Adding Coffee to Your Japanese Curry

It was said that the bitter element from the coffee completes the flavor of the curry and also adding a hint of sophistication to the dish.

Image source Fanpop

In an episode of Atashin’chi, Mrs. Tachibana went nuts when she saw Mr. Tachibana adding instant coffee powder into the pot of curry that he’s making. Thinking that dinner is ruined, imagine her surprise when the dish turned out so well that everybody loves it. It was said that the bitter element from the coffee completes the flavor of the curry and also adding a hint of sophistication to the dish.

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I’m sure that there’s an understanding of the term “playing with your food” as we are talking about cooking here. It’s always about how you put together ingredients that complement each other.

A selected blend of ingredients forms the chord creating a character for this dish. It’s almost like perfume. There’s the top note, the middle note, and the base note.

My personal recipe goes like this
Top note: black pepper, lemongrass
Middle note: the sweetness of the onion and apple, spiciness from the gochujang
Base note: the lingering warmth of the ginger and of course the aromatic curry spices itself

The possibilities are endless here. Think of your favorite food, cooking ingredients, or even your daily caffeine fix. Honey, apple, ketchup, lemon, tomato, red chili pepper, dried chili pepper, fresh coriander, mushroom, yogurt, bay leaf, cumin, chocolate, coffee, butter, oyster sauce, soy sauce, ginger, and the list goes on. Right on my upcoming shopping list is the instant coffee powder.

Each ingredient/combo brings new facets to the curry depending on your personal preferences. Who knows? Maybe you will end up having some naming ceremony with every creation that you came up with.

Image source S&B Food

I’m using S&B Golden curry roux for my recipe. This chocolate bar like cube of Japanese curry roux is really convenient and easy to use, everyone can make delicious curry at home. But why not elevate your culinary experience by creating your own personalized curry without sweating too much effort or time. Just a little tweak here and there.

I also think it’s fun that you do a blind test with your family and loved ones for this recipe. Never reveal the secret ingredients until they have tasted your creation.

Image source Muji

Note: I use a miso strainer to melt and dissolve my curry roux. You just have to warm up the roux with the broth in the strainer and push it through. Things are so much easier with this and you will never find clumps of undissolved roux in your curry again.