Rice Cooker Japanese Curry (Plant Based🌱) – The Purest Co (SG)

POV: your rice cooker makes a pretty good Japanese curry 🍛 Chop, dump, press cook. That is genuinely it.

Why every ingredient earns its place

Japanese curry is one of those meals that feels like a warm hug in a bowl. Sweet, mellow, a little bit spiced, and made even better when it is loaded with vegetables. This version skips the stove entirely. Everything goes into the rice cooker, the regular rice setting does the work, and you come back to a thick, fragrant curry that just needs a good stir. Easy, hearty, and a lot more veggie-packed than the takeout version.

🍎 Apple: the secret behind that classic Japanese curry sweetness. It breaks down completely as it cooks, adding natural sweetness and a touch of fibre so you do not need any added sugar to round out the curry

🍅 Tomatoes: they release their juices as they cook, which means you need very little water. They add a gentle tang, vitamin C, and lycopene, and melt into the sauce to give it body

🍠 Sweet potato: rich in fibre and beta-carotene, and it digests more slowly than regular potato. It softens into the curry and thickens it naturally, making every spoonful creamy and filling

🍄 Shiitake mushrooms: a meaty, savoury addition that brings umami and B vitamins. They soak up the curry flavour and add a satisfying chew that makes the dish feel substantial without any meat

🧅 Onion and carrot: the classic curry base. The onion turns silky and sweet as it cooks down, while the carrot adds colour, beta-carotene, and a gentle earthy sweetness

Hearty, comforting, and packed with vegetables. The kind of dinner that feels indulgent without being heavy.

This recipe is for you if

You love Japanese curry and want an easier way to make it
You want a veggie-packed dinner with almost no prep
You have a rice cooker and a few vegetables to use up

Less relevant if

You do not have a rice cooker
You want a meat-heavy curry
You prefer a spicy Indian or Thai style curry

The recipe

Rice Cooker Japanese Curry

Chop. Dump. Press cook. Stir.

Prep10 min

CookRegular rice setting

Serves2-3

Ingredients

The vegetables
1 white onion
2 large tomatoes
1 apple
1 carrot
1 sweet potato
1.5 cups shiitake mushrooms
The curry
4 tbsp Japanese curry powder
1 tsp salt
¾ cup water
To serve
Spring onions, chopped
Steamed rice

Method

Roughly chop the onion, tomatoes, apple, carrot, and sweet potato into bite-sized pieces.
Add all the vegetables and shiitake mushrooms into the rice cooker along with the Japanese curry powder, salt, and ¾ cup water. Give everything a good mix.
Close the lid and select the regular rice cooking setting. Cook until the vegetables are fork-tender and the curry has thickened.
Give the curry a good stir to break down the softened vegetables.
Garnish with chopped spring onions and serve hot with steamed rice

If the curry is too watery, add a cornstarch slurry. Mix 1 tbsp cornstarch with ⅓ cup water and stir it into the rice cooker while the curry is boiling. It thickens within a minute or two and gives you that glossy, spoonable texture.

Do not skip the final stir. The vegetables come out soft enough to collapse when you mix them. That stir is what turns the cooked vegetables into a thick, cohesive curry sauce instead of a pot of separate pieces.

Tips

"Chop, dump, press cook. Your rice cooker does the rest."

Tip 01

Cut everything to a similar size. Bite-sized pieces mean the sweet potato, carrot, and apple all reach fork-tender at the same time. If some pieces are much bigger, they will stay firm while the rest turns to mush.

Tip 02

Only ¾ cup of water is needed. It looks like too little, but the tomatoes, onion, and apple all release plenty of liquid as they cook. Adding more water at the start is the fastest way to end up with a thin curry, so trust the measurement.

Tip 03

Choose a ripe, sweet apple. The apple is doing the job of the sugar and the fruity depth in a classic Japanese curry. A crisp, sweet variety breaks down nicely and gives you that mellow sweetness without anything added.

Tip 04

Make it your own. Want more protein? Stir in cooked chicken, tofu, or a soft boiled egg at the end. Want more veg? Add pumpkin or broccoli. The base is forgiving, and it tastes even better the next day once the flavours settle.

Something we have alongside this

A comforting bowl of curry and rice is the kind of meal we want to enjoy without overthinking it. That is why we pair it with Lemon Kombucha Slimming Blend. It supports your metabolism, helps regulate blood sugar levels, and keeps bloating in check, so the cosy meal stays cosy after the last spoonful.

One sachet, mix into cold water, sip alongside 🍋

Quick summary

Chop the onion, tomatoes, apple, carrot, and sweet potato into bite-sized pieces.
Everything goes into the rice cooker together with the mushrooms, curry powder, salt, and ¾ cup water.
Regular rice setting. Cook until the vegetables are fork-tender and the curry has thickened.
Give it a good stir to break down the vegetables. Too watery? Add a quick cornstarch slurry.
Top with spring onions and serve hot over steamed rice. 🍛

Cart

Why every ingredient earns its place

The recipe

Rice Cooker Japanese Curry

Tips

Something we have alongside this

Lemon Kombucha Slimming Blend

More recipes

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Viral Nori Prawn Pasta

Garlic Fried Rice (Rice Cooker Hack)