Try Coco's Curry Recipe at Home: Fall in Love With Curry Again

Starting a food journey with a single restaurant in 1978, Curry House CoCo Ichibanya has expanded beyond its founders' dreams. The Japan-style curry restaurant, commonly known as CoCoICHI in Japan, has become a massive enterprise with more than a thousand restaurants in and outside Japan.

CoCoICHI houses serve several types of curry dishes, suitable for many diets. The glossy curry sauce, fluffy rice, and protein or vegetable of your choice come together on a plate to give you the ultimate comfort food satisfaction. Follow the steps of our Coco's curry recipe, and you can create this rich, satisfactory one-plate specialty meal in the comfort of your home, without visiting an Ichibanya Curry House.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Equipment
• Storage
• Pro Tips
• Coco's Curry Recipe
• Comments

Ingredients

1. The curry sauce

• Butter — 1 tbsp.
• Vegetable oil — 2 tbsp.
• Onion — 1 pc., large and grated.
• Carrots — 2 pcs., medium-sized and grated.
• Apple — 1 pc., medium-sized, peeled, and grated.
• Garlic — 2 cloves, squashed.
• Ginger — 1 tsp., very finely grated.
• Japanese curry powder — 2 tsp.
• Japanese curry roux — 6 oz.
• Hot water — 4 cups.
• Soy sauce — 2 tbsp.
• Brown sugar — 2 tbsp.
• Salt — ½ tsp.

2. The rice

• Rice — 2 cups.
• Water — 3-4 cups, may vary to rice type.
• Salt — 1 tsp.

3. Protein on top

• Chicken breast — 1.5 lbs., or 6 pcs.
• All-purpose flour — 2 cups.
• Eggs — 2 pcs., medium-sized.
• Bread crumbs or panko — 2 cups.
• Salt — 1 tsp.
• Ground black pepper — ½ tsp.
• Vegetable oil — 5 tbsp.

Instructions

For the curry sauce

1. Put vegetable oil and butter in a shallow cooking pot. Turn on the stove at medium heat. Melt the butter. Add the onions and sauté until they become translucent.

2. Add the grated carrots, apple, garlic, and ginger to the pot. Sauté for a few minutes, occasionally stirring, until the carrots soften.

3. Place the roux cubes in a mixing bowl. Pour two cups of hot water into the bowl. With a chopstick, mix until the cubes disintegrate.

4. Put the roux-water mix and the remaining hot water into the pot. Stir until the cubes fully dissolve in the mix and add the curry powder. Lower the heat and simmer the mixture for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

5. Put soy sauce, sugar, and salt into the pot. Cook the curry sauce for 10 more minutes. Remove from the heat when the sauce reduces enough to get a thick consistency. If it doesn’t reach the desired consistency, cook a bit longer.

For the rice

1. Put rice and salt in a cooking pot. Pour the water over the rice. Stir it.

2. Place the cooking pot on the stove and turn it on medium heat. Close the lid halfway to check for boiling.

3. When the mixture starts boiling, reduce the heat to low. Close the lid of the pot, and cook until the rice absorbs the water.

For the chicken breasts

1. Season both sides of chicken breast slices with salt and pepper.

2. In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs well. On two separate plates, put the flour and bread crumbs.

3. First, coat the chicken breast slices with flour. After dipping them in whisked eggs, shake to remove the excess fluid. Finally, coat them with bread crumbs.

4. Place a frying pan on the stove and pour the oil into the pan. Turn on the stove on medium heat. Heat the oil until it reaches frying temperature.

5. Place the chicken breast slices in the pan. Fry each side for 3-4 minutes until golden brown.

For assembling and serving

1. Put the rice in half of a serving plate. Pour the sauce into the other half. Place the chicken breast in the middle. Garnish with greens if you like.

Substitutions

• Japanese curry roux — The sauce is usually made with store-bought packages. But you can also prepare it at home. It takes a bit of time but has the advantage of adjusting the spices according to your taste.

• Water — You can substitute a quarter or half of the hot water for the curry sauce with chicken stock or vegetable broth. This not only adds an extra layer of flavor but also improves the consistency.

Variations

• Make it vegan — By taking the butter out of the curry sauce and using steamed or fried vegetables on top, you can create a vegan version of Coco's curry. If you leave the butter out, add another tablespoon of vegetable oil or one tablespoon of a plant-based butter alternative.

• The protein of your choice — Our Coco's curry recipe's protein is with chicken breast, but you can opt for other kinds. Beef, pork, turkey, and seafood all work well with the curry sauce.

Equipment

• Measuring spoons and cups

• 2 mixing bowls

• 2 pots

• Frying pan

• Stove

• Hand whisk

Storage

• Put any leftover curry in an airtight container. You can keep it in the fridge for 3-4 days.

• If you wish to prepare the sauce ahead, you can store the sauce in a sealed glass jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 months. Cook the curry sauce, pour it into a sterilized glass jar immediately, and cover the lid. Wait until it cools down to room temperature, and then store the jar in the fridge.

Pro Tips

• Check the spiciness of the store-bought roux, since they come in different levels ranging from mild to very hot.

• If you decide to go with homemade roux, you can store it in ice molds in the freezer. If you are taking this extra step, making a large batch is best. Once you cook the roux mixture, divide it into ice molds. Cover them with a plastic wrap or cling film when they cool to room temperature. You can keep them in the freezer for up to 6 months.