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    Rice · Recipe · Yokosuka · Reference page

    Japanese curry rice (Yokosuka navy curry)

    カレーライス / 横須賀海軍カレー (Yokosuka kaigun karē)

    Japan's everyday curry: diced beef, potato, carrot and onion in a thick sauce made from a roux of flour and curry powder, served over rice. This is the Yokosuka navy curry recipe published by Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, served as a set with salad and milk.

    Location: Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan · Pictured: Koshihikari
    Servings
    4
    Preparation
    20 min
    Cooking
    35 min
    Total
    55 min
    Difficulty
    Easy

    Equipment

    • Heavy saucepan
    • Microwave-safe dish
    • Plastic bag for flouring the meat
    Servings4

    Ingredients

    • Curry

    • To serve

    Shopping list

    Method

    1. Season the beef lightly with salt and pepper. Put it in a plastic bag with the flour and curry powder and shake to coat it well.

      Why The flour and curry powder on the meat become the roux that thickens the sauce.

    2. Peel the potatoes, cut them into 5 mm dice, soak in water and drain. Cut the carrot and onion into 5 mm dice.

    3. Put the onion and carrot with the oil in a heatproof dish and microwave at 600 W for 5 minutes.

      Why A shortcut for softening the onion; it can also be sweated in the pan.

      Timer · 5 min5:00

    4. Melt the butter in the saucepan and brown the meat over medium heat, one side at a time.

    5. When the meat is browned, add the potatoes and fry, then add the onion and carrot.

    6. Add the water and consommé cubes and bring to the boil. Skim off the scum, add the tomatoes and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.

      Why The English text says 'remove the liquid'; we read it as skimming the scum (aku), the usual Japanese step.

      Timer · 20 min20:00

    7. Season with salt, pepper, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce. Serve over rice, adding garam masala and red pepper to taste.

    To drink & serve with

    • In principle Yokosuka Navy Curry is served as a set of three: curry rice, a salad and a glass of milk.

    Substitutions

    • Beef → Chicken, as the source allows.
    • Tomatoes → Tomato juice, as the source allows.

    Common mistakes

    • Skipping the flour on the meat: the sauce stays thin and runs off the rice.
    • Dicing the vegetables large: the 5 mm dice cooks through in 20 minutes.

    Storage & reheating

    Curry keeps 2 days in the fridge; cool within 2 hours and reheat once, until it boils. Rice: cool within an hour, keep no more than a day (UK FSA).

    Safety

    Contains gluten (flour), milk (butter) and usually fish (Worcestershire sauce contains anchovies). Consommé cubes often contain celery and sometimes gluten: check the labels.

    Allergens

    Gluten · Milk · Fish · Celery

    Check labels: stock, bacon and sauces can contain further allergens.

    From the navy to every kitchen

    Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries calls curry rice one of the most popular home dishes in Japan and gives one theory of its roots: the Meiji-era navy, which ate mostly white rice, suffered badly from beriberi, a vitamin deficiency. To improve the sailors' diet a curry-flavoured stew with a thickened sauce, introduced via the Royal Navy, was adopted. The thick sauce went better with rice and did not spill on a rolling ship, and cases of beriberi fell sharply. Retired sailors then carried naval curry home across the country.

    Yokosuka, long tied to the navy, declared itself a "Curry City" in 1999 and created Yokosuka Navy Curry, a modern reproduction of the military recipe. The name is a registered trademark; in 2021 more than 40 certified restaurants served it, always with a salad and a glass of milk.

    [1]

    A roux on the meat

    Most Japanese homes now use ready-made roux blocks, but this recipe builds the sauce from scratch: the beef is shaken in a bag with flour and curry powder, browned in butter, then simmered with small-diced vegetables, stock and tomato for 20 minutes. Ketchup and Worcestershire sauce round it off, and garam masala and red pepper are added at the table. The ministry notes that recipes vary by region and home.

    [1]

    How it connects

    Place

    • origin Yokosuka In preparation

    Rice

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