- 2 days ago
Japanese soup curry is a flavorful curry broth recipe that combines warm spices, tender chicken, and colorful vegetables in a lighter but deeply savory bowl. This dish usually starts with chicken, onion, garlic, ginger, curry powder, garam masala, tomato, soy sauce, and stock to create a fragrant soup base with rich umami. Vegetables such as potato, carrot, eggplant, bell pepper, kabocha, broccoli, mushrooms, or okra are often cooked separately or simmered until tender so they keep their shape and color. Unlike thick Japanese curry, soup curry stays brothier and is served with rice on the side for dipping or spooning together. The final bowl is warming, aromatic, and satisfying, with tender meat, soft vegetables, clean spice, and a comforting Japanese-style finish.
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00:00Five layers of umami in one spoonful. This soup curry stacks dashi,
00:04seared pork, tomato and two secret ingredients into a broth so aromatic
00:09your kitchen will smell unreal. Let me show you every step.
00:13If you'd like a printable version of this recipe to keep in your kitchen,
00:17just google soup curry study to find it. First things first, let's get our aromatics prepped.
00:23Take your onion, celery and carrot and dice them down to about 2 to 3 mm pieces.
00:30We want them fine enough to practically melt into the base later.
00:34If you've got a food processor that works too, just pause carefully.
00:39We're going for a fine dice here, not a paste.
00:42While you're at it, get your dashi stock ready before anything hits the heat.
00:48Homemade awasedashi is the quiet Japanese soul behind this whole dish.
00:52A tea bag style dashi packet works great too. Instant dashi granules are okay in a pinch,
00:58but they bring extra salt and flavour with them.
01:01Alright, here's where things get a little unexpected.
01:05We're making a Japanese soup curry, but we're borrowing an Italian technique.
01:10Slide 15 grams of unsalted butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a cold pan.
01:16Then set over low to low medium heat.
01:19Once those fat melt together, add in all of your finely diced onion, celery and carrot.
01:26Give everything a gentle stir, pop a lid on and let this mixture sweat for about 30 minutes,
01:32stirring every few minutes to make sure nothing starts to brown.
01:36If you already keep sofrito in your freezer from Italian cooking nights,
01:41feel free to skip this whole step and use about 150 grams of that instead.
01:46That sofrito window is prime times, let's use it wisely.
01:51Start by seasoning your 6 chicken drumsticks and 150 grams of pork belly chunks with half teaspoon of salt.
02:00As for the pork belly, if you can't find it,
02:02spare ribs are a tested and delicious alternative that become meltingly tender after simmering.
02:08Pork shoulder chunks also work.
02:11If you're using shell and shrimp, peel all 10 of them,
02:14de-vein them by running a shallow cut along the back and removing the dark vein.
02:19Then rinse and pat them dry.
02:22Set those aside.
02:23It seems a lot, but this recipe makes about 8 servings.
02:28Next, grate your garlic and ginger now so they're ready the moment we need them.
02:33About 1 tablespoon of each.
02:36Now for the tomatoes.
02:37Remove the stem end from each of your two medium large ripe tomatoes
02:42and score a shallow cross on the bottom.
02:45Lower them into boiling water for just 10 to 30 seconds.
02:49Then transfer them immediately to ice water to stop the cooking.
02:54See how the skins are already pulling away?
02:56Just slip them right off with your fingers.
02:59Satisfying, right?
03:00Now, why bother peeling?
03:03In testing unpeeled tomatoes left messy little skin curls floating all through the broth.
03:09Peeled tomatoes gave a noticeably cleaner, more refined texture.
03:13That said, the skin does hold some concentrated nutrients,
03:18so it's a texture versus nutrition trade-off.
03:21This step is entirely optional.
03:23You'll call.
03:24Once peeled, cut tomatoes into rough chunks and set them aside.
03:29Last bit of prep.
03:31Quarter your eggplants lengthwise.
03:33Slice the cabbage squash into 5mm half moons.
03:38And trim the green beans but leave them whole.
03:42Alright, time to build some flavour.
03:44Heat a thin film of neutral oil in your large pot of medium-high heat until it shimmers.
03:50Lay the salted chicken drumsticks and pork belly pieces in a single layer.
03:54If your pan's surface is not big enough, do them in two batches.
03:59Let them sizzle completely undisturbed for 2-3 minutes until a golden brown crust forms on the bottom.
04:06Then flip and repeat on the remaining sides.
04:10Once everything is evenly browned, transfer the meat to a container.
04:14And whatever you do, do not wash the pot.
04:18Those browned bits stuck to the bottom are flavour gold.
04:21By now, your sofrito should be beautifully soft and fragrant.
04:25Transfer it straight into the same pot you seared meat in, right on top of all the fond.
04:32Stir in your 1 tablespoon of grated garlic, 1 tablespoon of grated ginger,
04:383 tablespoons of Japanese-style curry powder,
04:41half teaspoon of ground cumin, and half tablespoon of dried basil.
04:47A quick note on the curry powder.
04:49Japanese curry powder like this SMB's iconic red can has a milder, slightly sweeter profile
04:56compared to regular curry blends.
04:59If you can't find it, a standard curry powder works just fine.
05:03The spice profile will lean a little hotter, but you will still get a satisfying result.
05:10Cook this over medium heat, stirring constantly until that raw sharp edge disappears
05:16and the mixture smells deeply aromatic, about 60-90 seconds.
