Known for its comforting aroma and mildly spicy taste, soup curry is the signature dish of Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido.
Originating in Hokkaido in 1970, soup curry is a mildly spicy dish consisting of off-the-bone crispy chicken, fresh vegetables, and hearty curry soup made from a combination of Japanese and Indian spices.
Likely a result of Hokkaido’s high production of fresh vegetable ingredients, soup curry is known for its colorful combination of large carrots, potatoes, and capsicum that sprout out of the dish.
Intuitive Menu
The restaurant where I had my first soup curry was in the heart of Sapporo just a short walk from Maruyama Park.
Unfortunately, the restaurant has no online presence and I cannot remember the name of it for the life of me, but we’ll just call it the “Maruyama Park soup curry restaurant.”
Anyway, like many casual dine-in restaurants in Japan, it came with a multilingual touchscreen menu and an intuitive ordering system.
Dishes were relatively cheap so you could expect to pay between 1000 and 2000 yen here.
There are also many other categories outside soup curry including side dishes, drinks, and desserts.
Food For The Soul
I went for their most popular dish called the “Saku PIKA chicken” (not sure if this is an accurate translation) for 1470 yen and also added on a plate of karaage fried chicken for a few hundred yen more.
Soup curry is traditionally eaten by grabbing a spoonful of rice and scooping up the soup to eat together in one mouthful.
Personally, I found the curry to be far less spicy than I expected it to be, but it wasn’t long until the mild soothing warmth of the dish grew on me.
It was nice not to have to contend with the spiciness of my food as I often do at Indian restaurants, and the size and wholesomeness of the vegetables definitely gave it a “farm fresh” feel too.
Around The Corner From Maruyama Park!
Hokkaido is the colder part of Japan, so it makes sense that soup curry has grown in popularity since its invention to keep its people warm all year round.
For me, it was the perfect way to get my blood flowing after a cold afternoon at the high altitude of Horomitoge Lavender Gardens in Sapporo.
After my heavy soup curry feast, walking through Maruyama Park and seeing the last remnants of the cherry blossom season just felt like the next best thing to do!
So if you ever come to Hokkaido, be sure to keep an eye out for soup curry restaurants (don’t worry, they’re everywhere) and enjoy the taste of this soulful local delicacy!
Of course, if you are planning to visit Japan, you’ll need a way to get around the country as efficiently and affordably as possible. Japan Rail provides an abundance of travel passes to suit your travel needs. So whether you are traveling individually or as a group, the JR Pass is every traveler’s go-to for getting around and making the most of your time in Japan!
