I got the really dense organic chicken drumsticks, and I was ready to make a donabe curry dish with them.
I love Indian curry for the complexity and depth. When I make Indian-style curry, I use at least 5-6 different spices. This time, I wanted to make something more simple but still tasty (more like a Japanese concept). So, the only spices I used were the curry powder and garam masala. As long as the quality of these spices are high, I found I can make very flavorful curry with very easy preparation. Because I made a big batch, I used the donabe steamer, "Mushi Nabe" (without the steam grate) to make this dish.
Simple Donabe Chicken Curry
Ingredients - 5-6 servings
2.5 pounds chicken drumsticks
some salt, pepper, and flour
1 tablespoon each olive oil and butter
2 medium-size onion, thinly sliced
1/2 tablespoon each grated garlic and grated ginger
3 tablespoons curry powder
2 bay leaves
4.5 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 pound potatoes, peeled and cut into large cubes
1/2 carrot, peeled and cut into oblique
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 tablespoon garam masala
some salt and pepper
some olive oil
Procedure
1. Season the chicken drumsticks with salt and pepper. Dredge them in flour and shake off excess. Set aside.
2. In a large donabe, saute the onion with the olive oil and butter for 15 minutes until the onion is very soft. Add the garlic, ginger, curry powder, and bay leaves, and continue to saute until fragrant.
3. Slowly add the chicken stock as stir so that the curry powder won't be lumpy.
4. Add the tomato sauce, potatoes, carrot, and garbanzo beans. Cover. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. Skim as necessary.
5. In a large saute pan, sear the chicken until all sides are browned.
6. Add the chicken to the donabe. Continue to simmer for 20 minutes or until everything is cooked through.
7. Add the garam masala and adjust the seasoning with some salt and pepper. (I also like to add a little drizzle of soy sauce for more depth in flavor.)
8. Turn off the heat and serve. Serve with donabe rice (optional).
*It would taste even nicer the next day.
The flavor was really deep and soothing at the same time. The dish was so delicious. I made basmati rice + millet + red quinoa in the donabe rice cooker, "Kamado-san", to serve with the curry. They were so nice together.
Happy donabe life.
