I just made this with the home made roux and I tastes so good. It came out a lot lighter in colour than the picture and I ended up adding an extra teaspoon of flour at the end to make it a touch thicker. The carrot and potatoe was very soft. I used a stove top pressure cooker so maybe I’ll only cook it for 11-12mins. Thanks for the recipe! This will go into my rotation 🙂
Hi Ana! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for your kind feedback. 🙂
Do you ever freeze your Japanese curry recipe? I’d like to know if it’s a good recipe for batch cooking. Thanks
Hi Christina! Yes I do all the time! For freezing, I recommend removing potatoes as it changes texture. It’s awesome for batch cooking. I make curry udon with leftover too.
Hi Nami,
I’m interested in making this using your ‘home-made curry roux’ recipe.
My question is, how much of the home-made curry roux do I add?
Regards
Hi Dave! That homemade roux is for 4 cups of liquid, and this recipe use 3 cups (as it doesn’t evaporate liquid as much in pressure cooker). And if you’re using homemade roux, I recommend adding the roux AFTER pressure cooking as the roux is thick and it might run down to the bottom of the pot quicker than cubed roux. You don’t want to burn the curry while pressure cooking. So start with 3/4 of homemade curry, and to make it thicker, feel free to add more roux. Curry tends to be thinner on day 1, but second day gets thicken (and you can dilute with water or chicken stock when that happens). Hope this helps!
Nami-san,
Wakatta
Arigatō gozaimashita
Would I use the entire homemade roux for the curry recipe? Thanks!
Hi Linda! That homemade roux is for 4 cups of liquid, and this recipe use 3 cups (as it doesn’t evaporate liquid as much in pressure cooker). And if you’re using homemade roux, I recommend adding the roux AFTER pressure cooking as the roux is thick and it might run down to the bottom of the pot quicker than cubed roux. You don’t want to burn the curry while pressure cooking. So start with 3/4 of homemade curry, and to make it thicker, feel free to add more roux. Curry tends to be thinner on day 1, but second day gets thicken (and you can dilute with water or chicken stock when that happens). Hope this helps!
Made this last night, delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Michael! So happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for your kind feedback! 🙂
Thank you so much for this recipe! I followed it pretty much to the letter, including the red pickled daikon on the side. I already had most of the ingredients on hand since we’ve made curry before, but on the stovetop. I love how easy and fast this was. I did use red potatoes instead of Yukon. I’ll definitely be making this again!
Hi Lorraine! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for your kind feedback. Red potatoes are fine, it’s good! Thanks for trying this recipe! xo
Thanks for the recipe! I will be trying this for dinner tomorrow! I just have a few questions.
1. I saw your stovetop version on this chicken Japanese curry recipe and saw that you added grated apple and honey to it. Can I add it to this recipe? And if yes, when should I add it?
2. I thought that store bought boxed Japanese curry blocks are not supposed to be heated too much? Can I mix it in after the pressure cooking is done?
Thanks!
Hi Cherry! Here are my answers:
1) I mentioned in the post, but yes, you can add “additional ingredients” of your choice. And add at the end.
2) The ONLY reason you add the roux at the end is that the roux is thick and it can end up at the bottom of the pot. You can definitely add it after pressure cooking. I’ve tried both method, and if you “place” the roux on top of ingredients (without mixing) and start pressure cooking, it melts very nicely by the time you open the lid after pressure cooking. It’s up to you, it works as long as you don’t mix up. 🙂
I tried this recipe tonight to break in my Instant Pot and it didn’t come out the way I hoped. I made the roux myself and I think that was the problem. It just came out like a mild curry soup. I’m going to try again with the Japanese pre-made curry roux.
Hi Natalia! Have you used my curry roux recipe (https://www.justonecookbook.com/how_to/how-to-make-curry-roux/)? Someone left the comment here or other social media that they used my curry roux recipe and this recipe together and it worked. I assume the amount of your water was more than necessary for the amount of curry roux you used (or the roux wasn’t enough). Hope you can work it out next time. But thanks so much for trying this recipe to break in your brand new IP! Hope you enjoy using it! 🙂
I have tried to make Japanese curry in the slow cooker before but it didn’t turn out very well. I made this recipe tonight in the instant pot and it was perfect! My kids were very excited as they haven’t had it since our last trip to Japan. I am in Australia and can get Golden Curry at most supermarkets so it made a very easy dinner. Thank you!
Hi Tammy! I’m glad this recipe worked out well for you! Thank you so much for your kind feedback. Glad your family enjoyed this recipe! Yay! 🙂
I made this tonight, following your directions very closely. My husband LOVED it. He prefers the hot curry roux so that is what I used, and as he was finishing his serving, beads of sweat were gathered on his brow. Even though it made him sweat, he thought it was excellent. He said his Japanese mother (deceased for almost 20 years) would have been proud. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Hi Sarah! Yay!!! So happy to hear that. You can also try medium hot + hot combination too. I always mix mild + medium hot. I’m really happy to hear that you are cooking Japanese food! Next time, try making Baked Chicken Katsu or Tonkatsu and enjoy it with curry. We call it Katsu Curry. 🙂
Baked Katsu: https://www.justonecookbook.com/baked-tonkatsu/
Katsu Curry: https://www.justonecookbook.com/katsu-curry/
I have a slow cooker, but no pressure cooker. Is there a way to adjust this recipe to be used in a slow cooker? Thanks!
Hi Cynthia! I think you can use it the same way as pressure cooker. I haven’t done it, but should work. Let me know if you try it. 🙂
I can’t wait to try this! If I use your homemade curry roux, should I use the full amount that’s in your recipe instead of the 1 box of store bought curry roux to make this? Thank you!
Hi B! The homemade curry roux is for 4 cups of liquid (to dilute). This pressure cooker recipe requires only 3 cups, so you should keep some of homemade curry on the side (don’t use all of it) and add if more curry roux is necessary. 🙂