Japanese Chicken Curry
Recipe inspired by Anthony
Delicious Japanese chicken curry for a weeknight dinner! Tender pieces of chicken, carrots, and potatoes cooked in a rich, savory curry sauce. This Japanese version of curry is a must-have for your family meal. Japanese curry is sumptuous and “umami” but in a more understated manner than Indian curry.
Notes:
Short-grain rice will absorb the sauce better than long-grain rice.
Leftover curry sauce will thicken into a paste as it cools, so it tends to burn while reheating. To avoid this, stir ½ cup (120 ml) water or more into the leftover sauce until loosened. Then, gently reheat it on low heat. If the sauce seems thin, continue heating with the lid off to reduce the sauce.
You can substitute the chicken with beef, pork, shrimp, seafood, or tofu. Since tofu cooks quickly, you may not need to simmer them for 15 minutes, except for dense root vegetables like carrots and potatoes here. Drain the tofu for 15 minutes before use and add it right after you add the curry roux. Warm it up for the last 5–10 minutes.
Ingredients
2 onions (large; 1.5 lb, 670 g)
2 carrots (6.7 oz, 190 g)
3 Yukon gold potatoes (15 oz, 432 g)
1 tsp ginger (grated)
2 cloves garlic
1 sweet apple
1½ lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs (can use breast if you would like)
freshly ground black pepper
For the Curry Sauce
1½ Tbsp neutral oil (for cooking)
4 cups chicken stock/broth (for lower sodium, use water only or half stock and half water)
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp ketchup
1 - 2 3.2 oz packages Japanese S&B Medium Hot Golden Curry Sauce Mix
Preparation
Thinly slice the onions so they disintegrate into the sauce.
Peel 2 carrots and roll cut them. This type of cut creates more surface area, which helps the carrots absorb more flavor and cook faster.
Peel 3 Yukon gold potatoes and cut them into quarters. Soak them in water for 15 minutes to remove excess starch.
Grate the ginger to 1 tsp ginger with the juice.
Mince 2 cloves of garlic
Core and peel the apple, then cut into quarters.
Grate the apple and set aside
Cut off the extra fat from 1½ lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs and discard it. Then, cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Season with freshly ground black pepper.
Heat 1½ Tbsp neutral oil in a large pot over medium heat and add the onion.
Sauté the onions, stirring occasionally, until they become translucent and tender, about 5 minutes. Don‘t stir the onions too often because they won’t develop a golden color.
Add the minced garlic and grated ginger and mix well together.
Add the chicken and cook, stirring frequently, until it‘s no longer pink on the outside. If the onions are getting too brown, reduce the heat a bit.
Add 4 cups chicken stock/broth.
Add the grated apple, 1 Tbsp honey, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, and 1 Tbsp ketchup.
Add the carrots and Yukon gold potatoes. The broth should barely cover the ingredients.
Once boiling, use a fine-mesh strainer to skim the surface of the broth.
Simmer, covered, on medium-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the ingredients are completely submerged in the broth, simmer uncovered.
Continue to cook until a wooden skewer goes through the carrots and potatoes.
Turn off the heat.
Remove a bit of the cooking liquid and put 1 – 2 cubes of Japanese curry mix into it. Let it dissolve while stirring with a spoon and add to the pot to incorporate. Repeat with the rest of the cubes, 1- 2 at a time. Use between 5 to 7 of the 10 cubes based on the amount of liquid you have.
Simmer, uncovered, on medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the curry becomes thick, about 5–10 minutes. If your curry is too thick, you can add water to thin the sauce. When you stir, make sure that no roux or food is stuck to the bottom of the pot; otherwise, it may burn.
Serve with steamed Japanese short-grain rice
Keywords: Asian Main
