Tender melt-in-your-mouth beef coated in a slightly sweet, slightly savory, and slightly spicy luscious curry sauce. Make this recipe in half the time than its traditional counterpart!
I love all curries, but there’s something truly special about this Japanese Beef Curry.
Think beefy goodness enveloped in a thick, slightly sweet, slightly savory, and slightly spicy sauce. And the meat? Incredibly silky soft it practically melts in your mouth – it’s like a symphony of flavors that’s just *chef’s kiss*.
If you think Japanese Beef Curry is a time-consuming task, let me share my method with you. With just 15 minutes of active cook time, you can enjoy this delightful dish without breaking a sweat.
To do so, we need 3 things: an Instant Pot, baking soda, and some multi-tasking!
1. Use WHOLE chuck beef roast with extra marbling
Choose chuck roasts with extra marbling within the meat, not pockets of fat between meat pieces. If you can, get a USDA Choice chuck roast.
Avoid packages labeled ‘beef stew meat’; they usually contain less desirable tough cuts with minimal marbling and irregular shapes. When making curry, the smaller pieces fall apart, while larger ones remain tough. Not a great experience!
Opt for the whole steak and cut it into uniform, large pieces (I recommend 1.5 to 2 inches). This guarantees even cooking and eliminates having to fight over the best pieces!
2. Use A LOT more onions than you think
This recipe calls for 3 whole onions. I used medium onions for this recipe, but honestly, I don’t think you can go wrong with more onions. The onions disintegrate into the sauce completely, giving it a subtle sweetness and body.
1. Sear the beef whole on a cast iron skillet or carbon steel pan
Although I love the Instant Pot for breaking down tough cuts of meat in record time, I am not a fan of its searing ability (it takes forever). You might be tempted to turn this recipe into a one-pot recipe, but I don’t recommend it especially if time is of essence.
Instead, grab your skillet and crank up the heat to sear the beef. Another time-saving tip? Keep the beef steak whole when you sear. Sear both sides until you get a rich chocolate brown; you can ignore the edges.
Why, you ask?
We’re searing to achieve the Maillard reaction (those distinct complex flavors you often find in grilled meats) for flavor, not crispiness. You don’t need to sear every bit of it since it’s all going into the sauce. Focus on creating a rich browning on the largest surface areas instead.
2. While searing, caramelize the onions in the Instant Pot
Caramelizing onions is as mundane as watching paint dry, but they make too much of an impact on the final dish for me to skip it.
Although the IP is terrible at searing, it’s perfect for our onions because it prevents it from burning too quickly. Besides the occasional stirring, you can leave the onions to do their thing. Take this opportunity to focus on searing the beef instead.
Don’t worry if you’re not good a multi-tasking in the kitchen. I promise it’s quite hard to burn the onions given the volume we’re using here.
3. Use baking soda to break the onions down faster
Add a hint of baking soda (approximately 1/4 tsp) to the pot of onions. This accelerates the breakdown of onion walls, facilitating faster caramelization by allowing water to escape. This step takes around 10 minutes.
Once the onions are caramelized and the beef is seared, you’re ready for a convenient dump-and-go situation.
If you’re planning to freeze this curry for later, don’t use potatoes (not included in the recipe for this reason). But if you want to include potatoes, just eat them all before freezing. ;)
Pro tip: potatoes do not freeze well due to their high water content. Oftentimes, they disintegrate completely into the sauce.
To freeze, let the curry cool a bit, transfer to airtight containers (leave room for expansion), label, and date. Consume within 6 months.
For reheating, thaw in the refrigerator for at least 1 day (up to 2 days depending on portion size). Curry is best reheated on the stove over medium heat with a splash of water. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.
If microwaving, use a splatter cover—the curry tends to pop!
I don’t enjoy repeating meals much, but this curry is an exception—I could eat it for days (if it lasts that long)!
If you’re looking to spruce it up a bit, here are my top picks for repurposing leftover beef curry. They’re also great for using up the delicious curry sauce when the meat runs out!
1. Tonkatsu Curry: Pour leftover curry sauce over tonkatsu for a mouthwatering tonkatsu curry—my personal favorite and the main reason I whip up this curry. If you’re lucky to have some beef left, this dish is extra decadent with TWO kinds of meat!
Head over to this 2-day meal plan for the tonkatsu recipe (air fried). You can add this curry recipe into the mix and spruce it up into your own 4-day meal plan!
2. Curry Omurice: Grate some leftover curry roux powder and stir-fry it into your fried rice, top it with a buttery soft-cooked omelet, and pour your curry sauce over it. Look out for the recipe soon!
I’m a foodie with a simple philosophy: why should amazing food be reserved for the weekends alone? I’m all about making every meal delicious because, let’s face it, we only have so many meals in our lifetime.
My mission? To take the stress out of cooking with easy-to-use meal plans so you can enjoy mouthwatering recipes any day of week. Join me on this tasty journey and let’s savor “more taste, less waste” in every bite!
Diane
So simple yet so delicious! My fav thing about the japanese curry is that you can make other dishes out of it too! This recipe is very versatile and perfect for when you got a busy week but don’t want to eat the same thing everyday
3 years ago
I’m a foodie with a simple philosophy: why should amazing food be reserved for the weekends alone? I’m all about making every meal delicious because, let’s face it, we only have so many meals in our lifetime.
My mission? To take the stress out of cooking with easy-to-use meal plans so you can enjoy mouthwatering recipes any day of week. Join me on this tasty journey and let’s savor “more taste, less waste” in every bite!
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Rena
This review is LONG overdue because I’ve probably come back to this recipe 4 times now and each time I’m awestruck at how bomb this tastes. The curry is so rich and full of flavor (savory with a tad of sweetness thanks to the onions), the steak is sooo tender, and I LOVE that it’s an easy all-in-one instant pot dish. I’ve made this for my boyfriend, sister, coworkers/friends and everyone always loves it. So easy to cook for others while having more than enough of it for yourself. Cannot recommend this recipe enough to my friends!!
2 years ago