Mr. Baek's Korean Curry

Korean Curry (Hot!)

Curry Paste

Colorful Veggies!

'Almost' caramelized! 

Veggies in the pot!

Cookin'

Almost done!

Ready to go in yo belly!

This may sound strange to the non-Korean ears but curry is a very popular staple in a Korean household.  In our house, we even had mom's version and dad's version of Korean curry.  Korean curry is not as dense as Indian curry.  The flavor of the curry is not as in-your-face but more gentle on your palate.  That's the best I can describe it anyway. 

The below recipe is a slight deviation from the traditional Korean curry.  I've been seeing this recipe floating around the Korean food blogs, so I had to try it out.  The below video is of Mr. Baek from whom the recipe came from.  (Scroll all the way down to see the vid!)  The difference in this recipe from the traditional Korean curry is that the onion is caramelized (actually 'almost' caramelized) before adding the other ingredients.  I say 'almost' because it isn't caramelized in the traditional sense.  (This is how you really caramelize onions)  This step adds greater depth to the flavor of the curry and I do think there's a huge improvement in the flavor.  This is why we use more onions than the traditional Korean curry recipe.  Caramelizing reduces the volume of the veggie.  I also used chicken broth rather than just plain water - a trick I learned from my husband, who is known for his amazing Korean curry.

Mr. Baek's Korean Curry
Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 Medium carrots 
• 3 Medium potatoes (I used Russet)
• 2 Medium onions
• 1 Bell pepper
• 5-6 White button mushrooms
• 1 1/2 Cup of diced chicken (I used boneless breast, but wouldn't mind trying chicken thighs)
• 2/3 Cups of Korean curry powder (Click if you wanna buy this online) 
• 4 Cups of chicken broth (You can use water or veggie broth)
• 1 tsp of ground pepper
• Pinch of salt
• 4-5 TbspVegetable oil

Instructions:

1. Cut all vegetables into 1/2 inch pieces.  (You may cut it length-wise like Mr. Baek does in the video.)
2. Use about 1/3 cup of chicken broth and pour it into the curry powder to make curry paste.
3. Heat about 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil in a skillet on medium high heat and cook the diced chicken for about 2-3 minutes until most of the skin is white.  Do not fully cook.  Set aside.
4. In a large pot, heat 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil on medium heat.  Put in the diced onions and ground pepper.  Cook the onions for about 10 minutes until it is (almost) caramelized - refer to picture.  Stir frequently with a wooden spoon to avoid burning.  
5. Once the onion is caramelized, add all the vegetables and the chicken to the pot with the remaining vegetable oil and cook for about 3 minutes on medium high heat.
6. Pour the chicken broth and continue to cook on medium high heat for about 5-8 minutes or until the potatoes get soft and all the vegetables are cooked.  
7. Add the curry paste and stir.  Cook for another 3-4 minutes.  
8. Turn off the heat and serve with your favorite rice!  (I recommend Jasmine rice.)  

If you can read Korean, check this site out with the original images and instructions.
If you want an English version of the traditional Korean curry recipe click here for Aeri's Kitchen recipe.