You certainly don’t need to visit a good Japanese restaurant to enjoy a tasty coco’s curry recipe. Now you can cook it all by yourself with the use of special ingredients and a distinct blend of spices. Japanese rice curry is central to the regional cuisine. Varieties of this curry are prepared with chicken, pork, and beef in several parts of Japan.
A coco curry recipe is one of Tokyo’s finest dishes and enjoys so much popularity that entire food chains are running around just trying to sell different versions of coco curry. This curry is a nourishing mix of meat, vegetables, and sauce. Its mild taste and light consistency make it an ‘anytime’ meal.
Available in most parts of the world, coco curry Japan style is famous by the name of ‘Coco Ichibanya Curry.’ The aim of this article is not only to introduce you to the basics of coco curry and its recipes but also to take you on a tour of the house of Coco Ichibanya, which can help bring inspiring flavors to your dinner table.
Coco Ichibanya Ltd
Originally founded back in 1982, Ichibanya Co. Ltd emerged as the restaurant chain specializing in curry rice recipes in Japan.
This company is a complete curry house, providing mouth pleasing curries in great variety. This company runs under the name Pasta de Coco in Japan, so the rice curry produced under their roof was later termed Coco Ichibanya curry.
Owing to the popularity of this curry, the company has now launched ‘coco Ichibanya curry mix’ which helps consumers enjoy the same flavors at home without worrying about the complexities of ingredients and their proportion.
Currently, Coco Ichibanya is operational in all parts of the world, from Japan to UK, US, China, Taiwan, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, South Korea, Singapore, and Malaysia. This food chain is the largest business run by the company so far.
Coco Ichibanya Curry Mix
A nice coco curry recipe is not complete without the use of Japanese curry roux or the proper curry mix. These are now widely available on the market in small cubes, with the Ichibanya brand, and which can be instantly used in curries.
If you are not into utilizing market products, then it is safe to say that you can also prepare this mix at home with your own ingredients. The spices used in this blend are ordinary kitchen cabinet items, mixed in a specific proportion. You can make this mix at home by using the following ingredients:
8 tablespoons of cumin- 3 tablespoons of turmeric
- 4 tablespoons of coriander
- 4 tablespoons of cardamom
- 2 teaspoons of fenugreek
- 2 teaspoons of nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons of cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons of allspice
- 1 teaspoon of clove
- 1 teaspoon laurel
8 tablespoons of cuminBlend all the spices in a blender until it forms a smooth powder. Now you are half done. The real Ichibanya curry mix is known for its solid texture, and for that we need the following ingredients: 3 tablespoons of butter or ghee and 4 tablespoons of all-purpose flour.
Mix every 2 tablespoons of curry powder with 3 tablespoons of butter and 3 tablespoons of flour in a bowl until well incorporated. This will give a crumbly mixture which can either be stored as it is or shaped into a small cube, as it appears on the market. Whichever form you choose, just make sure to keep the mix in a sealed container to protect it against excessive moisture.
Coco Ichibanya Curry Sauce
One question that many people ask the experts is how they can recreate the Coco Ichibanya curry sauce at home. Many Japanese recipes and dishes with similar origins demand the use of coco curry sauce. This sauce is however not readily available in every home. Many people try to make it themselves but fail to achieve the signature Ichibanya flavor in their sauce. That is why, after learning this coco curry mix, you will impress by being an expert at preparing this sauce.
You can store this sauce in the refrigerator and readily use it for any suitable recipe.
Set a cooking pot on the stove, add oil, and set to medium heat. Add carrots and onion to sauté until soft and translucent. Stir in garlic and ginger and sauté for 30 seconds. Pour in chicken broth and let the broth boil. Skim off the fat from the surface of the mixture.
Meanwhile, peel the apple and roughly grate it. Add salt and honey to the cooking pot. Let it cook for 20 minutes on low heat with occasional stirring. Remove the curry pot from the heat then add curry roux. Mix well until the roux is well dissolved. Add ketchup and soy sauce. Cook the curry again on low heat until it thickens. Allow the sauce to cool. Keep it ready as a make-ahead for the coco curry recipe.
Storage of the Ichibanya sauce is a point of major concern. Up till now the procedure for preparation was pretty easy. If you keep this sauce ready at home, you won’t need market bought products of any sort and you’ll be ready to make your coco curry. To store the sauce, take a clean glass bottle or a mason jar which is sealable.
