Recreating Niigata Bus Center Curry Without Sautéing: Ryuji Tastes the Retort Version and Builds a Copycat Recipe

It started with a gift from a fan named Ryujiko. Ryuji had once mentioned wanting to try making Bus Center curry, and the fan responded by bringing back the retort version. According to Ryuji, the Bus Center is a stand-up eatery serving soba, udon and curry inside the bus terminal near Niigata Station. It is known for its yellow curry and has appeared on TV programs about regional character, among others. Ryuji did not get a chance to eat it when visiting Niigata.

As Ryuji explains it, this is not a regional style that spread across an entire area like Kanazawa curry, but simply the curry from a single shop that everyone goes to eat. Still, apparently no one in Niigata is unfamiliar with it. The retort pouch is on the large side at 220 g, and the package says "recreated." Since the flavor has the shop's approval, it might offer cooking hints, which was the motivation for the tasting.

There was also talk that Ryuji might go to Niigata next year for a factory tour at Sato Foods, and could check the answer there. Ryuji said they want this channel to be a place where viewers can learn about things like the properties of ingredients together. On Niigata, Ryuji shared that locals had said "the rice is good wherever you eat," and that the rice at a family-restaurant-style place at the station really was incredibly good. Ryuji also said that because the water is good, the sake is good too: hardly any restaurants lack Japanese sake, and all of them carry local brews.

The ingredient list is simple: onion, carrot, pork, and a little grated garlic. The spices are listed only as "curry powder," and Ryuji guessed it was some kind of pre-blended curry powder. However, Ryuji also noted that since the shop presumably makes it in a large pot, recreating it might be difficult.

Heated and plated, it was a thick curry with chunky ingredients. It was not as yellow as expected and looked like school-lunch curry. Ryuji attributed the thickness to flour. The aroma was conventional, and the flavor was "classic curry." The package says medium hot, and Ryuji, finding it fairly spicy, guessed it might be S&B's red-can curry powder.

The staff member present said the generous amount of ingredients and the flour-thickened texture were its distinctive features. Ryuji added the caveat that eating it on-site might be different, and that the real thing might be a bit more yellow. From Ryuji's research, it seems to be made by simmering in tonkotsu (pork bone) broth and making the roux with lard. From this, Ryuji concluded that "most of the flavor is the broth," and that how the broth is made would be the key to recreating it. Both of them seemed to like the fairly strong pork flavor and the finely cut pork belly.

The first decision Ryuji made for the recreation was not to cook the roux. Cooking it would brown it and keep it from turning that yellow color. Instead, lard is melted slightly in the microwave and mixed with cake flour in a bowl to form a paste. When the staff member said "it's like beurre manié," Ryuji agreed that it was something like that. About 3 tablespoons of lard are used, and Ryuji called this step "extremely important."

The advantages Ryuji listed were that it does not form lumps even when added later, and that it is easy and tasty. On the other hand, Ryuji admitted that the main Bus Center shop probably does not make it this way. It was adopted simply because Ryuji thinks it is easier. Ryuji also suggested that S&B-style curry powder is better than Indian-style.

Ryuji believes the ingredients are not sautéed either. Sautéing would add color and unnecessary toastiness. Since the aroma of the curry powder is what should stand out in this dish, Ryuji thinks "not doing anything extra" should make it taste better.

While the water comes to a boil, the vegetables are cut. Only a very small amount of carrot (about 70 g) is used, cut into small thin slices. One 250 g onion is used, but this is cut into large pieces. The onion in the retort version had almost completely melted away, but footage of the shop showed larger pieces, and Ryuji judged that this was unavoidable for a retort product. The pork belly is cut fairly fine, matching Ryujiko's comment that the finely cut meat was good. Ryuji does not know how big the meat is at the actual shop, but suspects it falls apart during simmering.

The vegetables and meat go directly into the boiling water. The staff member was surprised: "Even though it's curry?"

Next, unsweetened soy milk is added to make the tonkotsu broth. This is the same technique Ryuji previously used for ramen; it adds a yellow tint and makes it mellow. The choice was based on how mellow the retort version was. Ryuji started with about 100 cc and eventually increased it to 150 cc, because mellowness is the key to this curry.

For seasoning, 1 tablespoon of Chuka Aji (Chinese-style stock) is used. It contains pork extract, which brings out a tonkotsu character. On tasting, the pork flavor was already quite noticeable in the finish. Half a teaspoon of salt is added, and since the retort version had some sweetness, sugar goes in too. Ryuji said, "It feels strange because I'm using a method I'm completely unfamiliar with," noting that no recipe by any cooking expert does it this way. At the same time, Ryuji said, "There's no point in making something everyone can already make."

Finally, about 10 g of grated garlic is added. Because the ingredient list said "grated garlic," it goes in at this stage rather than at the end, aiming for a slight spiciness.

While the pot simmered, Ryuji mentioned a recent post claiming that "cooking experts will have their jobs taken by AI." Ryuji's view is that it is not impossible, but it would take hundreds of years.

