How to eat soup curry | Dipping the rice into the soup!
“Soup curry” is a renowned local cuisine of Sapporo, Hokkaido. This vibrant dish features spicy, aromatic curry soup topped with a variety of lucious meats and fresh, colorful vegetables. Soup curry can be recognized by the large-sized toppings, and the rice being served on a separate plate. We’ve interviewed a soup curry specialty restaurant to learn more about unique aspects of enjoying this dish.
【Advised by】Soup Curry GARAKU（スープカレーGARAKU）
Table of Contents
First, try a sip of the soup!
When your dish is served, first, enjoy the flavor of the soup by itself. Enjoy the aromatics of the spices and savor the mouthfeel, which is generally smooth and light.
Gently dip the rice into the soup
After appreciating the soup, move on to the rice. You might wonder, do I pour the soup on the rice, or dip the rice into the soup..? In fact, the style of dipping spoonfuls of rice into the soup is the authentic Sapporo method. Be mindful to only put a single bite of rice on the spoon.
Gently dip the rice into the soup, and go ahead to enjoy it in a single bite. Don’t get greedy – if you overload the spoon, rice will fall off into the soup.
Break apart and enjoy the toppings
The rustically chunky meat and vegetable toppings tell of Hokkaido’s heritage as a major food producing region. The toppings will be tender enough to cut into easily-enjoyed sizes with a fork or spoon.
The main topping of this soup curry is a chicken leg, which is so tender that it pulls apart with unexpected ease. Using the fork and spoon in both hands in a gentle pulling motion along the bone is all it takes. There’s no need to pick up the chicken by the bone and nibble on it. It’s recommended to alternate between bites of rice and toppings.
Change up the flavor with spices
When you try soup curry, don’t forget about “ajihen” – changing flavors in the middle of enjoying the dish. This soup curry was served with a wedge of lemon alongside the rice. Squeezing on a bit of lemon juice gives a light, fresh accent to the spicy curry.
For spicy food experts, try adding hot spice as you eat. This will build up not only the piquancy, but also the depth of flavor of the soup.
Bring it all together for the finalé!
As each flavorful bite leads to another, you might finish off your entire meal one spoonful at a time! However, there is a special way to finish soup curry. When you have about as much rice left as pictured, it’s time for the finalé.
Now, take the plunge, and spoon all of the remaining rice right into the soup! Hold the rice plate just above the soup, and gently transfer the rice to avoid splashing.
After the rice has absorbed soup to your liking, enjoy the remaining rice, soup, meat, and vegetables all together! This allows you to fully appreciate the interplay between the spices and the soup curry as a whole.
Today, we’ve learned all about enjoying soup curry, from the toppings to changing up the flavors mid-way. Mastering these authentic Sapporo soup curry techniques will allow you to deepen your focus on enjoyment of this local favorite dish.
* The published information is current as of August 2022. Prices and other details are subject to change.
Positively overflowing with originality, this specialty restaurant has united Japanese-style dashi broth with soup curry. Their house blend of 21 spices combines with homemade bouillon to create a deeply savory curry. The original restaurant is in Sapporo, Hokkaido, and there are now locations in Tokyo, and even as far as Thailand. Soup Curry GARAKU Tokyo Nakano Restaurant in Tokyo kindly provided the photography venue for this article.
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