Once the sauce is cooled completely, pour it into the glass container and then seal it tightly. It is best to store the sauce in the refrigerator at a low temperature. Try to use the sauce within a time period of 2 to 3 weeks. Do not store for longer durations than that.
Coco Curry Recipe
A coco house curry always tastes fresh and invigorating as it is made out of pure and organic ingredients under constant supervision. Starting from scratch may take much time and effort, but the results produced will be totally worth it.
A secret to preparing a flavorsome coco curry is to keep the proportions in check. When served with fried vegetables or chicken, the taste of this curry goes to the next level. But again, it’s completely optional. It is said that a good topping not only improves the appearance of a recipe but also completes the taste.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Servings: 5
Ingredients
Ingredients- 1/3 lb. pork
- 1 medium-sized onion
- 1/2 large carrot
- 4 oz. Coco Ichibanya curry mix
- 1 tablespoon salad oil
- 4 cups water
- 2 tablespoon Worcester sauce
- 5-2 teaspoon chutney
- Pinch of salt
Toppings (optional)
- Pickled ginger
- Fried chicken or pork, vegetables
Take the boneless pork or any other meat of your choice and dice it into bite-size cubes on a cutting board. Put the meat aside and take the onion and carrots. Chop them finely one by one. The size of vegetable depends on your personal preference, however, Coco Ichibanya serves it with the vegetables indistinguishable in the curry. Set a cooking pot on a stove and add oil to low heat.
Now add the cubed meat and cook until its color is changed. Stir in 1 cup water and carrots and let them cook for 15 minutes on a low simmer. Keep the heat low and constantly stir the mixture to avoid burning. Pour in the remaining water and increase the flame to medium heat. Keep the water level as per the desired consistency of the curry. This proportion is set according to the Coco Ichibanya standards.
Boil the curry and continue skimming off the fat from the top. Remove the curry pot from the heat and add curry mix to the pot. Mix well until the roux is dissolved in the curry then stir in salt, chutney, and Worcestershire sauce. Cook the curry again for about 15 minutes. Garnish with cheese, fried vegetables or pork, etc. Serve warm with steaming white boiled rice.
Coco Ichibanya Curry
Emblem of the Tokyo’s finest cuisine, Coco Ichibanya brings you traditional Japanese flavors, juicy vegetables, and meat all in one package with the coco curry recipe. The curry is named after the company, which has mastered the art of cooking Japanese curries.
Many people know this recipe by other names including Japanese chicken curry or coco curry Japan. Coco Ichibanya curry is basically derived from the coco curry recipe shared above. It however differs in its method of preparation and the use of Ichibanya blend to spice the curry. After going through the basic recipe for coco curry, the making of Ichibanya curry will be easier for you.
Gather all the ingredients and chop to it!
The classic Ichibanya curry is made from chicken, so clean some chicken and trim off all the excess fat. Cut it into small bite-size pieces. Add salt and pepper to the chicken and mix well to season it. Take carrots and onion and peel them. Cut them into wedges. Now dice all the potatoes into 1.5-inch cubes and soak them in water for 15 minutes. This will discharge all the excess starch from the potatoes. Drain them and set them aside.
Crush garlic and finely grate the ginger. Set them aside. Set a stock pot on the stove then add 2 tablespoons of oil to medium heat. Add sliced onions and sauté until soft and translucent.
Stir in garlic and ginger and sauté for 30 seconds. Add chicken and cook until its color is changed. Pour in chicken broth and let the broth boil. Skim off the fat from the top of the curry. Meanwhile, peel the apple and roughly grate it. Add salt and honey to the cooking pot. Let it cook for 20 minutes on low heat with occasional stirring.
Now add potatoes and cook for 15 minutes until potatoes are done. Remove the curry pot from the heat then add curry roux. Mix well until the roux is well dissolved. Add ketchup and soy sauce.
Cook the curry again on low heat until it thickens. Serve the curry with white rice. Garnish with Furkujinzuke or boiled egg. That’s all! And now you see how a slight change in method can bring inspiring flavors to a recipe.
Conclusion
Next time, you feel like enjoying the savory delight of the Coco Ichibanya, you don’t need to drive miles to satisfy your craving. Now with this simple coco curry recipe and coco curry mix, you can experience a restaurant-like taste at home. You do not need to move mountains just to be a pro at cooking. Basic understanding, a little guidance and some patience are enough to make a recipe finger-licking good.
Coco curries are great, both for your health and your pleasure. It is a fantastic marriage of nutritious vegetables, protein-rich meat, and mild spices. So give this recipe a try to treat your family to exotic Ichibanya flavors.
