I miss kare pan, a delectable deep-fried bread with a crispy exterior filled with mild, slightly sweet Japanese curry. I miss the ease of picking one up at the supermarket. Part of me misses Japan. A lot has changed since those day in Japan, so with much fondness; let’s make kare pan.
Kare Pan – Japanese Curry Bread
Kare pan are delectable fried bread filled with mildly spiced curry.
Equipment
- deep sauce pan or deep fryer
- parchment paper cut into squares
- thermometer
Ingredients
Dough
- 200 g. bread flour
- 1½ tbsp. granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
- 2 tsp. vegetable oil
- 120 ml. whole milk lukewarm
- 1 tsp. instant yeast
Curry Filling
- 340 g ground beef
- 1/2 large yellow onion finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 medium carrot diced in 1/4" cubes
- 1/2 large russet potato diced in 1/4" cubes
- 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
- 2 curry roux blocks
- 32 g. water add more if needed
Breading
- 180 g. panko breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 1 lt. vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
Making the Dough
- In a large bowl, add the flour, sugar, and salt. Mix well.
- Add the oil, milk, and yeast. Mix to form a shaggy dough.
- Turn the dough out on to a countertop and knead 2-5 minutes until it's smooth and elastic.
- Lightly oil the surface of the dough and place in a bowl. Cover and allow it to proof in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Cooking the filling
- In a skillet, on medium heat, sauté ground beef until most of the beef is browned. Add onions, garlic, and salt. Sauté another 3 minutes.
- Add carrots and potatoes. Mix well. Add 2 tablespoons of water. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook until the potatoes are almost done.
- Add curry roux blocks and 2-3 tablespoons of water. Stir until the blocks are melted. Add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if needed.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
Shaping
- Divide the rested dough into 6 equal pieces.
- Press the gas out of the piece of dough and draw up the edges to form a parcel. Turn the dough over with the pinched side down. Using cupped hands, shape the dough into tight balls.
- Roll a dough ball into a 5" diameter circle. Place 1-2 T. of cooled filling in the middle. Draw up two edges of the circle of dough to the middle and pinch to seal, forming a football shape.
- With the seam facing down, gently roll the dough to flatten and seal the seam.
Panko Coating
- In a shallow pan, lightly beat an egg.
- Place the panko into another shallow pan.
- Place the curry bread into the egg wash. Turn to coat.
- Next press lightly into the panko, then place on a square of parchment paper.
Frying
- Heat oil to 320˚F.
- Place the breads along with the parchment paper into the oil. Gently remove the paper. Fry 2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.
- Drain the breads onto to rack to drain any excess oil. Serve warm.
Notes
https://youtu.be/b-BYxJIgLps
The dough portion of this recipe was adapted from Apron.
Nutrition
Calories: 449kcalCarbohydrates: 56gProtein: 19gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 594mgPotassium: 401mgFiber: 3gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 1732IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 102mgIron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Hi Emmy,
My job requires meatless meals. Do you think this would be better with tofu or the “meat” crumbles from the frozen section? I’ve never had curry in my life and would love to give it a try!
Thanks so much. I’ve been watching you for years.
Hi Shannon! I think it would be better with meatless crumbles. Tofu would also work, just make sure to squeeze the excess moisture out before cooking.
Hi Emmy!! I never really make recipes I see online, but your video made these look so delicious, and I’m so glad I decided to try them out!!! Thank you so much I love them
Hi Emmy. I would love to make this. Do you recommend a curry roux brand (S&B Golden or Vermont Curry) as I understand one is “sweeter” than the other? Just curious which brand you prefer as I trust your tastebuds:) I usually make my own curry powers but I’m sure there is a textural or viscosity element that you get from the “blocks”. Thanks so much! LOVE love love your You Tube Channel!
Either brand would be great. I usually grab whatever is available at the tiny shop I frequent and the resulting curry is always tasty.
Hi Emmy!
I’m a long time watcher of your channel!
I have a question about all the dairy in some of these recipes. Could I sub the milk for water? I’m allergic to milk – like actually-allergic-not-lactose-intolerant-my-throat-closes-I-swell-up-into-a-balloon-and-get-hives-everywhere allergic to milk. I want to try a lot of your recipes but I know some recipes just don’t work as well with water so I was wondering if this dough would work before I try it. Also, is there a way to tell which recipes would work with subbing water on your site? It would be so helpful to have little side notes like that.
I think you could substitute water in this recipe. The bread will not be as rich and the texture will be slightly different, but the curry pan will still be tasty.
Hi Emmy, thank you for this wonderful recipe 🙂 I can’t believe there exist such a great taste. It was absoluetly amazing! One of the best foods I have ever eat. Thank you really much <3
Hi Emmy, absolutely loved these and will be making them again! Great recipe instructions and video. Very easy to follow along.
Made it and they were great! If I am looking to prepare the dough and filling ahead of time (night before sort of thing) any suggestions?
Awesome! I’m glad you liked them. You can make the dough let it rise and portion it out before storing it overnight in the fridge. Then next day take the dough balls out of the fridge about an hour before you want to start making the curry pan, fill (make the filling the day before too) and shape them, and then allow them to rise for the final time before frying.
hi emmy! i like my curry a little more gravied/with more liquid would that affect the frying or anything at all?
G’day from Perth, West Australia Emmy!
My wife, who is from Tokyo, tends to make these and she sent me a recipe to try as we some left over curry rice (she had a craving hahaha…)
It seemed more complex and time consuming, so I did a search and stumbled across your recipe. So glad I did! Easy to follow and the video is great!
For my first time making these, they were a hit. I doubled the recipe so our two girls have school lunch sorted tomorrow. Will be following your site a lot more from now!
Cheers
Dean
Do you let the bread rise again after filling or does it go straight from adding the filling to frying? The instructions don’t say to let it rise again but it seems like it might be a little lighter with another rise. Thanks!
Thanks for putting up this recipe and your video! I finally got to try it, and it came out really well.
love the dough recipe so much! is it possible to bake the dough instead?