Japanese Chicken Curry

Step 1

Gather all the ingredients.

Step 2

Discard the extra fat from the chicken and cut it into bite size pieces. Season with a little bit of salt and pepper.

Step 3

Peel and cut the carrot in rolling wedges (Rangiri) and cut the onions in wedges.

Step 4

Cut the potatoes into 1 ½ inch (4 cm) pieces and soak in water for 15 minutes to remove excess starch.

Step 5

Grate the ginger and crush the garlic.

Step 6

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat and sauté the onions until they become translucent and tender.

Step 7

Add the ginger and garlic.

Step 8

Add the chicken and cook until it's no longer pink.

Step 9

Add the carrot and mix well to coat with oil.

Step 10

Add the chicken broth and bring it to a boil. Chicken broth contains a different amount of salt. If you're careful with sodium intake or not sure if your chicken stock is too salty, you can use water only, or use half stock + half water. You can always add salt at the end of cooking.

Step 11

Once boiling, using a fine-mesh strainer, skim the scrum and fat from the surface of the broth.

Step 12

Peel the apple and grate it (use as much as you like to add sweetness). I've been using this grater and love it.

Step 13

Add the honey and salt and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Step 14

Add the potatoes and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

Step 15

Turn off the heat. If you use the store-bought curry roux, put 1-2 blocks of roux in a ladle and slowly let it dissolve with a spoon or chopsticks. Continue with the rest of the blocks.

Step 16

If you're using homemade curry roux, scoop a ladleful or two of cooking liquid from the curry broth and add it into the curry paste in a saucepan. Add more cooking liquid if necessary and mix well until it’s smooth.

Step 17

Add the roux mixture back into the soup and stir to combine.

Step 18

Add soy sauce and ketchup (and any other condiments you're adding - see the blog post). Simmer uncovered on low heat, stirring occasionally, until the curry becomes thick.

Step 19

Serve the curry with Japanese rice on the side. If you like, garnish with soft boiled egg and fukujinzuke.

Step 20

You can keep the leftovers in a glass airtight container (so no stain!) and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and in the freezer for a month. Potatoes will change the texture so you can take them out before freezing. When you reheat, add ¼-½ cup (60-120 ml) water to dilute the curry.