Japanese Curry Chicken
By Michael · from our van kitchen
This one goes way back. In December 2021 we were still in our first van, a year before Spencer was born, and I filmed a one-minute video of an easy van meal: Japanese curry chicken with rice, all on the stove.
It’s not a fancy recipe. Chicken, potatoes and Japanese curry mix in one pot, rice in the other, both on the stove. You can watch me make it, the whole thing is about a minute.
The rice trick
The part I’d point out is the rice. Before cooking it, I boil some water, put the rice in, turn the burner off and put the lid on. Keeping the grains in the hot water for about 30 minutes makes the rice cook faster. Then I drain it, add fresh water, bring it back to a boil, and turn it down to low for about 15 minutes.
The curry
While the rice cooks, I cut the chicken thighs into cubes and cook them in a little oil for about five minutes. Then the potatoes go in for about two more minutes. I used canned whole potatoes that time and cut them up. Then about three cups of water, lower the heat and let it simmer for about 15 minutes.
The curry mix goes in last. I only used half a pack. Stir it for about five minutes and it thickens up into that sauce. That’s it.
These days we eat a lot of curry out, Hong Kong style curry fish balls and curry beef brisket in the big cities. But this simple Japanese curry is the one I made myself in the van, and it’s about as easy as van cooking gets.
Ingredients
Rice
- 2 cups of rice
- Water
Curry
- Chicken thighs, cut into cubes
- Potatoes, cut into cubes (we used canned whole potatoes)
- A little cooking oil
- About 3 cups of water
- Half a pack of Japanese curry mix (we used medium hot)
Steps
- Start the rice first. Boil some water, add 2 cups of rice to the water, then turn off the burner and cover the lid. Leaving the rice in the hot water makes it easier and faster to cook. We let it sit for about 30 minutes.
- Drain the water, add some more water, and bring it to a boil again to cook the rice. Then turn it down to low and cook for about 15 minutes.
- While the rice cooks, prep the chicken and cut it into cubes.
- Cook the chicken in a little oil in a second pot for about five minutes.
- Add the potatoes and cook for about two more minutes.
- Add about three cups of water, reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 15 more minutes.
- Put in half a pack of the curry mix and keep stirring. After about five minutes of stirring, you're done.
- Serve it next to the rice and enjoy.
Amounts are what I said in the video. Where I didn't measure, it says "to taste". Cook it your way.
