I say that Hokkaido has some of the best food in Japan, so I better give some recipes of a few iconic dishes from that region. One of the most unique dishes I have found is Soup Curry, a curry flavoured soup served with some meat and heaps of delicious cooked veggies. There’s also a bowl of rice served on the side to eat your soup with. Below is what it looks like and the recipe.
Soup:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 onion, minced
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon – 1/2 tablespoon cayenne, based on spice tolerance
- 2.5 cups chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon sake
- 1 tablespoon soy
- 1 tablespoon mirin
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 chicken thighs, bone in, skin on
Vegetables:
- butternut squash, sliced
- kabocha (Japanese winter squash), sliced
- zucchini, sliced
- mushrooms, halved
- carrot spears
- broccoli florets
- okra
- boiled potato, cut into wedges
- oil, to deep fry
To serve:
- steamed rice
In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the ginger, garlic, and onion, and cook, until soft, but not brown, about 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle on the flour and stir in, cooking over medium heat. Add the curry powder, garam masala, and cayenne, stirring to combine. Slowly stir in the chicken stock, sake, soy, and mirin. Add the bay leaf and turn the heat up to bring the soup to a simmer. Add the chicken legs and adjust the heat so that the soup is simmering very gently, only a couple of bubbles should break the surface. Cook, partially covered, for about 30-40 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
While the chicken is cooking, make your rice according to your favorite method, then get started on the vegetables. You can use any kinds of vegetables as toppings, all we’re going to do is deep-fry them. Make sure all of your vegetables are very dry with no water on the surfaces whatsoever.
Heat up 2 inches of oil (I prefer grapeseed) in a deep-sided, heavy bottomed pot over medium-heat, until the oil reaches 375°F. Fry the vegetables, in batches, until they take on a crisp, slightly brown color. Drain on a wire rack or paper towels. The vegetables will take varying times in the hot oil, but generally, things take about 1-3 minutes. The potatoes will take much longer (the potatoes need to be boiled until tender, yet firm, before frying).
Once all of the vegetables are cooked, ladle some soup into a shallow bowl and place the chicken in the bottom of the bowl. Arrange the vegetables around and serve rice on a place, on the side. Enjoy!
Image and recipe: http://iamafoodblog.com/sapporo-soup-curry-recipe/
Hokkaido, Japan - A Food Blog 