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4.8 from 195 votes

Curry Doria (Rice Gratin)

Curry Doria is Japanese rice gratin topped with flavorful curry meat sauce and cheese and baked into perfection in a casserole. It screams comfort food!

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
40 mins
Servings: 4
Calories: 429 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Japanese

Ingredients

  • ½ onion
  • 1 rib celery
  • 1 carrot
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 6 oz ground beef
  • 6 oz ground pork
  • Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 Tbsp Japanese curry powder
  • 1½ cups chicken or vegetable stock
  • 2 Tbsp tonkatsu sauce (or make my Homemade Tonkatsu Sauce)
  • 2 Tbsp ketchup
  • 2 Tbsp unsalted butter (divided)
  • ½ cup mozzarella cheese (2 oz; or use another cheese like Gruyere or Parmesan)
  • ½ cup Romano cheese (2 oz; or use another cheese like Gruyere or Parmesan)
  • 2 Tbsp panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
  • parsley (chopped, for garnish)
For Cooking the Rice
  • 3 rice cooker cups uncooked Japanese short-grain white rice (3 rice cooker cups (180 ml x 3 = 540 ml) yields roughly 5 servings (5¼ US cups); see how to cook short-grain rice with a rice cooker, a pot over the stove, an Instant Pot, or a donabe)
  • 600 ml water

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Gather all the ingredients. Start cooking 3 rice cooker cups uncooked Japanese short-grain white rice and 600 ml water in a rice cooker, a pot over the stove, an Instant Pot, or a donabe. You will also need 2 medium-size baking dishes or 1 large baking dish.
To Prepare and Cook the Ingredients
  1. Mince ½ onion, 1 rib celery, and 1 carrot into small pieces.
  2. Heat 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Crush (or mince) and add 2 cloves garlic and 1 bay leaf (if you tear it in half, the fragrance will come out faster).
  3. Sauté the minced onion and celery over medium high heat until they are almost translucent.
  4. Add the carrot and cook until tender.
  5. Add 6 oz ground beef and 6 oz ground pork and break it up, stirring occasionally. Cook until the meat is no longer pink.
  6. Season with Diamond Crystal kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
  7. Add 1 Tbsp Japanese curry powder and 1½ cups chicken or vegetable stock. If the liquid doesn’t cover the ingredients, you will need to add more broth or water.
  8. Cover with the lid and bring to a boil. Once boiling, uncover and skim off the foam, fat, scum off from the liquid. It’s important to get rid of them so that you can achieve a nice and clean soup. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 5 minutes.
  9. Add 2 Tbsp tonkatsu sauce, 2 Tbsp ketchup, and 1 Tbsp unsalted butter. The meat mixture should be a bit on the saltier side rather than a bland taste. You will be eating this dish with rice, so make sure it’s well seasoned. Cook and reduce the sauce until you see the bottom of the pan, about 10 minutes, and turn off the heat.
  10. Use the remaining 1 Tbsp unsalted butter to grease the sides and bottom of the baking dish(es). Place the steamed rice in the baking dish(es).
  11. Place the meat mixture (and sauce, if you like) on top of the rice. Then, sprinkle with ½ cup Mozzarella cheese and ½ cup Romano cheese. Finally, sprinkle 2 Tbsp panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) on top to add a crispy texture.
To Broil the Curry Doria
  1. Pre-heat the oven on broil for 5 minutes. Broil for 2–3 minutes until the cheese has melted and you see nice char on top. If you don’t have a broil setting, you can simply bake it until the top is golden brown. Everything is already cooked, so all you need to do is melt the cheese.
  2. Sprinkle fresh chopped parsley on top and serve immediately.
To Store
  1. You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 3 days or in the freezer for a month.

Nutrition Information

Calories 429kcal (21%) Carbohydrates 13g (4%) Protein 24g (48%) Fat 31g (48%) Saturated Fat 14g (70%) Polyunsaturated Fat 2g Monounsaturated Fat 12g Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 99mg (33%) Sodium 581mg (24%) Potassium 412mg (12%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 6g (12%) Vitamin A 2957IU (59%) Vitamin C 4mg (4%) Calcium 289mg (29%) Iron 3mg (17%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 429

% Daily Value*

Calories 429kcal 21%
Carbohydrates 13g 4%
Protein 24g 48%
Fat 31g 48%
Saturated Fat 14g 70%
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g 12%
Monounsaturated Fat 12g 60%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 99mg 33%
Sodium 581mg 24%
Potassium 412mg 9%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 6g 12%
Vitamin A 2957IU 59%
Vitamin C 4mg 4%
Calcium 289mg 29%
Iron 3mg 17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.