Last week I had a burst of slow-cooker energy, if that is not a contradiction in terms. Came up with three recipes that I’ll be presenting over the rest of April as a continuation of last year’s "Slow Ono" Crock-Pot crusade.

The mission of "Slow Ono" was to create a collection of reliable local-style dishes made with this sometimes unreliable cooking technique. One ran every month in this space, and after that my interest cooled somewhat.

Thanks to Melissa Pang Nikaido for reviving it with her suggestion of a family favorite, Chinese Chicken Curry, the second-place winner in a newspaper home-cooking contest years ago. Nikaido retrieved the recipe from her late aunt’s collection of clippings.

The recipe called for a handful of shiitake mushrooms, but the other add-ins were fairly traditional stew ingredients — onions, carrots and potatoes. I made it once that way and was quite satisfied with the ginger-curry-oyster sauce flavor. But on my second pass I tried increasing the Chinese-ness, replacing the potatoes and carrots with foo chuk (dried bean curd), cubes of fried tofu and taro. These items are easily found in an Asian grocery such as Don Quijote, and the results are well worth the effort.

Nikaido says her family likes to have the curry over look funn noodles cut a half-inch wide. But rice is also a fine accompaniment.

"Slow Ono" continues next week with Lilikoi Baked Beans.

SLOW-COOKER CHINESE CHICKEN CURRY

8 skinless chicken thighs
12 ounces taro, peeled and cubed
10 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in hot water to soften
4 sticks foo chuk (dried bean curd), soaked in hot water to soften
1 block (6 ounces) fried tofu, soaked in hot water to remove excess oil
3 stalks green onion, for garnish

» Seasonings:
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2-inch piece ginger, peeled and cut in slivers
2 to 3 tablespoons curry powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup sherry or red wine
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup oyster sauce

Measure seasonings into crock and mix. Add chicken and taro; turn to coat pieces. Squeeze mushrooms, foo chuk and tofu to remove excess water. Add to crock. Cook on low about 5 hours, until chicken and taro are tender. Stir halfway through.

Top with green onion before serving. Serves 6.

If desired, remove chicken and other items from liquid in crock. Skim fat from liquid. (To make a thicker gravy, dissolve 1/4 cup tapioca flour in 1/4 cup water and stir into liquid; turn heat to high for a few minutes. This may also be done in a pot on the stove.) Debone chicken and cut into bite-size pieces. Return chicken, taro, mushrooms, bean curd and tofu to pot and stir. Top with green onions.

Approximate nutritional information: 350 calories, 12 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 75 mg cholesterol, 350 mg sodium, 34 g carbohydrate, 6 g fiber, 5 g sugar, 28 g protein

Note: A Chinese green, such as choy sum, may be added in the last hour of cooking.

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Nutritional analysis by Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S.
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