Description
A comforting and flavorful Japanese-inspired dish featuring crispy katsu chicken or tofu served with a rich, mildly spiced coconut curry sauce, accompanied by fragrant rice and fresh vegetable ribbons. This recipe is adaptable for meat-eaters and vegans alike, making it perfect for family meals.
Ingredients
Scale
Curry Sauce
- 1 tbsp rapeseed oil or vegetable oil
- 2 onions, chopped
- 2 large carrots, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- thumb-sized piece ginger, peeled and grated or finely chopped
- 1 tbsp mild or medium curry powder
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 400ml can coconut milk
- 2 tsp maple syrup (or honey if not vegan)
- 100ml water
- Salt, to season
Katsu
- 1 tbsp rapeseed oil or vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 4 tbsp water
- 8 chicken mini fillets, or 280–300g block firm tofu, or half and half
- 200g breadcrumbs (gluten-free if necessary)
- Salt and pepper, to season
To Serve
- 2 x 200g pouches cooked rice (brown basmati recommended)
- ½ large cucumber, peeled into ribbons
- 1 carrot, peeled into ribbons
- Handful mint leaves and/or coriander leaves
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Make the Curry Sauce: Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan over medium heat. Add chopped onions and chopped carrots, cooking for about 8 minutes until the onions are soft and beginning to caramelise. Add crushed garlic and grated ginger, sizzling for 30 seconds. Stir in curry powder and turmeric, warming the spices for about 1 minute.
- Add Liquids and Simmer: Pour in the coconut milk, maple syrup (or honey), and 100ml water. Season the sauce well with salt, cover, and let it simmer gently over low heat for 20 minutes, allowing flavors to meld and vegetables to soften.
- Prepare the Katsu Coating: In a wide bowl, mix cornflour with 4 tbsp water and a pinch of salt and pepper to create a batter. In another bowl, place the breadcrumbs. Dip each piece of chicken or tofu into the cornflour mixture, then coat thoroughly in breadcrumbs. If cooking both chicken and tofu, dip tofu first to avoid cross-contamination.
- Blend the Curry Sauce: Once the carrots and onions are tender, use a hand blender or tabletop blender to puree the sauce until smooth. Adjust consistency by adding a little more water if needed, and check seasoning. Optionally add more salt, maple syrup, or lime juice to taste. Keep warm while cooking katsu.
- Cook the Katsu: Heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Cook breaded chicken or tofu pieces for 4-5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and cooked through.
- Warm the Rice and Prepare Garnishes: Heat cooked rice as per packet instructions. Peel cucumber and carrot into thin ribbons. Wash and pick fresh mint and/or coriander leaves.
- Assemble and Serve: Divide warm rice between bowls, spoon over the smooth curry sauce, and top with the crispy katsu chicken or tofu. Garnish with cucumber ribbons, carrot ribbons, fresh herbs, and lime wedges for squeezing over.
Notes
- Katsu curry is ideal for batch cooking: double the curry sauce and katsu quantities, freeze separately up to two months, and reheat before serving.
- For kids, use mild curry powder at 1 tsp, chop protein into bite-sized nuggets, and serve carrot and cucumber in thin batons.
- Increase vegetable intake by substituting tofu with thinly sliced aubergine and stirring 1 tbsp peanut butter into the curry sauce for extra protein.
- Use gluten-free breadcrumbs to make the dish gluten-free.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Japanese
Keywords: katsu curry, Japanese recipe, chicken katsu, tofu katsu, curry sauce, easy dinner, family meal, batch cooking
