Japanese Beef Curry (Kare Raisu)

Japanese Beef Curry is my all-time favorite Japanese dish, and it’s the perfect comfort food for winter. This hearty dish features tender chunks of beef simmered with vegetables like potatoes, carrots, and onions, all enveloped in a thick, savory curry sauce. Served over a bed of steamed rice, it’s both filling and deeply satisfying—a go-to meal for busy weeknights or cozy family dinners.

For the best results, I recommend using a pressure cooker to achieve melt-in-your-mouth tender beef in just 25 minutes. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, no problem! You can still make it in a regular pot by letting the beef simmer on low heat for about 2 hours.

We’ll keep things simple by using pre-made curry roux instead of making the seasoning from scratch. I suggest buying “Golden Curry,” a popular Japanese curry roux available at most Asian markets. It comes in both mild and spicy versions, so you can choose the level of heat that suits your taste. Give this Japanese Curry Rice recipe a try!

Japanese Beef Curry (Kare Raisu) Ingredients

• 1 pound Beef, cut in cubes (450g)
• 2 Onions, chopped
• 3 Garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound Potatoes, chopped (450g)
• ½ pound Carrots, chopped (220g)
• 2 Tablespoons Oil
• A pinch of salt (to season the meat)
• A pinch of black pepper (to season the meat)
• 3 cups Water
• 1 package Japanese Golden Curry (110g) (spice level can be chosen). I used the Japanese curry roux below:

How to Make Japanese Curry (Kare Raisu)

1. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to the cubed beef. Mix it well.
2. Add the oil, onion, garlic and beef into the pot. Cook it for around 5 minutes on high heat to seal the beef.
3. Add the water and close the pressure cooker. Once the pressure is on, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook it for 25 minutes.
4. Carefully open the pressure cooker and add the potatoes and carrots. No need to add more water. Close the pot and once the pot is under pressure let it cook for 10 minutes.
5. Carefully open the pressure cooker, add the curry and mix it well but gently, so the potatoes and carrots won’t be broken. Once everything is well mixed, the Japanese beef curry is ready. Eat it on top of white rice.

Recipe Tips

Can you freeze Japanese Beef Curry?

Normally when I cook Japanese Beef Curry I make a large quantity, that could be consumed in different meals. I eat it on the day (and maybe the next), and freeze parts of it for a day that I don’t have much time to cook. This dish freezes really well.

• Wait for the curry to cold down.
• Separate the food into containers that are enough for another meal, so you just need to unfreeze one at a time.
• Label it with the date (try to consume it in a 3-month window is the recommended)
• The day before, pass it from the freezer to the fridge.
• Warm it up in a microwave or a pot with a little bit of water.

How to make Kare Raisu if you don’t have a pressure cooker:

• After you seal the beef, reduce the pot to low heat, add the water and let it simmer for 2 hours or until the beef is tender (depends a bit on the cut). Have a look sometimes if the water is too low, then add more.
• Once the beef is tender, add the potatoes and carrots and cook for another 20 minutes in medium-low heat.
• Finally add the curry and mix it gently until it is completely dissolved.

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