"Zakuro" means pomegranate in Japanese, a fruit that symbolizes unity and sharing for Go Sato and Atsuko Sakamoto. The French-Japanese chef and his mother chose this name for their restaurant, opened in 2021, an izakaya nestled between Bourse and Opéra, in Paris's 2nd arrondissement. It's also the name the duo chose for their first book Zakuro, a book of comforting family recipes evoking their native Japan. It includes traditional dishes such as karaage chicken, kakuni pork and korokke – a potato croquette mixed with ground beef – but also classics revisited with a Western, and vegetarian, twist.
Ingredients (serves 4)
Garnish:
Curry:
Presentation:
Preparation
Peel the potatoes, cut into quarters and cook in boiling water. Check they are done with the tip of a knife. Set aside.
Heat a small amount of oil in a large pot. Sear the carrots, then the onions, and finally the zucchinis to avoid burning them. Add the garlic and the ginger, stirring constantly. Once the vegetables are nicely browned, add water to cover.
Simmer for 10 minutes, then stir in the Indian curry and cardamom pods.
Once the mixture has been diluted, turn off the heat and stir in the Japanese curry rouxes.
Let simmer until desired consistency is reached.
If the curry is too weak, add curry cubes. If too strong, add more water.
Add the potatoes last to prevent them from falling apart.
Tip:
Put the Japanese curry rouxes in a small colander and plunge it into the pot, stirring with a whisk to melt them without lumps.
Ingredients (serves 4)
Preparation
Chop the scallions and set aside. Wash and cut 20 bite-sized pieces of broccoli.
Cook the broccoli in boiling salted water for 5 minutes, then transfer to iced water to halt the cooking process. Set aside.
Wash, peel and roughly chop the onions and potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Stir in the milk and dashi powder. Combine well and cook over low heat until potatoes are cooked (check with the tip of a knife).
Stir in the cream and corn, reducing if necessary to reach the desired consistency. Adjust for seasoning and arrange in soup plates.
You have 32.1% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.