Growing up in a Japanese household, my first introduction to curry was, of course, Japanese curry.

It was my mom’s go-to meal when she wanted to whip up a fast, nutritious, and delicious meal for the family. Sometimes she would make it from scratch, sometimes she would use the S&B curry cubes. Either way, I always got excited for curry night because I found it delicious and extremely comforting. If I could describe Japanese curry, I think I would say it’s a big, warm hug.

It wasn’t until I got into my teen years that I started to eat different kinds of curry. I tried everything from Thai Green Curry to Vindaloo. Each variation was so different but shared this curry label, which made me question, what even is curry?

Being raised in Hawaiʻi, I was surrounded by a huge diaspora of East Asians, and if you have ever been to Hawaiʻi, you know that there isn’t much of a South Asian community. So, beyond eating at an Indian or Nepalese restaurant, I wasn’t very knowledgeable about South Asian cuisine or culture.

When I got to college, I made a friend, Rahul, and his family was from Tamil Nadu in South India. He taught me a lot about South Indian cuisine and also about the Tamil word kari (கறி).

He taught me that people in India don’t call curries, curry. Each dish has its own name and is distinctly different. The word curry is thought to have derived from the Tamil word kari (கறி), which means a sauce, relish for rice, or a dish cooked with spices, often specifically referring to meat or vegetables. For those of you who don’t know, Tamil is widely considered the oldest living language in the world.

When the colonial British arrived in South India, they heard the Tamil word kari. Over time, the Brits started using “curry” as a catch-all word for almost any spiced dish they encountered.

So if curry is a British word and Japanese people call it curry, does that mean… Japanese curry came from Britain?

During the height of the British Empire, the Brits had their hands deep inside India. While they were there, British soldiers were eating all kinds of Indian cuisine.

When the British first arrived in South India during the colonial era, they encountered the Tamil word kari (கறி). It didn’t refer to a specific dish the way we think of curry today. Instead, it was a much broader term, something like a sauce, a relish, or really any dish meant to be eaten with rice. It could include meat, vegetables, spices; there wasn’t one single definition.

But the British, unfamiliar with the nuances of the cuisine, began using “curry” as a catch-all word for almost any spiced dish they came across. Over time, they didn’t just adopt the word; they adapted the food itself.

They simplified it, standardized it, and made it more aligned with British tastes.

What emerged was something quite different from the original dishes of India: a thicker, milder stew made with meat, potatoes, and a flour-based sauce, often seasoned with pre-mixed “curry powder.” It was less complex, less spicy, and much more uniform.

And interestingly, it was perfect for the British Navy. It was filling, inexpensive, and easy to prepare in large quantities. It could feed a lot of sailors efficiently, which made it an ideal military meal. Before long, this version of curry became a staple across the British armed forces.

Now fast forward to the late 1800s. Japan is in the middle of the Meiji Restoration, a period of rapid modernization where the country is actively learning from Western powers. One of the biggest influences at the time? Britain. And more specifically, the British Navy.

So when curry made its way to Japan, it didn’t arrive directly from India; it came through Britain.

The Japanese Navy began serving this British-style curry to sailors. Part of the reason is practical; it’s hearty, easy to prepare, and works well in large batches. But the dish also helped prevent beriberi, a disease caused by vitamin deficiencies that was common among sailors at the time.

From there, curry started to spread. First through the Navy, then the Army. Soldiers return home and bring the dish with them. Restaurants began adding it to their menus. Schools start serving it for lunch. And slowly, curry began to embed itself into everyday Japanese life.

Around the same time, another path was quietly shaping what curry would become in Japan.

In the early 1900s, an Indian revolutionary named Rash Behari Bose fled British rule and found refuge in Japan. He eventually settled there and became deeply connected to Japanese society, even marrying into the family that owned Nakamuraya, a well-known bakery in Tokyo.

Bose was familiar with the British version of curry in Japan, but he didn’t see it as authentic. To him, it was a diluted interpretation of Indian cuisine, stripped of its depth and complexity. So he decided to change that.

At Nakamuraya, he introduced a version of curry that was much closer to Indian cooking. It was richer in spices, more aromatic, and layered with flavors that the British version lacked. This dish became known as “Nakamuraya curry,” and for many Japanese people, it was their first exposure to something closer to true Indian curry.

Bose reintroduced authenticity into a dish that had already been transformed once before.

So now, Japan had two versions of curry existing side by side: the British-style curry that had spread through the military and everyday households, and a more Indian-inspired version brought by Bose that highlighted deeper, more complex flavors.

Then comes the real turning point: boxed curry roux.

With the introduction of curry roux blocks, making curry at home became incredibly simple. There was no need to measure spices or build flavors from scratch. Just add the cubes to water, meat, and vegetables, and in under 30 minutes, dinner is ready.

Because even though it started as a British interpretation of Indian food, Japan embraced it, adapted it, and made it its own.

Today, Japanese Curry is widely considered Japan’s national dish, which is interesting because it is also Japan’s most famous fusion dish.

Step One: Make the Curry Roux

Note: This roux is designed for about 8 cups of liquid

Step Two: Prep Ingredients

Step Three: Build the Base

Step Four: Add Liquid

Tip: You can substitute 4 cups of chicken stock instead of using bouillon cubes for a richer flavor.

Step Five: Add Depth

Step Six: Add Potatoes

Step Seven: Incorporate Roux

Step Eight: Final Seasoning

Step Nine: Serve

Optional: Fukujinzuke (pickles)