The origin of Curry-Pan (Curry breads) has various theories. The first theory is Koto city in Tokyo, a bread shop called Cattleya owner’s son had develop new product of “stuffed bread and deep fried” but at this time was no mention of curry. The second theory is from Nerima city in Tokyo, since 1934, Denmark’s owner had developed Curry bread, but initially it was a curry sandwich then later they started to deep fry them.
Sometime in 1901 (Meiji 34), Mr Aizo Soma bought a bread shop called Nakamuraya. In 1904, they were selling cream buns, cream waffles and they were very popular items so they started another shop in Shinjuku. A lot of intellectuals and artists came to Nakamuraya in Shinjuku. During that time an local politician asked Mr Aizo Soma to hire an Indian guy named Ras Behari Bose. Soma treated him well and Ras Behari Bose married Aizo’s daughter and became an important part of Nakamuraya.
In 1923, the Great Kanto earthquake happed but Sinjuku wasn’t badly damaged so many people came to Shinjuku which became a very busy city (it still is), so in 1927 Aizo opened a café in Shinjuku and he wanted a signature dish. Ras Behari Bose proposing an authentic Indian curry at café. At that time curry dishes at other cafés were around 10 SEN (1/100 yen) but Nakamuraya’s café’s authentic curry was 80 SEN so people thought that curry was gourmet and it became very popular.
During the Second World War food became scarce and the café couldn’t make as much curry, so they started making Curry breads. At that time curry breads were 30 SEN for 2 curry buns.
When I was researching about curry pan I found a certification exam for making curry pan. I don’t know what it’s about it, but I just found it’s funny you can get certified.
My recipe is easy to make because I use Japanese curry roux and frozen vegetables. But if you have left over Thai style curry or butter chicken curry you can put that in bread as well.
You can take for your lunch the next day if you have leftovers😃.
Using Japanese Curry Roux
YouTube How to Make Japanese Curry with Tonkatsu “Katsu-Curry”
Curry Pan
Equipment
- Mixer
Ingredients
Dough
- 200 g Baker's flour or Strong flour
- 50 g Plain flour
- 2 g Yeast
- 8 g Sugar
- 5 g Salt
- 20 g Butter
- 1 each Egg 40g
- 125 g Water 25-28 ℃ are good for yeast
Curry filling
- 100 g Minced pork
- 100 g Frozen vegetables Corn, carrot, peas
- ½ each Onion
- 1 tsp Ginger Using tube
- ½ tin Tinned tomato 200g
- 50 g Japanese curry roux
- 1 tbsp Ketchup
- ½ tsp Sugar
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
Need for deep fry
- 5 tbsp Japanese bread crumbs
- Water
- Oil for deep fry
Instructions
- Curry filling – wash and chop the onion.
- Heat up a pot over a mid to high heat and add 1 tbsp of oil.
- Add the chopped onion and sweat it.
- Add 1 tsp of ginger to the pot and stir.
- Add 100g of frozen mixed vegetables to the pot and stir them.
- Add the minced pork into the pot and cook through.
- Add ½ tsp of sugar into the pot.
- Add ½ tsp of salt into the pot.
- Add ⅛ tsp of pepper into the pot and stir well.
- Add 1 tbsp of ketchup into the pot.
- Add 200g (1/2 tinned tomato) into the pot and stir well if you need to, reduce the heat to mid.
- Chop the JP curry roux so it melts easily.
- Turn the heat off, add the curry roux, and stir well until it melts.
- Once the curry roux has melted, turn the heat to mid and stir until curry thickened
- Turn the heat off and let it cool.
- Dough for buns – Add 200g of baker’s flour into a bowl.
- Add 50g of plain flour into the bowl.
- 2g tsp of yeast into another bowl and add 8 g of sugar into the same bowl.
- 5g tsp of salt into a bowl.
- 20g of butter into another bowl.
- Crack and egg(40g) into another bowl.
- 125g of water (25-28℃) into another bowl.
- Add the water into the yeast bowl and mix well.
- Add all ingredients into a mixing bowl (except the 20g of butter) I’m using an electric mixer
- Set your mixer to slow and start mixing.
- Once the dough starts combining, add the butter and continue on slow.
- Increase the speed to mid and continue mixing until the dough and butter start to combine then set the speed to high and mix until the dough and butter are mixed completely and the dough’s surface is smooth.
- Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and form into a ball.
- Pour a little bit oil into a bowl and wipe with a paper (so your dough doesn’t stick).
- Put the dough into the bowl, cover with plastic, and leave for 40 -60 mins or until the dough has risen 1.8-2times its original size.
- Once the dough has risen, check the dough by covering your finger with flour and making a hole in middle of the dough. If the hole stays open the dough is ready.
- Divide the dough in to 8 portions and form them into balls. Cover with plastic and leave for 15mins.
- Using your rolling pin and starch the dough (see the photo).
- Wrap the curry filling with the dough. (see the photo).
- Spread JP bread crumbs on a tray.
- Moisten the buns with water and roll them in the JP bread crumbs. (see the photo).
- Lay the buns on a try with baking paper, cover with plastic, and leave for 40-60 mins or until the buns rise to approx. 1.8 to 2 times their original size.
- Once the buns have risen, heat up oil in a pot deep enough to deep fry the buns over a mid-high heat.
- Check the oil temp, drop few JP bread crumbs into the oil and if they return to the surface the oil is ready.
- Put the buns into the oil and deep fry.
- Once one side is a light brown colour, turn over.
- Once both sides are the same colour, remove the buns from the oil.
- Put the buns on a rack to drain the oil and cool down.
