Japanese curry powder by Ryoko Sekiguchi

Ryoko Sekiguchi is a poet, writer, and literary translator. Born in Japan, she now lives and works in Paris. She has a profound knowledge of the tastes and history that define Japanese cuisine.We naturally thought of her when we decided to create this traditional Japanese curry blend, as she has often joined us on our travels to Japan.
In the kitchen-laboratory at la Maison du Voyageur in Cancale, we explored all the possibilities, dipping our noses into a vast tunnel of different Japanese curry samples brought back by Ryoko to determine the quintessence of the traditional composition so that we could recreate it ourselves. After several tries, Ryoko selected one of our Levant curry blends. Then, with her input, we decided to include sea lettuce gathered from the coasts of Brittany.

The Japanese have always prepared curry dishes, and their origins in Japan can be traced back to two events. In the nineteenth century, the British introduced the curry recipes they’d learned from Indian cuisines to Japan. Thereafter, the Japanese military would serve curries in their canteens because they could be prepared in large quantities. Then, during the first half of the twentieth century, leaders in the Indian fight for independence from the British Empire found refuge in Japan and brought their masala recipes with them.
Japanese curries come in many different forms, depending on where they’re made and what ingredients are used (meat, fish, shellfish, vegetables). Each Japanese region has its own distinctive curry recipe.