10 Minute Meal - Japanese Curry

1. Gather all the ingredients. I use an electric pot for this recipe and others in the 10-Minute Meal series. You also could use a regular saucepan on the stove.
2. Use a knife to cut ½ onion into thin slices.
3. Peel ½ carrot (I love using my Japanese peeler). Then, cut it in a rangiri shape by rotating the carrot a quarter turn between diagonal cuts. The rangiri Japanese cutting technique creates an attractive shape with more surface area to absorb the seasonings.
4. Peel ½ russet potato and cut it into small chunks about 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide.
5. Cut 5 oz boneless, skinless chicken thigh into bite-size pieces, about 1 inch (2.5 cm) square. To do so, cut the chicken along the grain into strips 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide. Then, angle your knife back diagonally and slice the chicken strips against the grain into flat pieces. This Japanese cutting technique called sogigiri creates pieces of equal thickness and more surface area for faster cooking and better flavor absorption.
6. Season the chicken pieces with ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper and ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt.

To Cook

1. Turn on the heat to medium-high on the stove or Mode II (600W) on the electric pot. Add 1 Tbsp neutral oil to the pot. When the oil is hot, add the onions.
2. Cook the onions until tender and slightly charred.
3. Add the chicken and stir to cook until it is no longer pink on the outside.
4. Add the carrots and potatoes and coat them with the oil. Tip: Coating with oil seals in the nutrients and flavor and prevents the vegetables from breaking apart.
5. Add 2 cups water. Level the ingredients so they are completely submerged under the water.
6. Cover with a lid and cook for 13 minutes.
7. Check for doneness. If a wooden skewer pierces a potato and carrot easily, it's done cooking. Turn off the heat. Add one of the 2 cubes Japanese curry roux to a ladle (I use a draining ladle) along with some cooking liquid. Completely dissolve the roux in the liquid with chopsticks before stirring it into the pot.
8. Repeat with the remaining cube of roux.
9. Turn on the heat again, this time to medium or Mode I (250W). Let the curry sauce thicken, stirring frequently so that it does not burn on the bottom of the pot. Turn off the heat once the curry is an ideal consistency, about 2–3 minutes.

To Serve

1. Add 1 serving cooked Japanese short-grain rice to one half of an individual bowl or curry plate and ladle the Japanese curry on the other half. Serve with optional fukujinzuke (Japanese red pickled vegetables).

To Store

1. Keep any leftovers in an airtight glass container (so no stains!) and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for a month. Remove the potatoes before freezing, as their texture will change. Defrost the frozen curry in the refrigerator for 24 hours before you want to serve it. Stir in a bit of water to loosen the thickened sauce, then gently reheat on low heat, stirring frequently to avoid burning the sauce.