Japanese braised chicken with root vegetables

In Japan, this dish is often made with lotus root, burdock or konnyaku, our family's version is simplified and contains onions, carrots and potatoes. Preparing your own dashi stock creates a wonderfully smoky base for the braise and only takes a few minutes.

Japanese braised chicken with root vegetables Credit: Armelle Habib

• serves

  4

• prep

  5 minutes

• cook

  40 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 10 g (1 cup) shaved katsuobushi (bonito flakes)
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 650 g skinless chicken thigh fillets, cut into 2 cm pieces
• sea salt
• 2 onions, quartered
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into 2 cm pieces
• 2 waxy potatoes, such as nicola, peeled and cut into 2 cm pieces
• 1 tbsp brown sugar, plus extra to taste
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp mirin
• 3 tbsp sake
• mizuna to serve, optional
• steamed Japanese short-grain rice (such as koshihikari), to serve

Instructions

1. Bring 300 ml of water to the boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the katsuobushi and simmer for 5 minutes. Strain the liquid, which is now dashi, through a fine sieve into a bowl. The katsuobushi can be stored in a small container in the fridge and used to make a second, albeit weaker, dashi within a few days. Set the dashi aside while you prepare the other ingredients.
2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or flameproof casserole over high heat. Season the chicken with salt, then cook on all sides for 2–3 minutes, until golden. Add the onion and stir to coat in the pan juices, then cook for 1–2 minutes, until slightly softened. Now nestle in the carrot and potato and pour over the dashi stock that you made earlier. Reduce the heat to medium–low, cover with a lid and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Remove the lid and add the sugar, followed by the soy sauce, mirin and sake. Stir to ensure that everything is well coated. If you have one, cover with a lid that's slightly smaller than the pan this time, so it sits directly on the braised chicken and vegetables. Simmer for 15–20 minutes, until the chicken and vegetables are tender. Check for seasoning, adding salt if necessary. It should be slightly sweet too, so a little more brown sugar can be added to taste.
4. Serve with mizuna, if using, and steamed rice.

 

Around the Table by Julia Busuttil Nishimura, published by Plum (RRP $44.99). Photography by Armelle Habib.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.