Japanese Curry Beef Bread
Soft, pillowy bread stuffed with spiced ground beef curry—a beloved Japanese street food and lunchbox staple. Crispy on the outside, creamy curry-filled inside, ready in under 30 minutes.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Servings
- 2
- Calories
- 385
- Protein
- 14g
Ingredients
- 6 oz ground beef
- 1.5 tablespoon Japanese curry powder (S&B brand or equivalent)
- ½ medium onion, diced
- 8 oz whole wheat bread dough (store-bought, room temperature)
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 pinch salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- 1
Place the diced onion on a cutting board and chop it into pieces about the size of a grain of rice, until no piece is larger than a pencil tip.
- 2
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers and moves quickly when you tilt the pan, about 60 seconds.
- 3
Add the ground beef to the hot skillet, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon into small crumbles as it cooks, stirring constantly until it turns dark brown with no pink remaining, about 4 minutes.
- 4
Add the diced onion to the cooked beef and stir for 1 minute until the onion becomes slightly soft and fragrant.
- 5
Sprinkle 1.5 tablespoons of curry powder evenly over the beef and onion mixture, then stir constantly for 30 seconds until the powder coats everything and smells strongly fragrant.
- 6
Pour 3 tablespoons of water into the skillet and stir the curry mixture until it looks like chunky, moist paste with no dry powder visible, about 1 minute.
- 7
Remove the skillet from heat and let the curry cool to room temperature, about 5 minutes, so it will not melt the dough when you fill it.
- 8
Divide the bread dough in half on a clean, dry cutting board, creating two equal-sized pieces.
- 9
Flatten one dough piece into a circle about 3 inches across and 1/4 inch thick by pressing down with your palm and fingers.
- 10
Spoon half the cooled curry filling (about 2 tablespoons) into the center of the flattened dough circle.
- 11
Lift the edges of the dough circle up and around the filling, pinching them together at the top to seal, creating a pouch shape.
- 12
Gently flip the sealed bread pouch seam-side down on the cutting board and use your palm to press it into a flat disc about 1/2 inch thick.
- 13
Repeat steps 9–12 with the second dough piece and remaining curry filling.
- 14
Wipe out the skillet with a paper towel, then add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and heat over medium heat until it shimmers, about 60 seconds.
- 15
Place both curry bread discs into the hot oil and cook without moving them until the bottoms turn golden brown—the color of warm honey—about 3 minutes.
- 16
Flip each bread disc over and cook the other side until it also turns golden brown, about 2 minutes.
- 17
Transfer the curry bread to a plate and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper, then serve immediately while warm.
Tools you’ll need
- medium skillet, 10-inch
- wooden spoon
- cutting board
- knife
- paper towel
- measuring spoons
- plate
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