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Vegan Japanese Curry made in Instant Pot Pressure cooker. Flavorful, Comforting, Vegetable Rich Curry for Weekday Dinner. Saucepan Option. Vegan, glutenfree, nutfree Recipe. Can be soyfree, oil-free
It is starting to warm up, but I love a bowl of spiced up veggie filled curry or soup any day. This Japanese Veggie Curry is amazingly good and lovely as a soup, over rice or however you want to serve it.
Simple Everyday Ingredients, roast the onions and flour for a roux, add in the veggies, water and spices, all in a pot (Pressure cooker or a saucepan), simmer and done. If you can find Japanese curry powder, use it (some can have additives, so read ingredients). Japanese curry powder is much more complex flavored compared to regular curry powder, and is more closer to garam masala + turmeric. I use my homemade garam masala with added turmeric in this recipe. I use chickpeas instead of the chickin/meat, use other vegan chikin subs for variation. Add some roasted cashews, more beans or some tofu for more protein. See Recipe Video Below.
This warm golden curry bowl is satisfying, flavorful and delicious!
More Instant Pot Recipes! All have saucepan options.
- Potato Chickpea Spinach Soup. GF
- Instant Pot Lasagna Soup with Red lentils. – So Easy
- Instant Pot Vegan Butter Chickin(soycurls). GF – Creamy, Delicious
- Sweet Potato Chard/Kale Curry – IP aloo Saag. GF
- More Instant Pot Recipes!
Applesauce or grated Apple adds the light sweet balance in this curry which is often used in Japanese cooking. Light sweetness is often added in many asian cusines, Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, and even Indian. It isn’t a noticeable “sweet” but more a congruent flavor in the highly savory spicy dishes. You dont taste the apple. It can be substituted with a touch of sweetener of choice.
If using premade Japanese curry roux cubes, add them towards the end and mix in, then close the lid.
Curries vary in various cuisines. Thai curries use their own ingredients, spices, pastes, Indian curries use their own, Malaysian, Japanese use their own and so on. They are similar in some ways and different in many ways. Many authentic amazing flavors and textures from so many cuisines and sub-cuisines!
If you try this version of Japanese Curry (Kare Raisu), do let me know in the comments how it turned out!
Vegan Japanese Curry in Instant Pot (saucepan option)
Ingredients
- 2 tsp oil, divided
- 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
- 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped, or 1 tbsp mined
- 1 tbsp finely chopped ginger
- 1 tbsp flour, (use rice flour for glutenfree)
- 2 to 3 tsp garam masala, or 1.5 to 2 Tbsp Japanese Curry powder (omit turmeric if using)
- 3/4 tsp turmeric
- 1 1/4 cup chopped carrots
- 1 large potato cubed
- 15 oz can chickpeas, drained, or 1.5 cups cooked
- 2 tsp tomato paste or ketchup
- 2 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce or use soy(tamari for glutenfree) sauce, or use coconut aminos for soyfree
- 2 cups water
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp applesauce, or grated apple
- 1/3 cup peas
- scallions, pickled radish, pickled ginger and rice for serving
Instructions
- Put the Instant pot on Saute. Add oil, when the oil is hot, add onion and pinch of salt and cook until translucent.
- Add the garlic and ginger and mix in. Cook for half a minute.
- Move the onions to the side. Add 1 tsp more oil to the pot, add the flour and mix into the oil. Then mix with the onion, ginger, garlic and cook for half a minute stirring frequently as the flour will tend to stick and burn if left too long. Add the spices and mix them in. (Add a pinch of thyme and sage for additional depth of Japanese curry flavor if using Indian garam masala)
- Add the veggies, chickpeas, sauces, salt and water. Mix really well to pick up the roasted flour from the bottom, so that none of the flour is sticking. Cancel Saute
- Close the lid (sealing). Pressure Cook for 6 to 7 minutes (manual hi). (a minute longer if your veggies are chopped larger). Once the time is up. Click cancel and Let the pressure release naturally.
- Open the lid. Put the pot on saute, add the applesauce and peas and bring to a boil. Taste and adjust salt, spice and flavor carefully. Add more spices to taste. Add some sweetener and good dash of black pepper or pepper flakes for heat if needed. Serve with rice and garnished with sesame seeds, pickled radish/ginger and scallions.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Reading for the week: This extensive article on the skewed gender ratio in India and China. Its a great article on the consequences of the less number of women, but doesnt go into details of how the ratio got to where it is today, namely gender tests, abortion or infant killing.
As always ……. delicious. Every single recipe I have tried has turned out so good. My family loves curries and this one was a winner. This is definitely in our comfort food file. Whenever I make a recipe from one of my many vegan cookbooks, the kids automatically say “this isn’t vegan Richa”. So you are now part of our family! Lol
Awesome! That is so sweet 🙂 I am so glad everyone loves the recipes!! ❤️❤️
Just made this and it was delicious! My 3 year old and 18 month old loved it, too. I love all curries but had never heard of Japanese curry– I’ll make it all the time now!
so awesome and the kids loved it too!
Can this recipe be doubled? If so, how would you adjust the instant pot settings?
You need the same cooking time for double. The instant pot will take slightly longer to come to pressure which adds more time for the veggies to cook through
Thank you!
This dish looks so beautiful, my wife is vegan and she said this is here type of meal! thanks for the recipe 🙂
Looks like you hit another one out of the park, Richa! Can’t wait to try this! Bet it will become really popular!
Wow! I look forward to your Weekend Reading post–each week with new tempting vegan recipes I want to make. I save most of them on Pinterest, for myself and for others to share. Also for a person who just can’t eat enough curry, this is lovely! Thank you! 🙂
I loved learning about a new curry spice option! I have Garam Masala and Tumeric in the house, so I’ll be giving this a go. Thanks for sharing!
Beautiful Japanese curry! I had traditional Japanese curry when I visited Tokyo last year and loved it, but it looked more brown than yellow like this! Both are probably delicious though 🙂
Hi Richa,
I am looking forward to making this but it’s not clear to me when to add the curry powder unless I missed it. You mention adjusting spices at the end but no where else. Could you tell me what step to add the curry powder?
Thank you!
oops updated. You can add the spices just after the flour or with the flour.
This recipe is delicious! The flavors are very rich and the vegetables go great together. A little tip – using rainbow carrots will make your curry more vibrant! My family is already asking me to make this again, thank you!
Thank you! sounds fun – maybe they’ll be in season soon
Love to try this💕 since I don’t buy the premade Japanese curry in the box (due to MSG) anymore since I changed my diet 2 yrs ago. I’m looking into buying instapot soon and I want to make this first.But I do want to keep it oil free. If I sauté the onions in veg broth and maybe use arrowroot powder thicken the sauce would it come out ok?
Yes, saute in broth. You can use arrowroot or flour(dry roast the flour on a separate skillet for 2-3 mints until it starts to smell roasted and changes color just slightly).
Or miss out the flour completely. If you mash some of the chick peas that will help to thicken the sauce.
yes, both the chickpeas and potatoes mashed will thicken it up
Great thx! 😀
The Instant Pot Duo Mini 3 Qt 7-in-1 is on sale today (4/25/18) on Amazon for $55.99. I just ordered one myself.
I would like to get the3 quart but would need to double this recipe. Would it be big enough?