Mother's Day Dinner: Japanese Chicken Curry
I mentioned once before, the curry I make quite often is the one that I grew up with. My mom made almost this exact curry monthly, and when I left the nest, I craved it so badly I learned how to make it. And it was really stupidity that kept me away... this curry is incredibly easy to make, and it's so good, you can "wow" people with it. It is pretty appropriate then, to make this for the Mom on Mother's day. The only problem is I didn't get to spend the day with my mom, so the in-laws had to do. This actually worked in my favor, since neither of them had tasted this curry before, and were therefore even more impressed than my own mother would have been. So, ready your tastebuds and checkity-check the recipe after the jump:
Ingredients:
1 ½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken, cubed (breast or thigh, whatever)
1 large onion, chopped quasi-finely
4 carrots
6 C broccoli crowns and stems
3 C chicken/veggie broth (or water)
1 package S&B Curry mix (you can find this at most grocery stores in the asian food aisle - comes in mild, medium, and hot - I usually use medium)
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
Heat a large pot to medium-hot on the cooker and add the oil and onions. Sautee the onions until just translucent, then add the cubed chicken.
Sautee the chicken and the onions for about 5 more minutes, then add the broth, water, or mixture of both. Increase the heat to high and wait for the mixture to come to a boil. Add the carrots (and other root vegetables, if using - potatoes are good in this, too), reduce the heat to medium, and cover the pot.
Let simmer for approx. 20 minutes, or until the chicken is pretty much done. Add the broccoli to the top of the broth and junk, recover, and let simmer for 7 minutes.
Once the broccoli looks at least somewhat steamed, add the curry cubes to the mixture and stir until melted. Bring the mixture up to a simmer again, and partially cover with a lid. Let bubble for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent it from sticking to the bottom.
Once the mixture is thickened to the desired consistency, remove the pot from the heat and spoon the curry over (or next to, as done in Japan) a short-grain sticky rice, such as Neki-neki or Kokuho Rose (my fave).
Serve with chopsticks and sake, if you can get your guests to use both to their advantage, and await the praises.
