The Pleasures of Katsu Curry: From the Original Dish to “Neo Katsu”

Katsu Curry Winning Fans Worldwide

According to Matsu Hiroaki, who goes by the name “Curry Cell” in his role as a curry fanatic and restaurant researcher, Japan’s style of thick curry over rice first gained international traction with visitors from other Asian countries. Japanese curry powerhouse House Foods’ Vermont brand of curry roux mix, for example, broke into the Shanghai market in 1997 and spread from there to Taiwan and South Korea.

“For countries with rice-centered cuisine, Japanese style curry is an easily accessible dish,” he says.

“Curry restaurant chain CoCo Ichibanya’s overseas expansion is centered in Thailand, China, South Korea, and Taiwan. At shops in Southeast Asia, teriyaki salmon is apparently a popular topping, so it’s evident that such curry is seen as ‘Japanese’ food.”

Japan’s traditional katsu curry features a fried pork cutlet on rice and is topped with thick curry roux. (© Pixta)

On the other hand, Western countries like Britain—places where bread forms a staple of the cuisine—are overwhelmingly attracted to katsu curry, with its topping of tonkatsu, or breaded pork cutlet.

“The British boom was sparked off by the casual Japanese restaurant Wagamama,” explains Curry Cell. “The shop’s version of katsu curry holds real visual impact. The rice is placed over the katsu as a topping, and then comes the roux. For meat- and bread- loving Westerners, katsu curry is all about enjoying a cutlet topped with curry sauce. The rice is only a side. In fact, when you order katsu curry in Britain or the United States, you’re often asked if you’d like to replace the rice with potatoes.”

There are also signs of independent evolution, such as replacing the pork cutlet with chicken out of respect for religious restrictions.

The dish is becoming enormously popular with younger diners, who already hold an interest in Japanese culture through anime, for a casual feeling that sushi or tempura seem to lack.

The Original and Ultimate: Ginza Swiss

Chiba-san no Katsuretsu Curry, ¥2,420. (Courtesy of Ginza Swiss.)

Curry Cell explains the dawn of the dish. “These days, people in Britain are hailing katsu curry as a national dish of Japan. But, as a Japanese person, I want people to know the essence of the real thing, the trio of cutlet, curry, and rice. The first stop on that journey has to be the originator of the dish, Ginza Swiss. Katsu curry’s birthday is August 14, 1948. That was the day when former professional baseball player for the Yomiuri Giants, Chiba Shigeru, came in and said, ‘Give me a pork cutlet simmered in curry.’ The shop still offers up Chiba-san no Katsuretsu Curry as its flagship dish. It has a delicate flavor that goes well even with wine, and I think people will be shocked to learn that katsu curry was originally such an elegant dish.”

Neo Katsu Curry Born from the “Spice Boom”

Once you’ve tasted the beginning, Curry Cell recommends trying the very latest in Japanese katsu curry.

“The truth is, since the turn of the century katsu curry has begun to stray from its orthodox roots, along with the ‘spice curry’ movement. There were all kinds of dishes appearing aimed at real maniacs, made with loads of whole spices, eschewing the universally popular flavors of familiar roux. Then, around 2020, there was a movement to ‘return to roots.’ Rather than rejecting orthodoxy, chefs began trying to update the dish using new techniques, like using several spices. Their efforts bore fruits, and I call these new dishes ‘neo katsu curry.’ They are not simply exercises in addition, putting a cutlet on top of curry rice. They are delicately balanced, so that each element of cutlet, curry, and rice complements the others.”

Spectacular yet Delicate: Shankaradō, Osaka

Lamb Katsu Curry. ¥2,100. (Courtesy of Shankaradō)

“You cannot say you have eaten neo katsu curry without having this,” Curry Cell says of Shankaradō’s Lamb Katsu Curry in Osaka.

“Owner/chef Komine Mitsunobu trained at Japanese restaurants, tonkatsu shops, and curry places before opening up in 2022, making him a professional in all three elements of great katsu curry. The visual impact is incredible, with a large lamb cutlet enthroned at the top, but the flavor is delicate. The thin crust is crisp and has a lovely mouthfeel, while the lightly pink meat exposed at the slice overflows with juice. That mixes elegantly with the smooth-flowing curry, made with sea-bream dashi and Indian spices, and the plump, firm rice. The balance puts paid to any preconceptions that katsu curry is a heavy dish, making it easy to clean your plate.”

Once in a Lifetime Flavors: Wacca, Tokyo

Green Katsu Curry. ¥1,700. (Courtesy of Japanese Spice Curry Wacca)

Next up is Japanese Spice Curry Wacca in Tokyo’s Hatchōbori district. Former Italian restaurant chef Miura Tomoki is constantly brushing up his recipes, so the menu and prices change daily. He offers the experience of “once in a lifetime” katsu curry.

“Last year, I had him offer katsu curry for the first time at an event I sponsored,” recalls Curry Cell. “The flavor was incredible. Japanese curry has this image of thick, rich, heavy mouthfeel, which can often conceal the texture and flavor of the cutlet. Miura, though, makes a curry that flows lightly, which allows the natural flavor of the marbled pork Tokyo X cutlet to express itself directly. The curry roux is supported by katsuobushi and konbu dashi, and altogether it creates a sensation of eating ‘agedashi tonkatsu.’ The Green Katsu Curry made without coconut milk is amazing. The recipes are reduced to the absolute minimum, using delicate dashi and vegetables, and it marries perfectly with the tonkatsu, cooked without deep-frying, using the French technique known as arroser. It’s like all the world’s cultures mixed on one plate.”

Ishigaki Spices and the Perfect Hamburger Steak: Paikaji, Tokyo

Paikaji Curry. ¥2,000. (Courtesy of Paikaji)

The last shop to mention is Paikaji, which moved from Okinawa’s island of Ishigaki to Ichigaya, Tokyo, in August 2024.

“Paikaiji is a word from the dialect around Yaeyama, Okinawa, meaning ‘southern breeze,’ and as the name implies, this katsu curry carries the scents of the tropics. The dish uses ingredients from Ishigaki itself, bringing the smoky spice of island pepper or pipatsu, and the fruity sweetness of island pineapple—although sometimes delivery problems require imported fruit instead. The flagship product, Paikaji Curry, is a masterpiece that 99 out of 100 visitors fall in love with. The curry is Western style, based on a soup stock perfected by an Ishigaki bistro chef. It includes no artificial flavors and brings a clear, pure flavor that takes four days to make. The cutlet is a deep-fried hamburger steak that shows off a variety of Western cooking techniques. The flavor is simply incredible. When your knife breaks the crisp crust, the still slightly rare meat releases a torrent of juice that mingles with the curry and rice. The quality is on a completely different level from any other mince cutlet. Katsu curry came from the Western cuisine of the Shōwa era, but the Western style chefs of the modern Reiwa era continue to express their freedom to explore. This dish gives me hope for the future growth of neo katsu curry.”

From the deeply rooted “original” flavor to constantly evolving new-wave masterpieces, katsu curry is a crystallization of “anything-goes Japanese cuisine,” says Curry Cell. Western cuisine, dashi, spices, global ingredients . . . all these elements that have wandered through Japan’s history mix together into one brilliant dish that shines on the spoon. Explore these dishes and you, too, will have your eyes opened to these pearls of flavor you can only enjoy in Japan.

(Originally published in Japanese. Banner photo: Lamb Katsu Curry from Osaka’s Shankaradō. Courtesy of Shankaradō.)