Vegetarian Japanese Curry

A deliciously rich vegetarian Japanese curry chock-full of carrots, oyster mushrooms, and potatoes.

Japanese curry has always been a comfort meal filled with golden potatoes, large chunks of carrots, and caramelized onions. Non-vegan versions include beef or chicken, while this vegetarian version uses large oyster mushrooms to re-create the meaty texture. Oyster mushrooms act like sponges and will soak up all the fragrance from the curry cubes giving you a burst of flavor with every bite.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Variations and substitutions
• Storage
• Important Tip
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Reviews

Ingredients

• Japanese curry cubes: You can easily find Japanese curry sauce mix at any Asian grocery aisle, but most non-Asian grocery stores have started to carry S&B Golden Curry Sauce Mix. These come in different heat levels but we tend to stick to medium heat. You'll want to ensure that you are getting the curry mix in cube form and not the sauce pouches as those will not work for this recipe.

• Onion
• Potatoes: You can use russet or yukon potatoes.
• Carrots
• Oyster mushrooms: Oyster mushrooms can be easily found at most Asian grocery stores, but if those are harder to come by you can use king oyster mushrooms (the ones with the thick stalks). You are also free to use brown or white button mushrooms if those are the only ones you have on hand.
• Ginger, grated
• Garlic
• Honey or maple syrup: Use maple syrup if making a vegan version.
• Ketchup

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

1. Wash and cube potatoes. Soak potatoes in a bowl of water to remove excess starch

2. While potatoes are soaking, slice the carrots using a rolling cut and slice onions into large wedges.

3. Heat up neutral oil in a deep pot on medium. Add in onions and cook down until caramelized. It's important to be patient and allow the onions to fully caramelize to get fuller flavor. This process can take around 10 minutes. Don't stir the onions too often during this process or they won't fully caramelize.

4. Add the minced garlic and grated ginger. Sauté for 30 seconds.

5. Add mushrooms, carrots and potatoes. Put the lid back on and let the vegetables steam. We're going to do an initial steaming of the vegetables so they won't have to boil in the liquid too long later on. That way we can avoid mushy potatoes. Let the vegetables sit in the pot for around 15 minutes. Check on it every couple of minutes and give it a good stir.

6. Add water. If you are using store-bought Japanese curry cubes, no need to use any broth since the cubes will be salty enough. Bring water to a boil. Once at a rolling boil, turn heat down to low-medium and let simmer for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are soft enough to pierce through.

7. Once potatoes and carrots are soft enough, turn off the heat. It's time to add the curry cubes. Use half of the box of curry cubes which is 4 large squares. Chop of the squares so they are easily integrated into the liquid.

8. Take a ladle and fill it with hot broth, add in a couple small cubes at a time. Use chopsticks to stir the cubes into the ladle of liquid until it has fully disintegrated, then add the slurry mixture into the pot. Continue to do this until all cubes are integrated.

9. Bring the liquid back to a simmer. Add ketchup and honey. Simmer for 5 more minutes.

10. Serve over rice. For more protein, add a tofu katsu on top! You can even serve a Korean rolled egg omelette on the side.

Variations and substitutions

More vegetables: You can easily add more vegetable to make a heartier meal. Other vegetable suggestions would be to add Asian eggplant, tomatoes, green beans, and bell peppers.

Different mushrooms: If you are not able to find oyster mushrooms, you can sub for king oyster mushrooms or even button mushrooms, whichever is most available to you. The key to a great homemade meal is customization!

Vegan: S&B Golden Curry Cubes are vegan. Simply sub the honey for maple syrup to make this recipe vegan-friendly.

Storage

Japanese curry can be stored in an air-tight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. However, it might lose moisture and become a thicker sauce. To thin out the curry sauce, you can reheat it on the stove and add boiling water. However, this may make the curry lose some of its flavor.

📖 Recipe