Soup curry is a type of curry-flavored soup served with lightly fried vegetables and steamed rice. Unlike traditional curry, it has a lighter consistency, and the rice is typically served separately, allowing diners to dip the rice into the soup as they eat. Soup curry is known for its light flavor and abundant vegetables, and it has become more of a staple rather than just a trend, joining typical Japanese curry dishes in many menus.
The origin of soup curry is said to be Hokkaido, Japan. In the 1970s, a restaurant in Sapporo started offering a dish that was a cross between herbal (or medicinal) soup and curry, which laid the foundation for what would become soup curry. It initially began as a soup without any added ingredients, but over time, chicken broth used in the soup was retained in the curry, and vegetables were added. Through the years, soup curry experienced an explosive boom in the 2000s, with it being offered in more and more restaurants. Today, soup curry specialty shops can be found not only in Hokkaido but throughout Japan, becoming widely known among people.
Instead of using instant curry mix, various spices are included in the soup. We use garam masala, cumin, and curry powder, but many others like turmeric and coriander are also suitable for the dish. Experiment a bit and find your own favorite flavor combinations. That said, you could use a smaller amount of curry mix if you’re hesitant to commit to too many spices. Add the roux gradually to see the consistency of the soup. Typical vegetables include Kabocha squash, lotus root, and eggplant, but you can mix and match according to your preference. We first fry the vegetables in oil, though you can oven-grill or steam vegetables instead for an even healthier option.
If you like regular Japanese curry, you would love this soup curry. Even if curry is not your favorite, give this one a try anyway because it’s very different. There are no additives, only fresh ingredients and spices. Hope you like it!
Soup Curry
The curry-flavored soup bursts with flavors from spices, topped with an array of lightly fried vegetables
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Japanese
Keyword: curry, soup
Servings: 2 servings
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- 6-8 chicken wings (drumette) or chicken leg pieces
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 onion
- 1 carrot
- 1 potato
- 1/2 Tbsp ginger grated
- 1/2 Tbsp garlic grated
- 1 Tbsp oil
- 1 Tbsp curry powder
- 1/2 Tbsp garam masala
- 1/2 Tbsp cumin powder
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2-3 cups steamed rice
Toppings
- 4 asparagus
- 4 slices lotus root
- 2 slices Kabocha squash
- 1/2 red bell pepper
- 3 Tbsp oil
- 1 soft boiled egg
Salt chicken and let it sit for 5 minutes. Thinly slice the onion, cut the carrot into wedges, and cut the potato into 6-8 pieces. Grate ginger and garlic.
Heat oil over medium high heat in a pot, and cook chicken for 3-4 minutes until lightly browned. Add cut vegetables and cook for a couple of minutes. Add ginger, garlic, curry powder, garam masala, cumin powder, and salt and pepper to taste, then cook for another couple of minutes. Pour chicken broth in. Cover and cook for 20-30 minutes until chicken becomes tender.
Prepare toppings. Cut topping vegetable into large pieces. Heat oil in a frying pan, and cook/fry vegetables until cooked through. Cut the egg in half.
Pour curry soup in a dish topping with vegetables and egg. Serve separately with steamed rice.
About JapaneseCooking101
Noriko and Yuko, the authors of this site, are both from Japan but now live in California. They love cooking and eating great food, and share a similar passion for home cooking using fresh ingredients. Noriko and Yuko plan and develop recipes together for Japanese Cooking 101. They cook and shoot photos/videos at their home kitchen(s.)
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