No roux? No worries! Make your own homemade Japanese curry roux with only 6 everyday ingredients. Throw them in a curry, or store them as cubes to save time on future meals!
Melt butter on medium-low for around 30 secs in a small saucepan or frying pan.
Add flour and stir through the butter.
Cook on low for 5-15 minutes until light brown with a colour similar to peanut butter. Stir continuously to stop sticking and for even cooking. Turn off the heat once it’s brown and nutty.
Add curry powder, tomato paste, garlic salt and honey and stir through.
Place into a small container, pressing firmly until flat. Score with a knife to break it apart easily once cooled, and you’re ready to use it.
This recipe yields around 90-100g / 3.5oz of curry roux, on par with store bought small size S&B Golden Curry (92g / 3.2oz). Adding 750ml / 25 floz / 3 cups of liquid (dashi or chicken stock) will give you a nice thick curry. If you want a runnier soup style curry, you can add more stock to suit your personal preference.
Smooth Consistency - The flour and butter mixture may become very thick, pasty or lumpy at first. Don’t worry, keep stirring on low heat and it will become soft and smooth.
Avoid Burning - Heat should be low. If the flour and butter starts to burn or smoke as it becomes darker, turn off the heat immediately and continue with the rest of the recipe.
Cooking Time - Note that curry roux will take longer to cook in small saucepans than in wider frying pans, so you may need to adjust your cooking time to suit.