Feast-Worthy European-Style Chicken Curry (High Protein, Low Fat, Low Sodium)

Remove the skin from the chicken thigh and thoroughly trim off the excess fat. Skinless chicken thigh differs from chicken breast by only about 8 kcal per 100g, so thigh is fine.

Add 0.5g of salt to the cut chicken. Keep salt to a minimum since this is a low-sodium recipe. Then add sake (use pure sake, as cooking sake contains salt). The sake improves the flavor and removes any off-odors from the chicken.

Add cake flour and potato starch. The cake flour gives a fragrant browning, while the potato starch and sake retain moisture so the chicken stays moist and juicy even after freezing and reheating.

Add curry powder and garlic powder, massage them in, and let it rest. The curry powder removes off-odors and adds a spicy flavor, while the garlic aroma brings out the taste.

Cut 1 whole onion (200g). Using a whole onion for 4 servings makes up for the reduced oil and salt with sweetness and umami for depth and richness.

Sauté the onion slowly for about 30 minutes until caramelized. The Maillard reaction brings out a fragrant aroma, sweetness, and umami.

Add grated ginger, grated garlic, and cumin powder to bring out the aroma of the caramelized onion.

Add the marinated chicken and lightly brown the surface. Browning removes any off-odors from the chicken.

Once the chicken is browned, add water and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

Add the apple juice, tomato paste, banana, mango chutney, honey, tonkatsu sauce, instant coffee, and peanut cream in order. Since the oil is kept low, these ingredients provide richness, depth, mellowness, and fruitiness.

Simmer slowly, taking your time.

Finally, turn off the heat and add the cardamom and garam masala. Adding vinegar at the end tightens the flavor and brings out the saltiness, making a satisfying curry even with a small amount of salt.

Serve the multigrain rice in a bento container, add the curry, and it's done.