Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs (beef, pork, seafood, tofu, mushrooms, or more vegetables; you can increase up to 2 lbs/907 g)
• kosher/sea salt (I use Diamond Crystal; use half for table salt)
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 carrots
• 2 onions
• 1-2 russet potatoes (2-3 yukon gold potatoes if you want to preserve the potato shape)
• 1/2 Tbsp ginger (grated)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 1/2 Tbsp neutral-flavored oil (vegetable, rice bran, canola, etc)
• 4 cups chicken stock/broth (if you’re careful with sodium intake, you can use water only, or use half stock + half water)
• 1 apple (I used fuji apple; use as much as you like to add sweetness)
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1/2 tsp kosher/sea salt (I use Diamond Crystal; use half for table salt)
• 1 package Japanese curry roux (7-8 oz or 200-230 g; or use all of my homemade curry roux)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp ketchup

Instructions

Prep

Discard the extra fat from the chicken and cut it into bite size pieces. Season with a little bit of salt and pepper.

• Peel and cut the carrot in rolling wedges (Rangiri) and cut the onions in wedges. Cut the potatoes into 1 1/2 inch (4 cm) pieces and soak in water for 15 minutes to remove excess starch.
• Cut the potatoes into 1 1/2 inch (4 cm) pieces and soak in water for 15 minutes to remove excess starch.
• Grate the ginger and crush the garlic.

Start cooking

• Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat and sauté the onions until they become translucent and tender.
• Add the ginger and garlic.
• Add the chicken and cook until it’s no longer pink.
• Add the carrot and mix well to coat with oil.
• Add the chicken broth and bring it to a boil. Chicken broth contains a different amount of salt. If you’re careful with sodium intake or not sure if your chicken stock is too salty, you can use water only, or use half stock + half water. You can always add salt at the end of cooking.
• Once boiling, using a fine-mesh strainer, skim the scrum and fat from the surface of the broth.
• Peel the apple and grate it (use as much as you like to add sweetness). I’ve been using this grater and love it.
• Add the honey and salt and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the potatoes and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
• Turn off the heat. If you use the store-bought curry roux, put 1-2 blocks of roux in a ladle and slowly let it dissolve with a spoon or chopsticks. Continue with the rest of the blocks.
• If you’re using homemade curry roux, scoop a ladleful or two of cooking liquid from the curry broth and add it into the curry paste in a saucepan. Add more cooking liquid if necessary and mix well until it’s smooth.
• Add the roux mixture back into the soup and stir to combine.

To Season the Curry

• Add soy sauce and ketchup (and any other condiments you’re adding - see the blog post). Simmer uncovered on low heat, stirring occasionally, until the curry becomes thick.