About Japanese Curry and Hurry Curry of Tokyo

About Japanese Curry

Japanese raisu karī  or “Rice Curry”, the national dish of Japan, combines the culinary traditions of India, Great Britain, and even France. Curry was introduced to Japan from India via the British Navy  in the second half of the nineteenth century, when Meiji-era Japan opened its doors to foreigners and their goods.  The term “curry” was invented by the English administrators of the East Indian Trading Co. and later continued by British government employees. Originally the term derives from a Tamil word, “kari“, which means a spiced sauce. Unlike the original Indian version however, British inspired curry uses a base of flour and cooking fats thickened into a “roux”  , a French way of making traditional sauces. Additionally vegetables are incorporated with the spice blend, giving Japanese curry its distinctive flavor balance of sweet and spicy. The Japanese navy incorporated curry into the military diet as effective remedy for beriberi, a disease caused by B-1 deficiency. Upon returning home, the sailors brought with them their passion for curry and a Japanese curry tradition was born.

About Hurry Curry of Tokyo

Hurry Curry of Tokyo first opened its doors in our West Los Angeles location in 1989. We spent many months working closely with a Japanese specialty food distributor to develop our signature curry base in Japan. To this day, that company ships us our custom “roux” base – which we then finish off on site daily. Our Japanese customers tell us our curry reminds them of the curry they grew up with in Japan.

Our Tokyo-born chef then created the recipes for most of our menu, including our unique fried chicken karaage, custom dressings, Tokyo curry (with ground beef and veggies), soy wine sauce (for our Seafood Pasta) and our signature Chicken Pasta dish. By adding capsaicin oil custom made exclusively for us from hot peppers imported from Japan,  we can dish up 4 levels of “spiciness” .

We also feature other Japanese comfort food dishes inspired by Western cuisine including Katsu (chicken cutlet) and Tonkatsu (pork cutlet), Spaghetti Naporitan, and Korokke  (potato and pumpkin croquettes). Watch for specials we rotate in to the menu, such as Omurice and Loco Moco on the weekends.

We pour Japanese draft beer and bottled beer, sake and “saketini” cocktails, and a selection of white and red wines chosen to pair with our food. We’re a great place to hang out with friends, or bring the whole family – especially for dinner and weekends.