My former boss had given me a subscription to New York Times Cooking a few years ago for Christmas (Thank you Ina!), and I came across their recipe for a Coconut Miso Salmon Curry (link here). The combination of miso paste with coconut milk really intrigued me, so I gave the recipe a try and loved it.
It was easy to make and really tasty. Just make sure to use white miso, instead of red miso, or the dish may be too salty. For a quick guide on different types of miso, here's a great article: Bon Appetit "Know Your Miso".
Based on the comments in the Times, I made adjustments to the recipe, and even swapped out the protein for chicken because I felt the earthy flavors of caramelized miso tasted better with chicken than salmon. Some other reviewers' comments in the Times were to caramelize the miso longer, add more garlic, ginger, and coconut milk, and decrease the volume of water. Some people even added curry powder, but I wanted the mild flavors of miso and coconut milk to shine through, so I never added curry powder in any of the test versions I experimented with. I did add a dash of turmeric for color in this chicken version of the recipe because the golden yellow of turmeric made the dish look much more vibrant and appetizing, but didn't change the flavor of the dish.
Hope you enjoy the recipe!
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| Use white miso |
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| Brown chicken |
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| Saute onions and garlic |
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| Caramelize the miso |
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| Add browned chicken, coconut milk, and turmeric |
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| Simmer with lid on |
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| Add greens at the end and simmer until wilted |
Recipe adapted from New York Times Coconut-Miso Salmon Curry
Yields 5-6 servings
Ingredients:
- 8 to 9 chicken drumsticks (~2 lbs)
- 1 t salt
- ½ t black pepper
- 1 t dried ground ginger powder
- 2 T cooking oil
- 1 yellow onion, cut in half and sliced
- 5 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
- ¼ c white miso
- 1 c unsweetened, full fat coconut milk
- 1 c water
- ½ t turmeric (optional)
- 1.5 lbs of your favorite Asian greens, cut to bite size pieces (Bok Choy, Chinese spinach, ong choy, etc)
Procedures:
1. Marinate the chicken with salt, pepper and ginger for at least 1 hour, but best overnight if you have time. (If marinating overnight in the fridge, take the chicken out 30 minutes to 1 hour before you are ready to cook and leave it at room temperature to allow the chicken to cook more evenly.)
2. Heat a pan with 1 T of oil and brown the chicken on both sides under medium heat. About 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
3. Add remaining 1 T of oil to the pan and saute the onions until slightly softened. Then add in garlic and miso paste, and stir frequently. Allow the miso paste to lightly caramelize. About 3 to 4 minutes.
4. When the miso is caramelized, add in the chicken, coconut milk, water and turmeric if using. Stir to mix, and allow the mixture to come to a boil. Lower the heat to medium low and cover the pan with a lid. Simmer for 15 minutes or until chicken is mostly cooked through.
5. Add in the Asian greens and allow to simmer further for 5 minutes until the greens have wilted down.
6. Taste and add salt if needed. Serve hot over rice.