mmm, curry

Originally uploaded by starchmouse.

Until I was in high school, the only curry I knew about was the japanese kind. Bright yellow from turmeric, and thick with carrots, potatoes, and chunks of beef. It was such a homey and satisfying meal. It fell to the wayside after I discovered indian and thai curries, but in the last year I've been craving this concoction.

Unfortunately, I've been having a hard time finding the curry powder pouches my mom used to use when I was a kid. Now they sell these blocks of curry roux that have curry powder, vegetable oil, potato starch, and unfortunately, MSG. So I've been putting off making this curry until a recent trip to LA where I ate chicken katsu curry at Hurry Curry. Oh. My. God. The curry craving kicked into overdrive.

Luckily, the latest edition of Saveur 100 lists japanese "Waafu Curry" at number 12, complete with a recipe!! I made it two nights ago, and it was delicious.....here is the recipe (or at least, as much of it as I can remember, since I left the magazine at home):

3 cups chicken stock

1 tbsp oil
1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, 1" cubes (I used chicken breast)

3 tbsp butter
1 medium onion, half chopped finely and half diced into 1" chunks
1 tsp ginger, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped

3 tbsp flour
2 tbsp curry powder (S&B brand, comes in a 3oz can)
2 tbsp crushed tomatoes

1 bay leaf
1 medium russet potato, 1" cubes
1 medium carrot, 1/2" rounds

1 small apple, coarsely grated
1 tsp honey
1 tablespoon soy sauce

In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a simmer.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over high heat and brown the chicken pieces on all sides, about 4 minutes. Take out the chicken and set aside on a large plate. In the same skillet, melt the butter over medium heat and saute the finely chopped onions, ginger, and garlic until the onions are clear. Scrape up the brown bits left from the chicken. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and cook until light brown, about three minutes. Add curry powder and tomatoes and combine well. Whisk in half a cup of the hot chicken stock. Remove skillet from heat.

Whisk the curry powder mixture into the remaining chicken stock in the saucepan. Add the bay leaf, diced onions, potatoes, carrots, and chicken. Bring curry to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and the sauce is thickened. Stir in the apples, honey, soy sauce, and salt to taste. Cook another five minutes for the flavors to meld. Serve over steamed white rice.

Serves 4.