Visiting the Producer of the Shirakabaha’s Curry
Harmony of Authentic Spices and Local Ingredients – HUEJAY Japan
Published in May 2015
The chicken retort curry of the Shirakabaha’s curry is produced by HUEJAY Japan Co., Ltd. in Narita City. Seven years ago, members of the Shirakabaha’s Curry Promotion Association visited HUEJAY and confirmed that they could handle small-batch production, had a strong commitment to curry making, and maintained a clean and meticulous factory. It was on this basis that we requested HUEJAY to manufacture the chicken curry. This time, we revisited the factory to explore the secret of the deliciousness of the chicken curry.
HUEJAY’s Commitment to Curry Making
The basic recipe for the Shirakabaha’s curry calls for C&B’s curry powder. At HUEJAY, they blend spices imported from Sri Lanka with the C&B curry powder to create HUEJAY’s unique spiciness. Sri Lanka is the home country of HUEJAY’s president, Mr. Hubert Jayakody. Mr. Hubert says, “Sri Lankan spices are of very high quality and go well with various dishes.”
The chicken is sourced from Chiba Prefecture and is locally processed by Nakajima Shoten in Tomisato. They try to use Chiba Prefecture’s vegetables as much as possible. For the potatoes, they use the Irish Cobbler variety (danshaku potato) to achieve a fluffy texture. Although they add a little garlic, they insist on using Aomori-grown garlic. The miso, a secret ingredient that characterizes the Shirakabaha’s curry, is sourced from “Yamatsune Miso” in Abiko City, Chiba Prefecture. It became evident that the combination of locally sourced ingredients and high-quality spices from Sri Lanka creates the deliciousness of the Shirakabaha’s curry chicken.
HUEJAY emphasizes the handmade approach. All the peeling and cutting of ingredients are done manually. For example, if potatoes are peeled by a machine, the starch tends to seep out, resulting in the loss of the potatoes’ delightful fluffy texture. Although they produce 1,500 to 2,000 servings of retort curry at a time, they refuse to make more at once to maintain their commitment to handmade quality.
HUEJAY’s dedication is also reflected in their inspection process, with three inspections carried out during the retort production to check for defective items.
Significant Contribution of Sri Lankan Staff
At HUEJAY, many Sri Lankan people are working. We had a conversation with Mr. Anil and Mr. Padmasiri, who play a central role among them. Mr. Anil has been in Japan for 16 years and serves as the supervising manager for Sri Lankan employees. In addition to food manufacturing, HUEJAY also imports ornamental plants (such as cut flowers), and Mr. Anil’s work covers a wide range of responsibilities.
“Japanese consumers are very sensitive to quality. If even one flower is of poor quality, they won’t buy from us again. Therefore, we make sure to provide high-quality products. Once, we imported chrysanthemum flowers with poor quality, and we had to discard all of them. It was an unavoidable decision to maintain the quality.”
Mr. Padmasiri has been in Japan for 13 years and started working here based on his experience as a hotel chef. “Since large quantities of ingredients like meat and vegetables are needed, it is possible to use machines for cutting. However, we deliberately use knives. We even peel the potatoes with a knife. Hand peeling allows for more detailed care, resulting in more delicious dishes. We prioritize quality over efficiency.”
We asked Mr. Anil about how he spends his days off. “I have adapted to Japanese culture, and I enjoy my days off by going shopping with friends and such. Sri Lankan curry is the best, but I also enjoy Japanese curry.”
Discussing Culture While Enjoying Sri Lankan Cuisine
During this coverage, we were treated to Sri Lankan cuisine by the company president, Mr. Jayakody. Mr. Jayakody, along with Japanese staff members Ms. Takahashi and Ms. Matsui, and three members of the reporting team, deepened their exchange while savoring the Sri Lankan dishes.
Sri Lanka is a devoutly Buddhist country. The people are kind, the security is good, and it is similar to Japan. They also share the Japanese trait of working together cooperatively. The conscientious work of the Sri Lankan staff contributes to the deliciousness and quality of the Shirakabaha’s curry chicken.
| HUEJAY Japan Co., Ltd. (Narita City, Chiba Prefecture) Their business includes the import, sales, and manufacturing of food products, as well as the import and sales of ornamental plants (cut flowers, foliage, etc.). They handle 80% of the imported cut flowers and foliage from Sri Lanka. In 1966, Mr. Jayakody first came to Japan to purchase gemstone polishing machines and acquire polishing techniques. In 1985, they started their food business with the sale of Godamba Roti at the Sri Lanka Pavilion during the Tsukuba Expo. Since 2008, they have been manufacturing the Shirakabaha’s curry retort chicken. |