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Translated By DeepL

Curry Flight

Text and Photographs: Curry Cell

Along with ramen, curry is one of Japan's soul foods. In recent years, there has been no end to the number of "addicts" who are captivated by the fascinating taste of curry and its mellow aroma of dazzling spices. The mysterious charm of curry is that it makes you want to eat it and talk about it at the same time. In order to explore this profound world of curry, we asked Mr. Curry Cell, who boasts overwhelming knowledge and experience in eating curry, to act as our guide. Curry is a reading material.
 
An intellectually curious journey through curry.
Let's fly with curry today. To somewhere unknown.

Flight 14 Only the locals know about it? Local curry and rice.

Spice curry, Indian curry, Sri Lankan curry, Chinese curry, soup curry......, we are now inundated with a wide variety of curries. Where do we start and end with curry? What in the world is the definition of curry? Some people may be confused.

In such a case, the standard is the taste of "that" curry rice that you ate as a child. If the food you eat now is linked to the curry in your memory, you can call it curry. However, for those of us who grew up in Japan, there are actually regional differences in "that" curry rice, which we thought was a "common memory.

In this issue, we will introduce some local curry rice restaurants in various parts of Japan that are known to locals as a matter of course, but are little known throughout the country.

【 Fujinomiya] Curry dishes are basically 30cm in diameter! Huarai-ya

The city of Fujinomiya is home to Japan's highest mountain, Mt. Fuji, is famous for yakisoba (fried noodles) as a local delicacy, but in recent years, curry has also been gaining attention. However, what is surprising when you go there is the size of the Fujinomiya Curry dish. The standard plate diameter is 30 cm and the amount of rice is 300 g. Isn't that a little too big a difference in height from the national average?

In fact, until a decade ago, the curry shop in Fujinomiya was this "Huaraiya". A 30cm diameter plate and 300g of rice was the default for this restaurant. For those who grew up in Fujinomiya, this was the standard. ......

Dry Cutlet Curry ¥800

What is interesting about "Hanaireya" is that the rice can be changed to dry curry, kimchi rice, or udon. The "Katsu-Dora" is a curry with cutlet rice changed to dry curry. The cutlet looks small in the picture, but it is not; the plate is huge. Shizuoka people are said to have a strong sense of hospitality to "make you full" anyway, and this is reflected in their curry.

【 Wakayama] The original Wakayama Curry, popular among the common people.
Curry Shop Bara Nichi-Aka-mae

Founded in 1960. Bara" is Wakayama's soul food and is said to be the original Wakayama curry. The main store, which opened in Higashi Burakuri-cho, burned down in 2013. Now, it is rumored that the "Nikkamae Branch" is the one that best inherits the flavor of the original.

This restaurant is not at all well known throughout Japan, but in Wakayama, everyone knows its taste. You can even find "Bara" frozen curry in supermarkets.

Bara Curry ¥800

Topped with hele katsu, fried shrimp, sausage, and komatsuna, this is the signature dish of "Bara". The unique bitter taste you feel on your tongue after taking a bite. It may seem ordinary, but it has an unusual character. This is a taste that will definitely be imprinted in your memory if you had it as a child. The quality of the fried food, which only a long-established restaurant can provide, will also make you groan.

【 Ehime] If it's not sweet, won't it catch on? Matsuyama's unique method.
Kitchen Lion.

Ehime's gourmet specialties are all sweetly seasoned. Imabari yakitori with sweet sauce, nabeyaki udon with sweet sauce, and ...... "If it is not sweet, it will not be popular" is a saying. So it is said that sweetness is the key to curry in Matsuyama as well, but the top-class, long-established and popular restaurants in Matsuyama are not so sweet.

Kitchen Lion" has been in business since 1964. It is a long-established curry shop that is called the soul food of Matsuyama citizens. As in the Kansai region, the basis of curry is beef.

Seafood Curry ¥980

A luxurious dish of fried prawns, fried scallops and crab cream croquettes. The roux, which is well stewed and soaked with the richness of beef, is not only sweet but also has a mild bitterness, making it a simple and easy-to-eat curry. It is a simple, easy-to-eat curry with a neatness that can only come from a long-established restaurant.

It is interesting to note that in Matsuyama, where other curries are sweet, this restaurant, which is generally spicy in Japan, is regarded as a "spicy curry restaurant.

By the way, there is a sauce on the table, and it is nice to pour it over the curry. In western Japan, it is more common than you might think to put sauce on top of curry, and while people in Tokyo insist that it should be called "curry sauce" instead of "curry roux," I feel that "curry sauce" is a sauce to put on top of curry.

【 Oita] Local curry rice is basic and rich.
Karelia."

Established in 1968. Kareya" is the soul food of Oita citizens. Its trademark is the droopy-eyed chef doll. The basic curry is of course beef.

Beef Curry ¥500

This is what curry rice is all about. Just the right amount of spiciness and a rich curry powder taste. It's not a very fancy curry, it's not Instagram-worthy, it's just a very basic curry, but it's the kind of curry that makes you want to eat it again.

How was it?
Your hometown must have had its own "ordinary curry and rice" that took root in your hometown. It is also fun to go back to the origin of your own curry.

A trip down memory lane with curry.
Now, what kind of Flight should we try next time?

PROFILE

Hiroaki Matsu (Curry Cell)
Curry curator/video creator

In pursuit of all kinds of curry and strange creatures. A spice radar by nature, he has visited more than 3,000 curry restaurants in Japan and abroad. He has been featured in many magazines and TV programs, and is a member of the Japanese Curry Awards selection committee. He is a member of the Japanese Curry Awards Selection Committee, and is a member of the "Next Breakthrough Curry Restaurant" program, which invites a new local curry restaurant to Shibuya every month.SHIBUYA CURRY TUNEThe company is holding the "Mutual Aid Association of Japan (MAAJ).

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