The first soup curry was said to have been served at Ajanta Indo Kari. One of the customers suggested combining 2 of Ajanta’s dishes - a medicinal chicken soup & their curry creating the very first soup curry that is loved by locals and travellers today.
Soup Curry’s main difference lies in the way it is made. The ingredients are usually fried together with a mix of spices. A broth is then added resulting in a soup with strong spicy flavours, rather than a thick gravy. Soup curry restaurants have signature dishes with different combinations of meat & vegetable ingredients including some you will not find in more traditional curries. The more interesting being duck meat balls, deer meat, bear and cheese. Soup curry restaurants let you order the spice level according to your tolerance from zero heat to a mind numbing, euphoric hallucinatory experience.
There are over 200 soup curry restaurants in Hokkaido, most of them located in the major cities of Sapporo and Asahikawa. They are also popping up in ski resorts around Hokkaido to satisfy the cravings of hungry skiers & snowboarders.
How to Eat Soup Curry
Decide on the toppings and the amount of rice you would like.
Decide on your spice ranking. From experience anything past midway is suicidal to Western tastebuds. Save your bravery for the slopes.
When your soup curry arrives, as a sign of appreciation to the chef you should firstly have a sip of the soup to appreciate its unique flavour.
Then dip a spoonful of rice into the soup, immersing it in all the rich flavours before eating. Towards the end, you are also meant to slurp up all of the soup leaving an empty bowl.
