Japanese Curry ala ~CHB~

Japanese Curry ala ~CHB~

(original recipe from norecipes.com)

Curry

Photo from norecipes.com

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground black pepper
⅓ c. canola oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
½ tsp. or inch fresh ginger
2 large onions, thinly sliced
2½ tsp. to 3 Tbsp. curry powder (depending on taste and tolerance)
3 c. chicken stock
2 carrots, cut into chunks
½ medium apple, peeled, cored, and grated
2 Tbsp. chunou sauce (2 parts ketchup to 1 part Worcestershire sauce in a pinch)
1½ tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. salt

¾ tsp. turmeric

1 tsp. Szechuan peppercorns

½ tsp. cumin

1 bay leaf
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
¾ to 1 c. frozen peas

Roux
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 Tbsp. flour 

• Clean any large bits of fat or tendon from the chicken and cut into large chunks; sprinkle with salt and pepper and mix to distribute evenly.
• Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat until hot and shimmering, then add the chicken in a single layer; let chicken brown undisturbed about 5 minutes; flip chicken and let it brown on the other side.
• Turn down the heat to medium-low and transfer chicken to a bowl using tongs, making sure to leave as much oil in the pan as possible.
• Add the garlic and ginger and fry in the oil until it’s not sizzling as much and it reaches a rich caramel brown color.
• Add the onions, stirring to coat with oil; cover with a lid and let the onions steam until translucent and limp (about 10-15 minutes).
• Remove the lid, turn up the heat to medium, and continue frying the onions, stirring constantly until pan contents are reduced to about 1/8 of original volume and it forms a shiny caramel brown paste (20-30 minutes); if the onion starts to stick to the pan before fully caramelized, try scrubbing off the stuck bits with a spatula, and if that doesn’t work, add a tiny bit of water to the area where things are sticking and use spatula to scrape.
• When the onions are fully caramelized, add the curry powder and sauté briefly until very fragrant.
• Return chicken to pot and add chicken stock, carrots, grated apple, chunou sauce, tomato paste, cocoa powder, salt, turmeric, peppercorns, cumin, and bay leaf; bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
• In the meantime, make the roux by adding the butter and flour to a small saucepan over medium heat; use spatula to stir constantly until bubbling subsides and roux is light brown in color.
• When potatoes are tender, taste and adjust salt to taste; if you like your curry sweeter, you can add some honey to taste.
• Finish the curry by stirring in the roux and green peas; bring to a boil to thicken.
• Serve with hot rice or on top of a bowl of udon noodles.

Shepherd's Pie ala ~DKBB~

Shepherd’s Pie ala ~DKBB~

(original recipe in Dec. 2016 Cooking Light)

1½ cups beef stock

2 Tbsp. flour (I prefer Wondra)

1 tsp. black pepper

½ tsp. white pepper

12 to 16 oz. ground beef (at least 90% lean)

1 onion, chopped

1½ tsp. ground thyme

1½ tsp. minced garlic

2 4oz. cans of mushroom pieces, drained

¼ cup cooking sherry

2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

½ tsp. kosher salt

2 cups frozen green peas, thawed

2 cups mashed potatoes                                                             

• Preheat oven to 450° F.
• Combine beef stock, flour, and peppers in a bowl and set aside.
• Cook ground beef and onion in cast iron skillet over medium high heat until browned, stirring to crumble; stir in thyme, garlic, and mushrooms and cook 3 minutes.
• Reduce heat to medium; stir in sherry, Worcestershire sauce, and salt; cook 3 minutes.
• Add stock mixture and bring all to a boil; cook 4 minutes or until thickened; stir in peas.
• Spread mashed potatoes over the beef mixture; bake at 450° F for 15 minutes, then turn on broiler (do not remove pan from oven) and broil for 4 minutes or until lightly browned.
• Allow to cool just a bit before serving.