30min InstantPot Japanese Chicken Curry

Delicious and authentic tasting Japanese curry, in 30 minutes! See the video below from Just One Cookbook for method, though I made a fair amount of adjustments based on advice to make it healthier/more flavorful.

Prep time: 10m, Total start-to-eat time: 30min

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Ingredients

Veggies and Meat: 3 onions 1 ½ carrots 3 Yukon gold potatoes (russet will get mushy) 1.5-2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs (or can use beef cubes or pork) Seasoning: 6 cubes (3/4 of a ~8oz package) Japanese curry roux (or make homemade curry roux: Prefer Vermont brand, or Torokeru/Java brands - can mix and match. I prefer 4 cubes hot + 2 cubes medium hot. can use even less to cut down on sodium. 2 cloves garlic, grated (or minced fine) 1 tsp ginger, grated (or mincedf fine) 1 Tbsp neutral-flavored oil (vegetable, canola, etc) 4 cups liquid: water is fine, or can use chicken/veggie stock or half stock/half dash 1 tbsp ketchup or similar sweeteener like 1/2 minced apple (add before cooking), squirt of maple syrup or a few squares of dark chocolate

1/2 tbsp soy sauce (to taste)

Optional: Furkujinzuke (red pickled daikon) (for garnish) Frozen peas

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Tips for stew veggie (potato, carrot) cutting:

• Cut veggies slightly larger than you normally would so they don't mush

• Optionally can cut off vegetable corners using "mentori" to prevent them from breaking down while cooking, though didn't seem needed

Directions

Prep:

1. Cut the meat into bigger than bitesize pieces, around 3 inch cubes, using "Sogigiri" method (hold your knife diagonally, nearly parallel to the cutting board, and then slice meat/vegetable. This method gives the ingredient more surface area so that it cooks faster and soaks up flavor quickly). Optionally marinate chicken in curry powder for ~2hrs.

2. Cut the onions into halves and cut the halves into 5 wedges.

3. Peel the carrot and cut into bite sizes. Use japanese cutting style “Rangiri”. Cut the carrot diagonally while rotating it a quarter between cuts. This not only results in an attractive shape that is good for stews and simmered dishes but also gives the pieces bigger surface space to absorb seasonings quicker.

4. Peel the potatoes and cut into quarters. Soak in water until ready to use, to remove starch.

Cook:

1. Set Instant Pot to "Sauté" and heat 1/2 Tbsp oil. When pot is hot, add the chicken to the pot and coat with oil, cook until browned on all sides (doesn't need to be cooked through) (~8 min?). You want it to caramelize and stick a bit.

2. Add the onion, stir to soak up chicken fond and cook until softened. Add garlic, ginger, carrot and potato to the pot and mix well.

3. Add in liquid and using a wooden spoon scrape the nice caramelized parts off the bottom of the pot into the liquid.

4. Add curry roux (use more or fewer cubes based on taste. Use a spatula to push down some ingredients but keep the curry roux blocks on top (Do not mix!). If you use a homemade roux, add it after pressure cooking is done. Homemade roux is runnier and it goes to the bottom of the pot easily and can burn while cooking.

5. Cover and lock the lid, seal valve and set "Meat/Stew" to pressure cook 15 minutes. Quick release.

6. Unlock the lid and stir well, being careful not to mash potatoes and veggies. If using homemade roux, add it now and sauté an extra 5 minutes until blended well.

7. Add 1 Tbsp ketchup (or sweetener) and 1 Tbsp soy sauce (if you use homemade curry, add it before ketchup and soy sauce. Optionally garnish with Fukujinzuke (red daikon pickles) and frozen peas. Serve with rice.

--- Special thank you to Yoko, Miwa and Reddit for tips! Adapted from Just One Cookbook.