Simple & Quick Japanese Curry

Chicken and veggies in a thick curry sauce, served over rice. My boyfriend is super-picky and even he loves this recipe! A friend of mine learned it from her Japanese tutor and taught it to me. The curry sauce mix isn't recognized by Recipezaar; I found it in an Asian market, under the brand S&B Golden Curry Sauce Mix, but I've also seen it at Wal-marts in my area. If all else fails, you can also order it on Amazon.com, you'll need at least a 3.5 oz package.

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 4  cups  cooked short-grain rice (2 cups uncooked)
• 1  lb chicken tenderloins
• 2 -3  medium baking potatoes
• 2  large carrots
• 1  medium  vidalia onion
• 2  garlic cloves
• 2  tablespoons  vegetable oil
• 3 1⁄2 ounces  curry sauce (mix)
•  water

Directions

1. Chop up the chicken into bite-sized cubes. Tenderloins are a smaller, thinner cut of chicken and are easier to cut up.
2. Wash the vegetables. Peel the potatoes, and the carrots if you wish. Slice the potatoes, carrots, and onion into bite-sized pieces as well. Finely dice the garlic.
3. Now is a good time to start making the rice. Cook according to directions on the package. A rice cooker is great because it'll keep the rice warm while the curry cooks.
4. Put vegetable oil in a deep pan (a pasta pot or dutch-oven-style saucepan works well) and heat over a medium flame. Add chicken, onions, and garlic and sautee in oil until the chicken is lightly browned.
5. Add carrots and potatoes, continue to stir in oil for 3-4 minutes.
6. Now add the water, enough to cover all the ingredients in the pan (I've never measured it out, but it should be about 3-4 cups).
7. Bring water to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to cook for 5-10 minutes, this helps soften the vegetables.
8. Remove pan from heat, and add the curry sauce mix. Break the block into four pieces and scatter evenly around the pan, stirring until the blocks have completely melted. The water will thicken dramatically, turning into a brown sauce with a stew-like consistency.
9. If you want to keep the curry warm, you can keep it on a very low flame (the lowest setting on your stovetop), just remember to stir it occasionally so it won't stick.
10. Serve over rice and enjoy!