Effortless dump-and-go Rice Cooker Japanese Curry – minimal prep and cleanup for a comforting one-pot meal on busy weeknights or lazy weekends!

Japanese Curry or “kare” is a beloved comfort food that is quite unlike any other curries! It’s a curry that has a sweetness to it that is quite unique in the world of curries. The texture is also different; thick, velvety with a gloss. This is my favourite way to make Japanese Curry – all in a rice cooker! This one pot Rice Cooker Japanese Curry has been a go-to recently, because all I need to do is dump the ingredients in at the same time, and let the rice cooker do it’s thing. This dump-and-go method means minimal prep and cleanup, making it perfect for busy weeknights or lazy weekends.

There are so many ways of serving this, but I love serving this as a Curry Katsu or Kare Katsu! The curry poured over rice, and topped with a crispy chicken katsu cutlet! YUM!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Easy and Convenient: Just dump all the ingredients in the rice cooker and let it do the work.
Minimal Cleanup: One-pot cooking means fewer dishes to wash.
Versatile: Can be made vegetarian or with meat.
Kid-Friendly: Mildly spiced and slightly sweet, perfect for all ages.
Perfect for Meal Prep: Makes great leftovers that taste even better the next day.

Key Ingredients

Japanese Curry Roux: 1 block or 4 curry roux cubes. The curry roux used in Japanese curry gives it a unique flavour profile that is spicy, slightly sweet, and incredibly comforting. The spice levels are easily adjustable too – most brands come with different spice levels! S&B Golden Curry, House Brand and Vermont Curry are the more popular brands, feel free to use your favourite.

Vegetables: A lot of vegetables are going to work for this! Potatoes, carrots and onions are the usual go-to. In this recipe I used potatoes, onions, tomatoes, and apples! The apples add a lovely sweetness that will complement the sweet curry roux. Note that I used red onions here, but white onions will give a sweeter finish!

Optional Meat: In this recipe, I’m serving it with Chicken Katsu, so I only used vegetables for this. You can definitely add proteins to the curry! Cubed boneless chicken or minced beef will work best to ensure proper cooking in the rice cooker.

Water: To cook the ingredients and create the sauce.

What Rice Cooker To Use?

The secret to the ease and success of this dish is the rice cooker.

As with this recipe and all other rice cooker recipes on the blog – ANY rice cooker will work!

Of course, I love my ultra-reliable Zojirushi:

Zojirushi NS-ZCC10 Neuro Fuzzy Cooker
Zojirushi NS-ZAQ10 Micom Fuzzy Logic (the exact one I purchased – this is the same as the model above; it’s labelled differently in Singapore/Southeast Asia. This is a ‘Made in Japan’ model.)

What if I don’t have a rice cooker?

You can easily make Japanese Curry over the stovetop. There are typically instructions on the curry roux packaging that would be easy to follow.

After how good this tasted, I did wonder if we can do the same thing over a stovetop: dump all the ingredients in the pot, and let everything simmer. So I tried it, and yes you can! Add everything to pot, let it come to a rolling boil, before turning down the heat to a simmer. The key is to let it simmer until the potatoes and vegetables are cooked to preference.

I have to say though, making it in the rice cooker is still much easier, simply because I do not have to mind the fire!

If you’re going to make it in the stovetop anyway, I would recommend that you saute the ingredients first, to have a more full-flavoured curry.

Key Steps to Making It

1. Prepare the Ingredients

Chop the vegetables to about equal-sized cubes.

Peel and cut the potatoes into bite-sized pieces.

Core and dice the apple. There is no need to peel the apples!

Chop the tomatoes and onion.

If using meat, cube the chicken or prepare the minced beef.

2. Add to Rice Cooker

Place the potatoes, apple, tomatoes, and onion into the rice cooker pot.

If using, add the cubed chicken or minced beef.

3. Add Curry Roux and Water

Pour in water, enough to cover the ingredients.

Break the curry roux block or cubes into smaller pieces and add them to the pot. Push it down, to make sure it’s submerged in the water – this will help melt it quicker!

4. Cook!

Close the lid of the rice cooker and set it to the standard cooking setting.

Cook for 30-35 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Open the lid and check that the potatoes are tender by poking a fork through!

5. Serve

Once the cooking is complete, give the curry a good stir to mix everything well.

Serve hot over steamed rice.

How to Serve

Japanese curry is one of my favourite quick dishes to whip up because it’s so versatile!

Here are some ways to serve Japanese curry:

With Steamed Rice: The traditional way to enjoy Japanese curry.

Curry Katsu (kare katsu): Served with rice, and topped with a crispy Katsu cutlet is my favourite way of serving this! Especially since I do not add any meat in my Japanese curry. That crispy katsu over the creamy curry is so good!

As a Curry Udon: Serve over udon noodles for a hearty meal. FYI, I have a recipe for stovetop Japanese Curry Udon right here!

With Bread or Naan: For a delicious fusion twist.

Tips and Tricks

Adjust Sweetness: Add more or fewer apples based on your sweetness preference.

Mix Well: If you find the curry to look thin or pale, keep mixing! Mix well to make sure the curry roux cubes are adequately dispersed into the liquid. The curry will thicken significantly. Alternatively, you can also finely chop your curry roux cubes before adding to the pot to make stirring easier. It’s an extra step of chopping (and follow-up washing) so I rather just stir more!

Thicken the Sauce: If you find the curry is too thin even after mixing well, you may have added too much liquid (or the liquid is released from the veggies you used). Try letting it sit with the lid open for a few minutes to thicken up. You can also transfer this to stovetop, and let it cook off some off the liquid quickly.

Use your Fave Veggies: Feel free to add other vegetables like carrots, bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower or peas.

Storing and Reheating Instructions

Store:

Let the curry cool completely before transferring it to an airtight container. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.

Freeze:

For longer storage, freeze the curry in portions. It will keep well for up to 2 months.

Reheat:

Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop. If the curry is too thick after reheating, add a splash of water to reach the desired consistency.

More Recipes Like This: