Inseparable Bond between Curry and Rice
Hello friends,
If you’ve read my past posts, you understand the story behind the condensed umami flavor of Japanese curry rice by now. This time, I’d like to finish up my flavor chat by explaining the relationship between the thick texture of curry and sticky rice.
The rice grown and enjoyed in Japan is mainly short grain. It’s often described as sticky rice, but it’s not as sticky as rice used for mochi (a chewy Japanese rice snack). I would say Japanese rice is moist, tender, and chewy, but still fluffy. So, when the curry sauce is as thin as in Indian and Thai curries, Japanese rice becomes soggy very quickly and loses its charm. To match the particular features of this rice, in the late 19th Century, which was the time when curry was introduced to Japan, Japanese chefs created the thick curry sauce that was modeled after English-style curry.
There are a wide variety of rice cultivars in Japan, and one of the highest quality and most esteemed ones is Koshihikari. Koshihikari rice is sweet, chewy, fluffy, and loved by everyone. You can find various Koshihikari brands in Japanese grocery stores. However, not all of them are real Koshihikari. In Go! Go! Curry!, we use a bona fide variety of Koshihikari rice grown in California.
I’d like to share a story. When our founder’s parents, who were rice farmers, dined at one of the Go! Go! Curry! locations in New York, they exclaimed, “How tasty New York rice is!” It’s Californian rice, to be precise, but this proves how authentic and scrumptious our rice is. We spare no effort in serving tasty Japanese curry rice to our customers!
Next time, I will talk more about the history of Japanese curry, focusing on how the dish became kids’ number one favorite food in Japan. Until then, relax and stay Genki!
If you’re considering owning a Japanese restaurant, Go! Go! Curry! is here to help you!
About The Author:
Tomoko Omori was born and raised in Japan. She came to the USA alone to become an actress, where she received an AA degree from college majoring in Drama. She received a scholarship to study music at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in NYC.
After working for TV broadcasting and a publishing company, today, Tomoko is the CEO of Go! Go! Curry! America, a grab-and-go Japanese comfort food restaurant franchise. There are over 75 locations in Japan, and 11 in the USA. She says, “Our mission is to serve our tasty curry nationwide in the USA and Canada to enrich the lives of our customers, employees, franchise owners and the communities we serve. Our vision is to create millions of satisfied customers, contented tummies and miles and miles of smiles for everyone!” Tomoko received the Nikkei BP Woman of the year award in 2015.