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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.
Wow! This recipe turned out just amazing! Tasted exactly like the Japanese currys I have enjoyed in restaurants. We added a little extra tumeric because we love the taste.
We loved this one so much I immediately made another batch the next day for hubbys lunch. He was thrilled!
awesome!
Thanks so much for this recipe. I grew up eating Japanese curry made from the blocks with msg. I try to avoid all that processed food now so this was a perfect way to bring back those childhood memories 😊
Can I just say that this is the tastiest curry I have made in a long time that also happens to be healthy. I went with the garam masala and turmeric option and also added a tsp or two of Polst’s mild curry powder. It was so rich and tasty my 7yr old was convinced there was meat in it. Thanks so much! This will surely become a regular in our household.
thats awesome!!
I’d love to know if anyone has found a good Japanese curry powder mix that isn’t full of weird numbers and palm oil 😒 Looking forward to trying g out this recipe with the garam masala and turmeric. Can the turmeric be fresh and or is powdered better to go with the dry spices?
“S&B Oriental curry powder” is very good, and doesn’t have anything but herbs and spices in it… it’s from Japan, and can be bought online.
Using the slider to double the servings is also doubling the amount of water, is that correct? Normally this leads to too much liquid for pressure cook receipes
Yes for pressure cooking use 1.5 or 1.75 times the water. The widget just doubles everything. It doesnt have any knowledge built in. for most recipes all doubling works.
This looks delicious! I’m having a baby soon and am interested in freezing some food ahead of time. Do you think this would freeze well?
yes. Freeze in a container that fits the stew, ie not too much extra air space.
I just bought one of these Instant Pots, and I am so excited to try all of your recipes so I can learn how to use it. So glad to see you have numerous links, because I just love all of your food options. Thanks for all your hard work! Cheers to yummy new eats!
This is such a great curry recipe! I love the mix of the veggies, chickpeas, and the garam masala! I also added Badia brand curry spice, which added some fun flavor too!
awesome!
Looks really good. I am still discovering pressure cooking for myself and this recipe is on my list to try. Thanks for sharing!