JJapanese Food

Homemade Japanese curry (Golden Curry Mild) made in an Instant Pot.

  • March 2, 2026


Sautéed the beef first, pressure cooked on high for about 30 minutes, then switched back to sauté and slowly added the roux blocks piece by piece until fully dissolved. Served with white rice.

For those who cook with Japanese curry roux blocks — do you mostly use Golden, Java, Vermont, or something else? Do you notice real differences in flavor or quality between them?

by melv_melv

14 comments

  1. I like to mix them. Some in their own are too sweet, or have something else going that another one balances out. Some people like to put fruit in. I like a little tomato paste. There are a million ways to make curry, and few of them are wrong.

  2. I switch around between them but recently l started to make my own roux.

    I’d say golden is most “classic” tasting , savory mild curry . Not really sweet nor too strong in spices, basic stuff.

    Java is more on the spicy side with just a bit of sweetness.

    Vermont is sweetest of them all and has a slight cheesy taste.

  3. The flavors are all different.

    In Japan most houses will take the roux blocks and change the flavor by adding ingredients to make their own version so every houses curry tastes different.. If you want sweeter, grated apple and or honey is common, which is in Vermont Style. Some acid and sweetness, you can add Worcestershire sauce. Of cource more spices like red pepper, garam masala, cumin etc. You can even mix roux blocks from different brands for a different flavor profile. You need to experiment.

    Here is a list of things that are commonly added in Japan as recommended by House Foods, the maker of roux blocks like Vermont and Java curries. In Japanese but you can probably use Google translate.

    https://housefoods.jp/data/curryhouse/cook/lesson/secret.html

    Some things from that list.

    For sweetness, apple, banana, honey, chutney.
    For acid, lemon, tomato, yogurt
    For depth, ginger, garlic, wine, Worcestershire sauce, butter, cream, coffee, chocolate
    Etc

    S&B, the makers of the roux blocks you used has a list too somewhere but will be similar items. But these are just suggestions and you need to experiment. I would suggest put a small amount in a bowl or pot if it needs heating and try different things but one thing at a time or it will very quickly become Out of control and gross.

    You can also make your own roux from scratch for complete control but that is not common.

    Curry is a very common home meal in Japan so this is a very common topic.

  5. My wife and MIL always mix different types or add in curry powder. You can also a “kaigun curry” (Yokosuka naval curry) with fond de veau.

  7. 99/100
    All that’s left is to add a little red Fukujinzuke pickles, and it’ll be perfect. Maybe it should be a bit richer and creamier.

  8. I love the pressure cooker for beef curry. Gets such a nice texture on cuts like chuck.

  9. In our house hold, we use half Vermont curry mild and half S&B hot. We also like to use pork shoulder or pork butt that’s been slow cooked as the meat, and I use the broth produced as the liquid for the curry. For the broth, I add a cinnamon stick, onion, garlic, allspice, bay leaf and mixed peppercorns. Makes a really nice curry.

  12. I grew up eating S&B curry, either roux my mom made from scratch, before the blocks ever existed, and I’ve used the blocks myself for decades. Lately I’ve tried the Hot and Medium Hot which doesn’t feel hot to me, especially if I compare to Indian dishes. I think the next box in my cupboard is Mild. I switch it up every time I make it.

    I have used goat in my curry from a local farm. It was cut up like stew meat so no bones. I’ve also used chicken gizzards which I love batter fried, but in the curry I cooked it extra long to get it nice and tender. Gizzards are also cheap. I might try salmon next. I have done a veggie curry with different hard squashes with kohlrabi and fennel bulb. The farm was a CSA at the time so we got lots of different types of veggies.

    I’m not picky about rice brands, so what ever the local asian market has for short-medium grain in a 10 lb bag. Sometimes to keep it to one pot I throw the washed rice into the curry pot and if it needs more broth add some. Or if the curry has too much liquid for the roux to thicken the rice will thicken it by the time it’s cooked. Last batch I made I used brown rice.

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