As the reason, Ryuji explained that AI works by extracting the good parts from many recipes and outputting them, and that AI-generated art also has source material it learned from. It can learn, but since AI does not eat, Ryuji thinks it would be impossible to teach it a sense of taste. Even if it produces plausible-looking recipes, people cannot trust that AI, so Ryuji does not think cooking experts will lose their jobs. On the other hand, Ryuji said art can be judged by eye, so it is in a much tougher position, and added the caveat that if AI learned the sense of taste, things might get dicey.

Ryuji has also been told that "cooking researchers will start being told to come up with recipes better than AI's," but believes that won't happen, because people want to eat what a particular person made. The staff member responded that they would not want to go to an AI restaurant either. Ryuji concluded that while it might be different if humans decided the flavor and AI rolled it out across a chain, it would be hard for AI to create something from scratch, and since only humans can sense deliciousness, Ryuji's view is that "we'll be fine for a few years." There is some range between this and the "hundreds of years" mentioned at the start, but either way the position is that there is no cause for concern for the time being.

The pot looked like tonjiru (pork miso soup), and the staff member said, "It's like I'm looking at a different dish." Ryuji described the current flavor as "mellow tonjiru, minus the miso," and said that compared to the retort version, the only thing missing was umami seasoning.

After about 5 minutes of simmering, the onions were still crunchy. Since crunchiness has no place in the thick texture of the retort version, the pot is covered and simmered for another 10 minutes or so, 15 minutes in total. The lard paste is added at the end together with the curry powder. The shop may cook a roux, but since the curry powder aroma is not especially pronounced, Ryuji reasoned that skipping the cooking should be fine. The quantity makes 3 to 4 servings.

When the lid came off, it smelled like tonkotsu broth. At this point, 1½ tablespoons of curry powder are added. Ryuji meant to use S&B's red can, but was actually holding Hachi curry powder. The two laughed, but since the aroma is similar and the retort version was fairly spicy, they decided "it'll probably work" and went ahead. Ryuji added that not everyone has Hachi, so viewers should use S&B, and that any curry powder will do.

The curry powder is first added to the lard and flour paste, then broth is gradually stirred in to thicken it before it goes back into the pot. This step prevents lumps. Because nothing was sautéed, the color came out yellow, resembling school-lunch curry just like the retort version. After tasting, Ryuji said, "It's really similar," but reflected that there was a bit too much sugar.

Then half a teaspoon of turmeric is added. Ryuji declared that anything that yellow is "definitely turmeric," and it did turn quite yellow. However, it is fine to add only if you have it, and it does not affect the flavor much.

As a point for improvement, Ryuji noted that the soy milk had separated slightly, giving a somewhat grainy texture. Ryuji reflected that adding the soy milk later might also have produced a nicer color. On the other hand, Ryuji said that simmering the soy milk down is what brings out the mellowness. Finally, since the ingredient list included amino acids, three shakes of Ajinomoto are added, with salt to taste, and it is done.

In photos of the shop, the curry is poured generously over the rice, so instead of covering just half, it is poured on until the rice is covered. Ryuji said a Kanazawa curry plate would not give that look. Even with generous servings, there was enough for three.

For the side, cheap red fukujinzuke with food coloring is used. Not the modern kind; Ryuji stressed that this kind is "really important."

The first words from the two after eating were "Amazing" and "Whoa, seriously?" The staff member said that before thinking it was tasty, the surprise came first that the sticky thickness was identical. They also agreed that it tastes better with the fukujinzuke.

The difference that came up was the heat: the retort version was slightly spicier. Hachi is fairly spicy too, but Ryuji speculated that using S&B might bring out more heat, and even joked that the shop might be using Hachi.

The "perfect way to eat it" Ryuji recommended is to change things up with a little Worcestershire sauce. Ryuji said Worcestershire suits this type of curry, while cautioning that it is unclear whether locals actually do this. The staff member tried it and said it was tasty.

Ryuji said it is completely different from ordinary curry and stands apart, and praised the fact that as long as you have the ingredients, it can be made as casually as regular curry. It is basically just simmered in water, and it is not too salty. Ryuji also said that as a fledgling cooking researcher, they could not have made it, because nobody makes curry this way.

Ryuji compared it to a school-lunch curry made previously, which took considerable effort, whereas this recipe quickly produces a mellow flavor kids would probably like. Since it does not rely heavily on the curry powder's flavor, any curry powder will make it taste right. The slight spiciness from the grated garlic was also cited as a key point.

However, Ryuji's caveat is that the comparison was with the retort version, and Ryuji thinks the recipe came quite close to that flavor. Ryuji encouraged people who know the shop's flavor in particular to try making it. As variations, Ryuji suggested adding heat with Tabasco or the like, and, with the preface that purists might object, adding potatoes later in the process. Ryuji speculated that the shop deliberately leaves them out because potatoes break down and turn mushy when simmered for a long time. The episode closed with thanks to the fan who brought the retort pouch.