← Nouns Cooking · Japanese

Ingredients

• 8 chicken drumsticks or bone-in thighs (about 1 kg)
• 1 tsp salt, for the chicken
• 1 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 1 Onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves Garlic, grated
• 1 tbsp Ginger, grated
• 2 tbsp Japanese or mild curry powder
• 1 tsp Garam masala
• 1 tsp Cumin
• 1 tbsp Tomato purée (paste)
• 1 l chicken stock
• 1 Bay leaves
• 1 tbsp Soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Honey
• 1 tsp salt, to taste
• 2 Potato, cut into wedges
• 200 g kabocha squash, cut into 1 cm slices
• 1 Japanese aubergine, cut into chunks
• 1 red pepper, cut into strips
• 4 Okra
• 4 slices Lotus root (optional)
• 4 tbsp oil, for frying the vegetables
• 4 soft-boiled eggs, halved (optional)
• 600 g hot cooked rice

Method

1. Season the chicken with salt. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and brown the pieces for 6–8 min, turning, until golden. Lift them out.
2. Lower the heat, add the onion and cook for 8–10 min, stirring, until soft and caramel brown. Add the garlic and ginger for 1 minute.
3. Stir in the curry powder, garam masala, cumin and tomato paste and fry for 1 minute until fragrant. Pour in the stock, add the bay leaf and return the chicken.
4. Simmer gently, partly covered, for 35–40 min until the chicken is very tender (at least 75°C / 165°F). Season with the soy sauce, honey and salt; the broth should be thin, savoury and warmly spiced.
5. While it simmers, shallow-fry the vegetables in batches in 4 tbsp oil over medium heat, 4–6 min per batch, until browned and just tender. Drain on paper.
6. Divide the chicken and broth between deep bowls, arrange the fried vegetables and egg on top and serve the rice on the side. Dip spoonfuls of rice into the curry as you go.

Tips

• Add cayenne or chilli flakes at the table: Sapporo shops let you choose your spice level from 1 to 10.
• Contains wheat (soy sauce); use tamari for gluten-free.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Just One Cookbook Japanese Cooking 101