JAPANESE CURRY

SERVES 4 / PREPARATION 20 MINUTES / COOKING 1 HOUR

CURRY ROUX

2 tablespoons neutral vegetable oil

2 boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 onions, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

3cm fresh ginger, chopped

1 stick celery, finely chopped

1 carrot, grated

1 apple, finely chopped or grated

3 tablespoons curry powder

240ml (8 fl oz) crushed tomatoes

4 tablespoons plain flour

600ml dashi (see recipe page 92), chicken stock or dashi shojin 2 potatoes, peeled and quartered

SEASONING

1 tablespoon Worcestershire or tonkatsu sauce 1 tablespoon malted or nutritional yeast 1 tablespoon soy sauce

2–3 teaspoons salt

SIDES

½ eggplant (aubergine) ½ zucchini (courgette) ½ capsicum (pepper) 8 green beans oil, for frying cooked rice for 4 people

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a deep frying pan over medium heat. Place the chicken pieces in, skin-side down, and cook for 1 minute each side. Remove the chicken. Add 1 tablespoon oil to the frying pan with the chicken fat and fry the onion, garlic and ginger until they are nicely golden, almost caramelised. Add the celery, carrot and apple and cook for 10 minutes.

Remove from the heat, stir in the curry powder and mix well. Return to the heat, stir in the tomatoes and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the flour. Return to medium heat and stir for 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually pour in the dashi or stock. Add in the chicken, potato and all the seasoning ingredients, then leave to simmer for 20 minutes over medium-low heat. Cut the eggplant into large cubes, the zucchini into 1cm slices and the capsicum into strips. Cut the wide end off the beans (keep the end with the pointy tip). Heat 3cm of frying oil to 180°C in a frying pan and fry the vegetables until they are golden brown. Divide the rice among four plates, add the curry and serve the vegetables on top.

GOURMET VERSION Serve the curry with tonkatsu pork instead of the chicken.

VEGAN VERSION Remove the chicken thighs.