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Japanese Ground Beef Curry

One of NYT Cooking's most-cooked recipes of 2026! A one-skillet Japanese curry with ground beef, potatoes, carrots, and peas, thickened with store-bought curry roux bricks. Tastes complex but comes together in 50 minutes. Serve over rice or udon.

Prep15 minutes
Cook35 minutes
Serves4-6

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons neutral oil
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 1 large yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • 1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
  • 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
  • 1 large russet potato, peeled and chopped
  • 1 (3.2-ounce) package Japanese curry roux bricks (S&B Golden Curry)
  • 3/4 cup frozen peas
  • Cooked rice, udon, or lo mein noodles, for serving

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add ground beef, season with salt and pepper, spread into one layer, and brown undisturbed about 3 minutes, then break up with a spatula.
  2. Push beef to one side, add onion to the other, and cook about 2 minutes. Stir in garlic and ginger, combine everything, and cook 3 minutes more.
  3. Add carrot and potato and cook briefly. Add curry roux bricks and 2 cups water, stirring until melted into a smooth sauce. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer about 15 minutes until thick and glossy.
  4. Stir in frozen peas and cook until bright and tender. Serve over rice or noodles.
🍸 Suggested Cocktail Pairing
🍸
Sloe Gin Fizz
🌿 Gin

Botanical gin or tropical rum balances the complex spice profile of curry dishes.

A vintage classic — sloe gin, lemon, simple syrup, and club soda. Sloe gin is a reddish liqueur made from sloe berries. Light, fruity, and refreshi...

View Cocktail Recipe →
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