Kare Pan (Curry Bread)

I though I had experienced the best that curry had to offer. Japanese curry is one of my favorite meals and it is hard to improve on something that is already so good. I was wrong. Curry bread is the ultimate way to experience curry!

Kare pan or Japanese curry bread is curry wrapped in bread and covered in panko bread crumbs. It is normally deep fried though it can be baked. Curry bread is a popular dish in Japan.

This was my first time making or eating curry bread. This was also only my second time deep frying. I was a bit worried about the deep frying but it turned out ok. Since this recipe uses a yeast based bread it requires some rising time. I am glad that I made this dish on a day off as it took a while.

The kare bread was amazing!! The golden brown crust was nice and light and crispy and the inside was soft and moist. I of course ate them while they were still warm. Each bite was a crisp, soft, warm, and tasty moment of utter enjoyment. A moment that disappeared all to quickly along with the all of the curry bread. I can not believe that simply placing the curry into crispy deep fried bread can make it so much better.

I ran out of curry before I had used all of the dough so I formed the extra dough into balls, fried them and rolled them in sugar and cinnamon. They made for a tasty desert for the curry bread meal.



So ends the week of curry. A very tasty week indeed!

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon yeast
1/4 cup water (lukewarm)
3 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted and cooled)
1 cup water
1 cup leftover curry
1 egg (lightly beaten)
1 tablespoon milk
1 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions:
1. Mix the yeast and the warm water in a bowl and let sit for 10 minutes.
2. Mix in the flour, sugar, salt, butter and water and form a dough.
3. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about 10 minutes.
4. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise to double its size, about 60-90 minutes.
5. Knock the dough down and knead for 2 minutes.
6. Place the dough back into the bowl and let rise again.
7. Knock the dough down and knead for 2 minutes.
8. Cut the dough into 8 pieces and set aside.
9. Mash the curry to form a paste.
10. Mix the egg and milk in a bowl.
11. Roll out one of the pieces of dough into a 6 inch circle and place a spoonful of the curry in the center.
12. Brush some of the egg wash around the edge of half of the dough and fold it over and pinch the dough closed. Fold the pinch to one side.
13. Repeat 11 & 12 until done.
14. Dip the formed bread into the egg wash and then dip them into the panko bread crumbs to cover.
15. Cover the bread with plastic and let rise while you heat the oil.
16. Heat the oil in a pan.
17. Place the bread into the oil and fry until golden brown on both sides, about 60-90 seconds per side.
18. Place the cooked curry bread onto some paper towels to drain while it cools.

Similar Recipes:
Kare (Japanese Curry)
Katsu Kare (Pork Cutlet with Curry Sauce)
Kare Udon (Curry Udon Soup)
Kare Gyoza (Curry Potstickers)
Char Siu Bao (Chinese BBQ Pork Buns)