Yaki Curry (焼きカレー), or Curry Doria (カレードリア) is baked Japanese curry rice topped with melty stretchy cheese. A great way to use leftovers, this Japanese rice gratin is hearty, satisfying and so comforting!
Welcome back to the final day of vegan Japanese curry week! I am sharing with you a recipe today that utilizes curry leftovers in the most delicious way that will GIVE YOU LIFE: rich, flavourful curry rice casserole with a melty cheesy topping. Say hello to yaki curry. It’s warming, comforting and cozy and it’s coming atcha.
What is yaki curry?
Yaki = grilled, so essentially it’s ‘grilled curry’ or baked curry. It’s also sometimes called curry doria or curry rice gratin which is a western-influenced Japanese style rice casserole. However, yaki curry and curry doria have two different histories.
Origins
Yaki curry is a popular dish that originated in Mojiko consisting of rice topped with curry and cheese and baked in the oven. It’s a highly popular dish, especially in the Mojiko area where they have a whole Mojiko Yaki Curry Club with many variations of yaki curry.
Doria (or rice gratin) was introduced by a Swiss chef, Saly Weil, who was the head chef of Yokohama Hotel Newgrand in Japan. The first Doria invented was a seafood doria with a creamy white sauce, but has since inspired many different variations (like this curry doria!).
Ingredients: using leftovers
When I make curry, I’ll purposely make a large batch so I can have it the following days. IMOH, it tastes even better after it sits in the fridge because it gets thicker and richer which is delicious as is, but also perfect for using in other dishes too. And since both yaki curry and doria was invented using leftovers it was kinda meant to be.
Yaki curry consists of three components:
- Rice: either fresh or leftovers
- Curry sauce: ideally a thicker sauce so that the rice doesn’t get too soggy
- Cheese: I used my homemade vegan mozzerlla cheese (recipe coming soon) but you can use your favourite homemade or store bought cheese! Ideally one that gets melty and gooey.
How to make it
The beauty of this dish is how easy and quick it is to actually prepare. Simply just layer the rice, curry and cheese into individual baking dishes.
Casseroles usually take a long time to bake in the oven but because everything is already cooked, it only needs to bake for 10-15 minutes total. Optional, but highly recommended… torch the cheese! And then sprinkle with a some fresh or dried parsley.
To make it ahead of time, you can prepare the baking dishes, cover and keep it in the fridge until ready to bake.
What comes out of the oven is this rich, flavourful baked curry rice covered with melty golden brown vegan cheese that makes it extra creamy.
This might be my favourite way to use left over curry… even more than katsu curry and curry udon. THERE I SAID IT. I hope that convinces you to try this asap because it’s a dream of a dish and I can’t wit for you to try this one.
More vegan Japanese curry recipes:
- Authentic Vegan Japanese Curry
- Japanese curry powder
- Japanese kabocha curry
- Homemade curry roux cubes
- Curry udon
- Curry fried rice
- Tofu katsu curry
SAVE IT FOR LATER! ↓
If you recreate this Yaki Curry recipe let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment and rating below or by tagging me on Instagram @Okonomikitchen, I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!
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Yaki Curry (焼きカレー)
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked rice (380g)
- 1 1/2 – 2 cups Japanese curry (400-480g)
- 3/4 cup vegan mozzarella cheese (180g)
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 450 F (232 C)
- Place 1 cup of cooked rice into two individual baking dishes. Top the rice with the curry and then with the vegan mozzerella cheese. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until bubbly and warmed through. Broil for 1 minute or torch for some additional flavour browning. Sprinkle with dried or fresh parsley and enjoy!!
Notes
- Helpful Equipment: Individual baking dishes
- Nutritional Information Disclaimer: Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated on an online tool (Cronometer).
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Omg. I made this. It was amazing. I had potatoes and carrot pieces in the curry as well, it goes really well. The caramelised mozzarella stretchiness, the aromatic sweetness of the Japanese curry, and the Japanese short grain rice. The tiktok video was the first time I ever discovered this dish and the recipe did not disappoint! A garnish of shichimi togarashi on top and voila, chef’s kiss.
Oh my god. How have I not tried this before? It’s absolutely incredible, especially with your vegan mozzarella cheese recipe!! I felt like I’m always going to bake my curry rice from now on, so comforting and delicious! I even tried adding in your extra ingredients for the curry sauce (tonkatsu, ketchup, instant coffee, cocoa etc), next-level delicious!! Thank you for such an incredible recipe 🙂
The recipe photos appear to show a layer of Mayo on top of the curry, before the cheese is added. Please confirm if this step is missing in the recipe. Txs!
That’s the cheese sauce before she baked it
Loved this!! I’m from Finland and usually our comfort food is something scandinavian inspired but I actually love curry rice even more hahah. It has become my comfort food.
Such a great way to transform leftover curry and rice! So simple — the little tweak in serving up the curry and rice gives it a whole new vibe! 🙂 Thank you Lisa!
This is probably the third or fourth recipe I’ve made from your site in the past 2 weeks! I made this using the vegan mozzarella sauce recipe from It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken. I made it with S&B’s Japanese Hot Golden Curry, chick’n katsu, roasted veggies (broccoli, carrot and sweet potato) and some fukujinzuke. It was so good. Kare Doria was one of my favorite special treat meals as a vegetarian, so I’m very happy to have it again in vegan form. Thank you for all your great recipes!
Thank you so much Breanna! I’m so glad you enjoyed 🙂
I sincerely look forward to making Japanese curry because of this recipe. It’s a flavorful use of the curry that is so warm and delightful to eat for literally any meal. Super quick too!
I’m SO HAPPY TO HEAR! This is one of my fav recipes on the blog, too– Thank you for the review, Fina!
Another, “how did I not think to do this” moment with a Lisa Kitahara recipe! Made curry last week and the following night used the leftovers to make this yaki curry. It was different enough that it didn’t feel like leftovers for my family. It was soooooooo easy and quick to make — so simple, but so special…and delicious! Received a thumbs up from everyone in my family! 🙂 Thank you Lisa!!!
Can’t wait for this cheese recipe 😍😍