Skinnymixer’s Japanese Beef Mince Curry features in the Takeaway section of the cookbook SkinnyAsia 2.

Japanese curry is proper comfort food. It’s thick, rich and savoury with a gentle sweetness, and our Japanese Beef Mince Curry makes it particularly easy to get on the table.

We’ve used beef mince, potato, carrot and onion with our homemade Japanese Curry Roux Cubes to create an easy family dinner with plenty of flavour.

Serve it over short grain rice with pickled ginger, furikake and a crispy fried egg on top.

And if you’ve already got our Japanese Curry Roux Cubes stashed in the freezer, you’ve done a big chunk of the work ahead of time.

What is Japanese Curry?

Japanese curry, or kare, is quite different to the curries you might associate with India or Thailand.

The sauce is typically thick, rich, mildly spiced and slightly sweet, with a consistency closer to a gravy. It’s commonly served with rice and ingredients such as meat, potato, carrot and onion.

Our version uses beef mince, making it an easy option for a family dinner.

What ingredients you will need

The complete recipe and quantities are in SkinnyAsia 2, but you only need a relatively short list of ingredients:

Beef mince
Japanese Curry Roux Cubes – from SkinnyAsia 2
Brown onion
Potato
Carrot
Beef or Chicken Stock Concentrate
Optional cayenne pepper

Then add short grain rice, fried egg, pickled ginger and furikake when serving.

The Secret is Our Homemade Japanese Curry Roux

Instead of using commercial Japanese curry cubes, this recipe uses the homemade Japanese Curry Roux Cubes from SkinnyAsia 2.

Our roux is packed with spices, shiitake mushroom, garlic, tomato and savoury flavour and can be made ahead and stored in the freezer for up to 6 months.

One batch makes four portions, so make the roux once and you’ve got the base for several future dinners.

We also use it in our Curry Udon Noodle Soup.

Having the Japanese Curry Roux Cubes in the freezer makes this an easy dinner

How Spicy is Japanese Beef Curry?

Japanese curry is generally much milder than many other Asian curries.

We’ve included cayenne pepper as optional, so you can leave it out completely for a family-friendly curry or add a little if you’d like some extra heat.

This makes it an easy curry to adjust depending on who you’re feeding.

Can I Make it in the Slow Cooker?

Yes.

We’ve included a slow cooker variation that makes a double batch, perfect for feeding a crowd or stocking the freezer.

Add the ingredients to the slow cooker during the recipe and cook on low for 6–8 hours.

Dietary & Recipe Variations

LOW CARB
Replace the potato with cauliflower florets and the carrot with green beans, adding the beans towards the end of cooking.

SUPER SKINNY
Use lean beef mince and a spray of oil instead of the full amount of olive oil.

PALEO
Replace the potato with cauliflower florets and make sure you’re using the Paleo variation of our Japanese Curry Roux.

VEGETARIAN
Omit the beef mince and use lentils with Vegetable Stock Concentrate instead.

LOW FODMAP
Replace the brown onion with the green part of spring onion and use the appropriate variation of our Japanese Curry Roux.

HALVED / DOUBLED
The recipe can be halved or doubled using the conventional method.

What to Serve with Japanese Beef Mince Curry

For the full experience, spoon the thick Japanese curry over short grain rice and top with:

A crispy fried egg
Pickled ginger
Furikake

The pickled ginger adds a fresh, sharp contrast to the rich curry, while the runny egg yolk makes the whole thing even better.

Make the Roux Now, Make Dinner Easier Later

This recipe is exactly why we created the Japanese Curry Roux Cubes.

Make a batch of roux when you have time, divide it into four portions and keep it in the freezer. When Japanese curry is on the menu, simply grab a portion and most of your seasonings are already sorted.

It’s a little bit of meal prep that makes future dinners much easier.

Get the Recipe

The complete Japanese Beef Mince Curry recipe, including Thermo cooker and conventional methods, slow cooker variation, serving suggestions and dietary variations, is available in SkinnyAsia 2.

From the Testing Team

Kaz M. – Can i just shove my whole head in this bowl and inhale? This is so so sooooooo delicious
Veronica B. – Oh boy, did I love how quick and easy this recipe is OMGeeeeeee thankyou, I did have the Japanese Curry Roux Cubes already made from yesterday, and it was super easy to bring this together.
Angie G. – Made for dinner tonight. Served with steamed jasmine rice, fried egg, pickled ginger and a sprinkle of Furikake !! yum yum This curry is sooo delicious It’s now definitely my most favorite curry !!
Julie H. – Oh wow this was bloody delicious such a big hug of comfort YUM YUM
Linda B. – Paleo version with cauliflower, green beans and a bit of carrot because I didn’t have enough beans. Holy moly this was really good. Chucked a home grown egg on top with some ground wakame and it definitely hit the spot.
Amanda E. – This was delish!! Just a super simple curry! Full of flavour (even better after cooking yesterday and the flavours developed more)
Renee H. – Ok so I didn’t have any confidence that anyone in my house would like this, even myself. We aren’t like curry stew fans. I WILL EAT MY WORDS!! This was incredible. That curry paste was so flavoursome.
Adult male, adult 14 year old, 12 year old girl and myself smashed our dinner. I made 2x the recipe but I cooked one recipe in the thermi and one on the stove top. Sooooo good!! That egg made the dish even more explosive. 12/10 from me. I’ll definitely add this to make allllll the time and have leftover for breakfast.
Nancy P. – This was delicious! So much flavour packed into that mince. Now I’m regretting having made half of the Japanese Curry Paste recipe
Rebecca K. – I actually felt emotional eating this, after decades using and loving curry blocks, making it from scratch felt unreal. This is way more wholesome and well rounded. Nikalene, u are a miracle.
Val W. – What a fabulous recipe, thoroughly enjoyed by both of us.
Tanya H. – I tried this with diced beef. I also pressure cooked this for 25 minutes high pressure with just a cup of water and kept the potato and carrot at a medium dice. It was perfect!
Leia S. – This was delicious ! So quick & easy if you have the paste made up.
David W.– Omg this is amazing Hubby has a cold .. He said he can’t taste anything earlier .. But can taste this

Some other Thermomix Japanese Curry recipes you might love:

Want to know more about SkinnyAsia 2 cookbook?

SkinnyAsia 2 is a collection of Thermomix & Conventional cooking recipes. All of our cookbooks have a strong focus on Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Nut-free, Egg Free, Low Carb, Paleo, Vegetarian and Low FODMAP.

We cover a wide range of dietary variations in the cookbook – LC: Low Carb, GF: Gluten-free, DF: Dairy-free, LM: Low Fodmap, SS: Super Skinny, V: Vegetarian

FAQs

What does Japanese Beef Curry taste like?
Japanese curry is rich, savoury, mildly spiced and slightly sweet, with a thick, gravy-like sauce. You can leave out the optional cayenne for a milder family-friendly version.

Do I need to make the Japanese Curry Roux first?
Yes, this recipe uses one portion of the homemade Japanese Curry Roux Cubes from SkinnyAsia 2. The roux can be made ahead and frozen for up to three months, so it’s ready whenever you want an easy curry night.

SkinnyAsia2: Japanese Beef Mince Curry