Japanese Curry Chicken Pot Pie (Japanese × American)
Chicken, sweet onion and potato in a thick, mellow Japanese-style curry gravy, baked under crisp puff pastry with sesame seeds.
Method
Heat the oven to 200 °C and thaw the puff pastry in the fridge. Cut the chicken into 2 cm pieces, slice the onion thinly, and dice the carrot and potato into small 1.5 cm cubes so they cook quickly and evenly.
Heat the oil in a 20 cm pot over medium-high heat and cook the chicken for , until lightly browned. Push it to one side, add the onion and cook for , until soft and light golden; well-cooked onion gives Japanese curry its gentle sweetness.
Add in this stepNeutral oil 1 tbspBoneless chicken thighs 240 gOnion 1
medium-high heatAdd the carrot, potato, grated garlic, ginger and stock. Bring to a boil, then turn down to medium-low heat and simmer for , until a chopstick slides easily into the potato.
Add in this stepCarrot 80 gPotato 120 gGarlic cloves, grated 1Grated fresh ginger 1 tspChicken stock 300 ml
medium-low heatMeanwhile, melt the butter in a small pan over low heat, add the flour and stir constantly for , until it turns the colour of peanut butter. Take it off the heat and stir in the curry powder for 30 seconds: this is your curry roux. If it smells burnt, start again.
Add in this stepUnsalted butter 25 gAll-purpose flour 20 gCurry powder (mild) 2½ tsp
low heatLadle some broth from the pot into the roux and whisk until smooth, then pour it all back into the pot. Add the soy sauce, honey and ketchup and simmer on low heat for , stirring so the bottom doesn't catch, until thick like gravy. Taste and season with salt. Let it cool for 10 minutes.
Add in this stepSoy sauce 2 tspHoney 2 tspKetchup 2 tspSalt to taste
low heatSpoon the curry into a 18 cm baking dish, cover with the puff pastry, press it onto the rim and cut 3 or 4 slits. Brush with beaten egg and scatter the sesame seeds over.
Add in this stepPuff pastry (frozen) 150 gEgg (for brushing) 1Sesame seeds 1 tsp
Set the dish on a tray and bake at 200 °C for , until the pastry is puffed and deep golden. Rest 10 minutes before serving.
Cook's tip
If you have a block of Japanese curry roux, skip step 4 and melt in about 20 g per serving off the heat; then use less soy sauce and salt. For heat, add a pinch of chilli powder with the curry powder. A handful of mozzarella under the pastry makes a lovely cheesy version.
Cooking it at camp
Make the curry filling at home and carry it chilled, so at camp you only reheat it. Warm it in a Dutch oven, lay the pastry on top and bake 20–30 minutes with plenty of coals on the lid. Without an oven, serve the curry over rice with pastry squares cooked in a covered frying pan, flipped once.