Sūpu Karē (スープカレー, Sapporo soup curry)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide heavy pot
• •Fine-mesh strainer lined with a clean cloth
• •Deep individual soup bowls
• •Rice bowls or small plates for separate rice

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dashi

   Wipe the konbu with a damp cloth, but don't wash it. Put it in the cold water and warm it slowly until the water trembles and small bubbles climb the pot. Lift the konbu out before the boil, because boiled kelp turns the stock bitter and slick. Add the katsuobushi, take the pot off the heat, and let the flakes sink for three minutes. Strain through cloth or a fine sieve and don't squeeze, since pressing the flakes clouds the clean stock you need for this thin curry.

2. 2

   Brown the chicken

   Pat the chicken legs dry and season them with half the salt. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wide pot and brown the chicken skin-side down until the skin is deep gold, then turn briefly. Browning gives the broth a roasted backbone, and dry skin browns faster than damp skin. Remove the chicken to a plate.

3. 3

   Bloom the spices

   Add the remaining oil and the onion to the pot. Cook until the onion softens and begins to color, about 8 minutes, then stir in the garlic and ginger for 1 minute. Add the curry powder, cumin, coriander, and cayenne if using, and stir until fragrant. Keep the heat moderate. You want the spices to bloom in fat, not scorch, because scorched curry turns harsh and follows you all the way to the bowl.

4. 4

   Build the broth

   Stir in the tomato paste and cook until it darkens slightly, about 2 minutes. Pour in the dashi a little at a time, scraping the browned bits from the bottom. Add the soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar, and remaining salt. Return the chicken to the pot and simmer gently, uncovered, for 35 to 40 minutes, until the meat is tender but still attached to the bone.

5. 5

   Cook the vegetables

   Add the carrots and potatoes to the broth for the last 20 minutes, so they soften without collapsing. Cook the kabocha, eggplant, and bell pepper separately in a lightly oiled pan, turning until tender and browned at the edges. This keeps their color clear and their shapes intact. If everything boils together from the start, the soup grows cloudy and the vegetables lose their dignity. A small dignity, yes, but still worth defending.

6. 6

   Taste and adjust

   Taste the broth. It should be thin but not weak, with dashi underneath the spice. If it tastes flat, add a few drops of soy sauce. If it tastes heavy, add a spoonful of water or dashi. Don't thicken it with roux. This dish is soup curry, and the spoon should move through it cleanly.

7. 7

   Plate and serve

   Set one chicken leg in each deep bowl and ladle the curry broth around it. Arrange the carrot, potato, kabocha, eggplant, bell pepper, and one halved egg so the colors stay visible. Serve the rice in a separate bowl or on a small plate. Spoon curry over the rice bite by bite, the way we do it here, so the rice stays bright and the soup keeps its shape.

Chef Tips

• •Use a whole chicken leg if you can. Bone, skin, and joint give the broth more than a boneless cut can, and the dish looks right with one generous piece sitting in the bowl.
• •Japanese curry powder matters here more than curry roux. Roux makes a good curry rice, but it would thicken this broth and change the dish. Sūpu karē should run from the spoon.
• •Choose vegetables that can stand up to the bowl: carrot, potato, kabocha, eggplant, lotus root, okra, or bell pepper. Big pieces are not laziness. They are the structure of the dish.
• •For a meatless table, make the stock from konbu and dried shiitake, then use thick wedges of fried tofu and seasonal vegetables. That is honmono in the temple-kitchen line, not an apology.

Advance Preparation

• •The dashi can be made up to two days ahead and refrigerated. Keep it cold and covered, then warm it gently when you build the curry.
• •The curry broth and chicken can be made one day ahead. Reheat gently and cook the pan-browned vegetables close to serving so their color and shape stay clean.
• •Cook the rice just before serving, or keep it warm in a rice cooker. Cold rice drinks the broth badly and turns the meal dull.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 900g)