Feb 6, 2007

Japanese-Style Chicken Curry

(Wafuu Curry)

SERVES 4

Wafuu curry has a cult following in Japan, where many fondly remember eating it at home and at school functions. The recipes vary from cook to cook, and often include a host of "secret" ingredients like chocolate, milk, miso, and dashi (a stock made from seaweed and bonito flakes). Unlike most curries in other countries, this one is thickened with flour, which creates a smoother texture.

3 cups Chicken Stock
1 tbsp. canola or peanut oil
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1" chunks
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. finely chopped fresh ginger
1 medium yellow onion, 1⁄2 finely chopped, 1⁄2 cut into
1" pieces
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
3 tbsp. flour
2 tbsp. curry powder, preferably S&B brand
2 tbsp. crushed tomatoes
1 dried bay leaf
1 medium carrot, peeled and cut crosswise into
1⁄2" rounds
1 medium russet potato, peeled and cut into 1" chunks
1 small fuji apple, peeled, cored, and coarsely grated
1 tsp. honey
1 tbsp. soy sauce
Steamed short-grain white rice

1. Bring the chicken stock to a simmer in a medium pot over medium-high heat; reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a simmer. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Season chicken thighs all over with salt and pepper to taste, add to the skillet, and cook, stirring and turning frequently, until deep golden brown on all sides, about 4 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat, transfer the chicken to a large plate, and set aside.

2. Return the skillet to medium-high heat and melt the butter. Add the ginger, chopped onions, and garlic and cook, stirring often to scrape up any browned bits, until the onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is evenly browned, about 2 minutes. Add the curry powder and the tomatoes, stir well to combine, and remove the skillet from the heat. Add 1⁄2 cup of hot chicken stock and whisk vigorously to combine, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of skillet. (The browned bits will contribute greatly to the taste and color of the curry.) Whisk the curry mixture into the pot of simmering chicken stock, then add the reserved browned chicken thighs, onion pieces, bay leaf, carrots, and potatoes. Bring the curry to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened and vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.

3. Add the apples, honey, soy sauce, and salt to taste to the curry and stir well to combine. Cook the curry, stirring occasionally, over medium-low heat, until the flavors meld, about 5 minutes more. Serve the curry with steamed rice.

This article was first published in Saveur in

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Ratings & Reviews (7)

by aveivy on 2008-12-01

this has become a standard in the household. the apples add great texture and, with the honey, there's a slight sweetness that nicely offsets the heat of the curry (i use bolst's hot curry powder).

household preference is to serve with baked short grain brown rice and soy sauce as a condiment.

by anecelle on 2008-12-29

this is the BEST curry recipe i have found on the internet and books after a long search. it is true japanese flavor and culture wrapped up in an easy to find collection of ingredients. it has totally turned me on to saveur.

by gourmet on 2009-03-22

I am not a big curry fan and niether is the rest of my family. But, when I made this on a night that I was looking for something different, every one went nuts for it. Now my son regularly asks for it for dinner!

by KHILTD on 2010-05-22

This is an excellent starting point and pretty close to the recipe that's on the back of the S&B can (they call for bouillon instead of actual stock and their proportions are for like 50 servings)--definitely better than any of the hydrogenated roux bricks that tend to give Japanese curry a bad name. I needed a lot more heat, personally, so I added a couple teaspoons of sambal oelek.

This star rating JavaScript doesn't work in Safari at all, so it doesn't look like I can vote it up.

by PELLONEUS on 2010-09-14

I was cooking in a pinch this evening and was looking for a good recipe. I stumbled upon this and just happened to have all the ingredients, so I decided to make it. Now, I'll admit, I've never had "real" Japanese curry before. I've had all kinds of Indian curries and once made curry with a boxed roux, and pretty much every one tasted different. Needless to say, I was excited to try this. Anyway, I'll be very blunt about the result - I LOVED it, and so did my picky little sister. It had the perfect texture, the perfect balance between sweet and savory, the perfect... well, pretty much everything. I made steamed short-grain white rice to go with it, and everything went together beautifully.

by OMAKEME on 2010-09-21

I really loved this recipe! Even though I didn't quite have all the ingredients, it still worked out very well for me!

by RAINJANE on 2011-12-02

When I saw this article in the magazine, it really piqued my interest. I should have trusted my instincts on it though. As written the chicken was overcooked and the onions were undercooked at the end. I followed the recipe exactly, but I should have cooked the 1" pieces of onions separately before adding it to the curry and I should have added the chicken raw (without browning) to the broth with the uncooked carrots and potatoes.

The flavor is ok -- it's very similar to the S&B curry bricks. Not sure if it was worth making from scratch. I might try it again with modifications, but definitely not again as written.

I'm a long time subscriber to Saveur, but rarely try the recipes. This doesn't instill confidence in their recipes.

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