Originated in Sapporo, Hokkaido, a northernmost island of Japan, Soup Curry is a light curry flavored soup served with fall-off-the-bone chicken and colorful vegetables that are flash fried to give the vibrant colors.  It's relatively a new addition to the popular Japanese curry scene.

Sapporo Soup Curry

INGREDIENTS

For Steamed Rice

• 2 rice cooker cups uncooked Japanese short-grain rice
• water (Fill up till 2 cup line)

For Soup Curry

• 1 onion
• 1 carrot
• 1 package shimeji mushrooms
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 knob ginger
• 2.5 lb bone-in skin-on chicken thighs (6 pieces)
• 1 tsp kosher/sea salt (I use Diamond Crystal; Use half for table salt) (for chicken)
• freshly ground black pepper
• ½ Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
• ¼ tsp kosher/sea salt (I use Diamond Crystal; Use half for table salt) (for onion)
• 3 cups chicken stock/broth
• 1 Tbsp dry basil
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp kosher/sea salt (I use Diamond Crystal; Use half for table salt) (to taste)
• 1 tsp soy sauce

Seasonings

• 1 piece Japanese curry roux (= 1 small square block)
• 1 Tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1 ½ Tbsp mango chutney

For Additional Vegetables

• 1 cup neutral-flavored oil (vegetable, canola, etc)
• 1 russet potato
• ½ red bell pepper
• 2 okra
• 2 Japanese/Chinese eggplant
• 2 inches lotus root (renkon)
• 2 oz kabocha (squash/pumpkin) (60 g)

INSTRUCTIONS

Make Steamed Rice

1. Rinse rice and drain well. Place rice and water in the inner pot of the cooker. Close the lid.
2. Select [Rice] using [MENU] button and set the steam time to 8 minutes. Press [COOK] button. When cooking is completed, warming will start. Fluff up the rice with a rice scooper. Tip: Adjust cooking time and water according to personal taste.

Prepare Ingredients

1. Gather all the ingredients. Once we start cooking, we don't have time to measure, so make sure to prepare the seasonings ahead of time (1 piece Japanese curry roux, 1 Tbsp curry powder, 1 tsp garam masala, 1 Tbsp tomato paste, 1 ½ Tbsp mango chutney, and 1 Tbsp honey).

   
2. Dice the onion (It doesn’t have to be perfect).
3. Cut the carrot into small pieces. I recommend using “rangiri” – a Japanese cutting method to increase the surface. It’ll help cooking evenly and faster, and absorbing more flavors.
4. Mince the garlic and grate the ginger.
5. Discard the bottom of the shimeji mushroom stem. Roughly separate the mushrooms.
6. Pat dry the chicken with paper towel to remove any moisture. Season the chicken with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Stir Fry

1. Set cooker to [BROWNING FRY, level 6] for 30 minutes (you can add more minutes later on if you need extra time).

2. Heat 1 Tbsp oil and brown the chicken, skin side down, for 5 minutes each side, or until golden brown. Don’t crowd the pot and brown the chicken in batches, if necessary.

3. After the bottom side is nicely brown, flip to cook the other side. Then transfer the chicken to a plate and continue with the next batch. Set aside.

4. Add the diced onion and 1 Tbsp unsalted butter. Sauté until translucent, about 7-8 minutes.

5. Add the garlic and ginger and mix all together.

6. Add 1 piece Japanese curry roux, 1 Tbsp curry powder, and 1 tsp garam masala. Give it a quick stir.

7. Add 1 Tbsp tomato paste and sauté until fragrant.

8. Add 1 Tbsp honey and 1 ½ Tbsp mango chutney and mix all together.

9. Gradually add half the chicken broth, scraping the brown bits on the bottom of the pot. Transfer the chicken back to the pot.

10. Add the carrots, shimeji mushrooms, and the rest of chicken broth.

11. Add 1 Tbsp dry basil and 1 bay leaf. Gently mix all together.

Pressure Cooking

1. Close the lid and set cooker to [MULTI COOK, level 9] for 35 minutes. For Instant Pot directions, see Notes.

2. Once the pressure cooking is done, open the lid and stir.  Add 1 tsp kosher salt and 1 tsp soy sauce.

3. Taste and adjust the flavor.

Deep Fry Vegetables (Optional)

1. Lotus root: Slice thinly and soak in water (or ideally 2 cups water + 1 tsp of rice vinegar) for 10 minutes.
2. Bell pepper: Remove the seeds and cut into 4 wedges.
3. Okra: Remove the hard corners and cut in half lengthwise.
4. Kabocha: Thinly slice the kabocha (cut in half if it’s too big). If the kabocha is too hard to cut, microwave for 30 seconds or more if it’s still hard.
5. Potato: Cut into 6 to 8 wedges and soak in water to remove starch for 10 minutes.
6. Eggplant: Right before deep frying (otherwise it’ll change color), cut the eggplants in half and cut the skin side in criss-cross pattern. This creates a nice design and helps to absorb more flavors.
7. Make sure to remove moisture from all the vegetables with paper towel or kitchen towel before frying.
8. Add 1 cup of oil in a frying pan (I used a cast iron pan) or pot. Deep/shallow fry the vegetables at 350 ºF (175 ºC) and drain the excess oil on a paper towel or a wire rack.

Serve

1. Serve the steamed rice in a small bowl or plate and the soup curry in a bowl. Top the soup curry with deep fried vegetables. When you eat, pick up some rice with a spoon, and scoop soup curry. Enjoy!

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