What Is Japanese Curry Rice?

Ramen gets the headlines, but ask people in Japan about everyday comfort food and many will name curry rice — kare raisu. It's the dish of school lunches, weeknight dinners and cozy weekends, and as the evenings cool down in the South Bay, it's exactly what a warm plate should be. Here's what makes Japanese curry its own thing.

What makes Japanese curry different

Curry arrived in Japan in the late 1800s by way of the British, and over the following decades it was reshaped into something distinctly Japanese. Compared with many Indian or Thai curries, Japanese curry is thicker, milder and gently sweet — closer to a rich, glossy gravy than a spicy soup.

• A roux base of flour, fat and curry spices gives it a thick, velvety body.
• Mild, rounded heat with a gentle sweetness, so it suits kids and spice-shy diners.
• Served over fluffy steamed rice, usually with a crunchy topping and pickles on the side.

Katsu curry and other classic toppings

The most famous version is katsu curry: a crispy breaded cutlet sliced over rice and blanketed in curry, so you get crunch and sauce in the same bite. At Ramen Wakusei, every rice plate pairs our house Japanese curry with a different topping — each named for a galaxy.

• Milky Way — crispy panko pork tonkatsu with pickled vegetables.
• Sunflower — crispy chicken katsu, a sunny crowd-pleaser.
• Cigar — crunchy deep-fried shrimp.
• Triangulum — a crispy pumpkin croquette, our vegetarian-friendly plate.
• Andromeda — a whole crispy jumbo soft-shell crab plus seared Wagyu beef over black sesame rice, with house coleslaw.

Which curry plate should you order?

• First visit or ordering for kids: Milky Way or Sunflower — mild, sweet curry with a classic katsu crunch.
• Seafood lover: Cigar for fried shrimp, or Andromeda for soft-shell crab.
• Skipping meat: Triangulum's pumpkin croquette is vegetarian-friendly — if you have strict dietary needs, ask our staff about the curry before ordering.
• Celebrating: Andromeda is the most luxurious plate in the galaxy.
• Not in a curry mood? Orion is a simple torched chashu rice bowl with a soft-cooked egg.

You'll find every curry plate on our Japanese curry in Sunnyvale page and the full menu, plus estimated nutrition for each dish in our calories guide. Ramen Wakusei is at 585 E El Camino Real in Sunnyvale, open daily 11 AM to 9 PM, with online ordering for pickup.