What is the Best Japanese Curry? Discover Japan’s Most Popular Brands!

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House Foods Curry

House Foods is one of Japan’s largest food manufacturers, with a selection of curry brands to choose from including Java Curry, Vermont Curry, the Hotel Curry, and Kokumaro Curry. The company first began producing and selling their "Home Curry" in 1926 in Osaka however at the time the company struggled with sales as curry was still a new product that many Japanese people were unfamiliar with. In 1928, the company rebranded their product to call it "House Curry" and began focusing more on advertising by doing cooking demonstrations to allow customers to try the curry before they purchased it. After that, the company grew their curry sales further and by the 1960s they had become one of the biggest curry manufacturers in Japan, even producing a ready-made Japanese style space curry designed for astronauts in 2007.

Java Curry

Described by House Foods as a robust curry with a rich onion flavor and strong aromatic spices, Java Curry is aimed at adults and available in medium hot and hot spice levels. This curry is recommended for individuals who prefer a deep, spicy curry and prefer to avoid milder tasting sauces.

Vermont Curry

First introduced to consumers in 1963, Vermont Curry is one of House Foods’ most successful exports and is their best-selling curry brand in China. Before the development of the Vermont Curry brand, curry was usually quite spicy and therefore only considered suitable for adults. This curry was created so it could be enjoyed by both adults and children. Suitable for the whole family, Vermont Curry has a milder taste that includes flavors of apple and honey.

Kokumaro Curry

A rich yet mild curry made from a blend of two different kinds of roux, a rich curry and a mellow curry, Kokumaro Curry is a rich, creamy flavored curry available in a medium hot spice level. The first Kokumaro product, a medium spicy curry roux, was released in 1996 and since then the range has expanded to include a mild, sweet roux, ready-made retort pouches, a healthier roux with reduced fats and oils, and a butter chicken curry that was released in 2020.

The Hotel Curry

The Hotel Curry range by House Foods was created as a way for consumers to recreate the experience of eating an extravagant hotel-restaurant quality curry at home in minutes using their instant cook retort packaging. The Hotel Curry is available to try in a medium spice level and ingredients include beef meat, bouillon, sautéed onions, tomato, and red wine.

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Bon Curry

In 1968, Otsuka Foods released Bon Curry, the world’s first commercially available food in plastic pouch bags. The heat resistant bags were developed after one of the company’s product developers was inspired by an article about pouch sausages used by the Swedish army. These ready-made sauces are free from preservatives and contain only Japanese grown potatoes, onions, and carrots. Bon Curry is available to purchase in a range of different flavors including sweet, medium hot, and extra hot.

 

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Shiseido Parlour Curry

Made from a recipe created by the chefs at the Shiseido Parlour restaurant in Ginza, Tokyo, the restaurant grew from an ice cream counter to a western-style dining establishment where curry became one of the most popular menu items. This luxurious curry sauce is simmered for three days, and their boil in the bag products are available in a selection of flavors to include beef, vegetable, and chicken curry.

 

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Muji Curry

Although Muji are better known outside of Japan for their homeware and fashion products, they also produce a variety of foods. Muji’s range of instant curry sauces can be boiled in the bag in water or cooked in the microwave, and their most popular product is their butter chicken curry. The curry sauce is mild in its spiciness, and includes flavors of tomatoes, aromatic spices, and cashew nuts creating a delicious umami taste.

 

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Glico Curry

Another of Japan’s most well-known food manufacturers, Glico produces a range of curries including their Premium and Zeppin brands. Glico’s Premium Curry roux is available in spice levels ranging from one (sweet) to five (spicy) and contains ingredients such as vegetables, tomatoes, spices, and cocoa mass.

Zeppin curry roux is a two-layered block that contains a paste in the middle, made from the same technology used to manufacture sweets. This rich tasting curry contains 40 kinds of spices and has been recognized as an outstanding product by the International Taste Institute in Belgium.

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