05:22But watch carefully here, the ground spices can scorch within seconds
05:26if your heat is even a touch too high.
05:29If you see any darkening or catch a whiff of something accurate and bitter,
05:33immediately add a splash of water to cool the pan down.
05:37Now add your peeled tomato chunks along with half teaspoon of salt,
05:42and stir everything together.
05:44Use your spatula to crush tomatoes against the side of the pot as they soften,
05:49breaking them down into a rough pulp.
05:52Continue cooking over medium heat, crushing and stirring,
05:56until this mixture reduces to a thick paste-like consistency, about 8-10 minutes.
06:02You will know it's ready when you can drag your spatula across the bottom of the pot,
06:07and actually see the surface for a moment before the paste flows back together.
06:12That's our target.
06:13Pour in your 1 litre of dashi stock, and scrape up every single brown bit clinging to the pot bottom.
06:20That fond is concentrated flavour just waiting to dissolve into the broth.
06:25Stir in half tablespoon of Chinese style chicken bouillon powder,
06:28and 1 teaspoon of soy sauce.
06:30Then bring everything to a gentle boil.
06:34A quick heads up on the bouillon powder.
06:36Concentration varies by brand.
06:38The one used here calls for 1 teaspoon per 200 millilitres.
06:43So check your label.
06:44If yours is more concentrated, say 1 teaspoon per 300,
06:50use a touch less to avoid over-salting.
06:53Less concentrated, a little more.
06:55Now while the broth simmers, preheat your oven to 220 degrees Celsius.
07:01A range of prepared eggplant, kabocha slices, and green beans on a sheet pan in a single layer.
07:09Brush them lightly with oil, and sprinkle with a pinch of salt.
07:14Authentic Sapporo soup curry shops traditionally deep-fry their vegetable toppings,
07:19but let's be honest, heating up a whole pot of oil at home just for some vegetable toppings feels like
07:26a lot.
07:27Oven roasting was my tested alternative with far less mess and effort, and air-fry works here too.
07:35Roast for 15 minutes or until the edges caramelize and the vegetables are tender when pierced with a knife.
07:42Once the broth is bubbling, reduce the heat to maintain a lazy simmer.
07:47We want occasional bubbles breaking the surface, not a rolling boil.
07:51Return the seared chicken and pork belly to the pot, nestling them into the broth.
07:55Tuck in a bay leaf, then cover and let everything simmer gently for 20 minutes.
08:02When about 2 minutes remain on your timer, add the prepared shrimp to the pot and replace the lid.
08:09Now taste test time.
08:10Grab a spoon and try the broth.
08:12This is your moment to fine tune.
08:15If it's tasting a little under-seasoned, you've got two moves.
08:19Either continue cooking with the lid off to reduce and concentrate the flavours,
08:24or add a splash more soy sauce for extra saltiness and depth.
08:28Go slow and taste as you adjust.
08:31You can always add more but you can't take it away.
08:35Alright, here's the part that's going to make people say what's in this.
08:39Remove the pot from the heat entirely and then stir in a quarter teaspoon of instant coffee powder,
08:46one teaspoon of blueberry jam, and half teaspoon of garam masala.
08:50These are the hidden flavours that add complexity without announcing themselves.
08:57The instant coffee deepens the roasted, toasty notes already built by the mailer to see it.
09:03The blueberry jam provides a subtle fruity sweetness that quietly balances the spice heat.
09:09You'd never guess it was there, but you'd miss it if it wasn't.
09:14And the garam masala comes in right at the end, to refresh and lift the aromatic top notes,
09:21like a final split of perfume on the dish.
09:25Nobody will be able to pinpoint them, but everyone will notice the depth.
09:30Now for the showstopper moment, ladle the curry broth into the bowls,
09:35then arrange the chicken and pork belly so they're partially submerged but still visible.
09:41Nestle the roasted vegetables around the proteins.
09:44Add a halved soft-boiled egg.
09:47Scatter a few celery leaves on top for a puff of freshness and add any other garnishes you like.
09:55Serve immediately alongside steamed Japanese short grain rice.
09:59And here's a favourite leftover hack.
10:02Pour hot reheated curry over a bowl of fresh steamed rice,
10:06top it with melty shredded cheese and stir everything together.
10:11It's my favourite way to use the leftover soup in Zosui style.
10:15A bit like a Japanese rice porridge meets curry and it is dangerously good.
10:20And there you have it, my version of Japanese soup curry.
10:24A fragrant, spice-warmed broth with 5 layers of umami depth,
10:27tender-boning chicken and rich pork belly,
10:30roasted vegetables with caramelised edges,
10:33and those secret finishing touches that make every spoonful a little mysterious.
10:40Want even more delicious recipes?
10:42Grab my free cookbook from the link in the description.
10:46Okay, let's go over the ingredients one more time.
10:49And if you're ready to cook, grab the written instructions
10:51by clicking the full recipe box with a picture that's about to pop up on your screen.
11:07That's a wrap!
11:08You can find the full printable version of this recipe on my website,
11:11linked right here on the screen.
11:13It has all the extra details to help you get perfect every time.
11:17If you enjoyed this, check out my Ultimate Playlist.
11:20And next week, I'm making Taco Rice.
11:23Hit subscribe so you don't miss it.
11:26See you then!
11:26Let's see you then!
11:26Bye!
11:26damit
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