Japanese-style chickpea curry
A thick, glossy, gently sweet curry with potatoes, carrots and chickpeas over sticky rice, the mild, cozy Japanese home-style curry made from scratch without the boxed roux.
- 55 min total
- 35 min hands-on
- A little more hands-on
- Serves 4
- About $2.50 a serving
- 740 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegan
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1½ cups sushi rice
- 1 yellow onion, sliced
- 2 carrots, cut into chunks
- 2 Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ½ apple, peeled and grated
- 2 tbsp curry powder
- ½ tsp garam masala
- 1 tbsp ketchup
From your pantry
- 1¾ cups water
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- ½ tsp salt
Each serving has about 740 calories, 22 g protein, 128 g carbs and 16 g fat, and costs about $2.50 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No Yukon Gold potatoes? Russet potatoes or red potatoes work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the rice in a strainer until the water runs clear, then put it in a with the water and over high heat.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Cover and cook on low 15 minutes. Leave it covered off the heat.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium pot over medium heat and cook the onion, stirring, 8 minutes, until .
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Medium heatTimer: 8 min
Add the carrots, potatoes, broth, chickpeas and apple. .
Grate. Grating means rubbing food across the holes of a grater to make fine shreds or flakes. It spreads cheese, garlic or ginger evenly through a dish so it melts right in.
How you’ll know: Even shreds fall off the back of the grater, and you stop while the piece is still big enough to hold.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Medium heatTimer: 15 min
Meanwhile, heat the rest of the oil in a small over medium-low heat, stir in the flour, and cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring, until it smells nutty and turns light tan.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Low heatTimer: 3 min
Dolly’s tip: This paste is the roux that thickens the curry. Keep it moving so it toasts evenly.Stir the curry powder and garam masala into the roux for 30 seconds, .
Fragrant. Fragrant means cooking until you can clearly smell it, usually garlic or spices, often in about 30 seconds. That’s the moment the flavor is ready, just before it can burn.
How you’ll know: You can smell it from a step back, and garlic is pale gold, not brown.
Low heat
a ladle of the hot broth into the roux until smooth, then stir it all into the pot.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Dolly’s tip: Loosening the roux with a little broth first is what keeps the curry from getting lumpy.Stir in the ketchup, soy sauce and salt and 5 minutes, stirring, until thick and glossy.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Medium heatTimer: 5 min
Scoop rice onto one side of each plate and ladle the curry beside it.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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