Like a chunk of a candy bar, or unsweetened cocoa powder? Because the powder is pretty cool for other things, too. I put a couple heaping tablespoons in my Chili. It gives it a richer, molé vibe.

Chocolate is one of my seven secret herbs and spices in my chili. It really bams up the bitter flavor in a nice way, without giving an over-weaseled texture to he dish.

Bam!

• Instant coffee, or just ultra-finely ground.
• Baker's chocolate
• Shredded apple

Actually all three.

you should try adding chocolate and brown sugar to chili.

you will literally win chili competitions with it.

Some diced apple adds a nice touch too.

Instant coffee works too

It’s much less spicy than most other curry. Even the “hot” versions are like barely detectable heat. It also often has apple and honey added for sweetness, and I would say it’s saucier than other curries. It’s good if you approach it as its own thing, but very different from like a British-style curry and even more different from anything you would find in India.

The product in the picture is a curry roux block, which looks a bit like a big Hershey chocolate bar with squares that can be broken off. It’s like a sauce concentrate. You start cooking your meat and vegetables in a pot, add just enough water to cover everything, then add cubes of roux. The roux has everything necessary to make a complete sauce, but lots of home cooks have their own blend of things they add to adjust, like the aforementioned grated apple and honey, or ginger, garlic, mirin, tonkatsu sauce, etc.

Imo it taste much better and the texture is better too, more “velvety”. There are variants of the photo that are sweeter/have apple flavour. I like the stock standard Java stuff. I added a link to the recipe I started with initially in the original comment since there’s a few of replies.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_curry

I'm not sure how to describe it, but its way different from my expectations and I feel like one day I'll eat or drink something and say "it tastes kinda like japanese curry"

Japanese curry is peak savory food. Nothing like Indian or Thai curries at all, very much its own thing. Not usually spicy at all, but can be if you want.

Sort of between a sauce and a stew. Sometimes with veggies in it, sometimes just a homogenous thick delicious stuff. Goes great over rice, and especially with breaded things like tofu or, if you eat meat, chicken or pork. The curry sticks to the breading and, fuck, my mouth is watering just typing this up.

If you're curious, see if any Japanese restaurants near you make Japanese curry, or try the grocery store roux boxes like in the OP. Basically just cook down some onions and add the roux with water, carrots, and potatoes and then simmer for a bit. Can add whatever else you'd like, tho carrots and potatoes go really well with it.