apple pumpkin japanese chicken curry rice

this was an unplanned happy accident. amazing plate of autumn hearty goodness. i hope you give this a try.

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apple pumpkin japanese chicken curry

3 skinless chicken breasts, cut into 4 cm chunks

1/2 TB curry powder

1 dash of soy sauce

2 medium yellow onions peeled and roughly cut into 4 cm chunks

2 TB grated ginger

3 cloves of garlic grated

3 medium apples, peeled and cored cut roughly into 4 cm chunks (roughly 2 cups)

3 small carrots, cut roughly into 4 cm chunks (roughly 2 cups)

1 bowl of pumpkins, peeled large chunks (much larger then others, because their tendency to fall apart easily)

1 cinnamon stick

1 bay leaf

oil for cooking

salt and pepper for seasoning

4 - 6 pieces of curry base (curry block)

2 - 3 cups of chicken stock or water

in a bowl mix the chicken chunks with curry powder and a dash of soy sauce to marinade.

in a heavy bottomed pot, heat about 4 TB of oil over medium heat. cook the onion with a pinch of salt over medium low heat until the onion turns translucent.

continue to add the ginger, garlic, carrots, apples, stock or water, cinnamon and bay leaf. have the liquid cover over the vegetables by about 5 cm. bring up boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the carrots are tender, about 20 minutes or so.

in the meantime, in a frying pan, heat 2 TB of oil over medium high heat. pan fry the chicken until golden brown.

then add the browned chicken to the vegetables pot.

add the pumpkin to the pot. add more liquid to the pot if necessary. bring up to boil, then turn the heat low to simmer until the pumpkin is cooked through (about 10 - 12 minutes or so). make sure not to over cook the pumpkin, because it can become mushy and fall apart easily.

in a bowl, mix the curry cubes with some hot water. stir melt the block until it becomes a thick paste. add to the curry paste to the pot and mix carefully until it has melted and fully incorporated. taste and decide if an extra block is needed. over low heat let the pot simmer for 5 minutes or so.

serve with white rice and japanese pickle vegetables. enjoy!

good READs on japanese curry rice:

how to make the perfect rice!

just hungry's japanese beef curry has lots of great tips

wikipedia on japanese curry

japanese curry rice vending machine