A flavourful, rich, umami curry with crispy panko crusted tofu, served with steamed rice to soak it all, this tofu katsu curry is feel-good food to curl up with on a weekend night in.
Katsu Curry is a popular Japanese dish, though once you look at the ingredient list, you’ll find a lot of similarities to Indian curries too — which is no surprise because this curry originated in India and was introduced to Japan by the British. Over the years it’s evolved and become an integral part of Japanese cuisine as comfort food, in fact, even more popular than tempura or sushi as a part of everyday cuisine. Also known as “curry rice,” the curry is usually made from staples like carrots, onions, and potatoes. The “katsu” refers to the breaded-cutlet that is usually pork or chicken, served with the Japanese curry sauce and rice to accompany it. Here, we’re giving this a vegan-friendly spin by using tofu for the katsu instead.
The main component of this tofu katsu curry is the curry sauce, which is made by cooking together staples like onion, potatoes and carrot and a roux — a few spoons of flour or cornflour that adds body to the curry. Then it’s seasoned with spices like curry powder and garam masala, and balanced with a splash of rice vinegar and soy sauce. We use a simple homemade vegetable broth to cook the curry, but if in a pinch you can use a store-bought cube, or simply hot water too. Once all the vegetables are cooked through and tender, the curry is blitzed into a smooth purée which forms the silky flavourful sauce for this dish. You can totally make the sauce ahead and store it in the fridge for 4-5 days, just reheat and make the tofu cutlets for a busy weeknight dinner.
Speaking of the breaded tofu cutlets — this is the slightly fiddly part of making this dish. You’ll need three dishes with plant-based/normal milk in one, flour or cornflour in the second, and panko breadcrumbs in the third. Using 1/2 inch thick slices of tofu, we first dip it in the milk, then coat it in flour before covering it with breadcrumbs. We then shallow-fry these crumbed tofu slices until they are golden brown, crispy, and oh-so crunchy!
A few notes for getting really crunchy katsu:
— Make them just before you’re going to serve and eat so that the tofu doesn’t sit around and get soggy. Unfortunately, you can’t make this ahead.
— Use extra-firm tofu and wrap the tofu in some paper towels to remove all the moisture before using.
— When serving, don’t pour the sauce on top of the tofu as it’s a definite way of loosing crunch while you eat. Serve sauce on the side or on the rice, and tofu separately.
Substitutions:
If vegan, use plant-based milk for tofu
If gluten-free, use cornflour to coat the tofu (and in the curry roux). Use cornflakes or breadcrumbs from gluten-free bread to crumb.
If you’re avoiding soy or don’t like tofu, you can also make this with paneer or thick slices of eggplant/sweet potato for a vegan version.
Serve it up with any short-grain rice (or sticky rice), and add some fresh salad leaves, chopped green onions, and quick pickled cucumbers or radish as a vibrant and zingy element that balances this meal beautifully!
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 2 onions, roughly chopped
- 1 inch piece of ginger
- 4-5 garlic cloves, smashed
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 large potato, peeled and chopped
- 1 tablespoon curry powder (or more to taste)
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon flour or cornflour
- A splash of soy sauce
- 500 ml vegetable stock
- 1-2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Salt, to taste
- 500g extra firm tofu
- ½ cup plant-based/normal milk
- 2-3 tablespoon flour (or cornflour)
- Salt, to taste
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs (or regular breadcrumbs/cornflakes)
- Oil, for frying
- Steamed rice, chopped spring onions, optional side salad or pickles
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large frying pan on medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, and cook for a couple of minutes.
- Stir, and add in the chopped carrot and potatoes. Let it cook for 5-6 minutes until slightly softened. Add the curry powder, garam masala and flour (or cornflour) and mix to combine.
- Add the vegetable stock, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar and salt and simmer for 12-15 minutes. The carrot should be tender. Let it cool down for a bit.
- Transfer to a blender or using a stick-blender, blitz to form a smooth sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning. You might need to add some water for a thinner sauce.
- Coat and bread the tofu: In three separate shallow bowls, place milk, flour or cornflour (seasoned with salt), and breadcrumbs. Slice the tofu into thick slices and pat try with paper towels. Using your hands, first dip the tofu into the milk, then the flour, and finally the panko breadcrumbs. Make sure the tofu is coated evenly on all sides.
- In a shallow frying pan, add 2-3 tablespoon of vegetable oil (just enough to coat the bottom of the pan) on medium-high heat. Add the breaded tofu using a pair of tongs, cooking on each side for a couple of minutes until golden brown, flipping to ensure even cooking on all sides (even the edges). Once cooked, remove on to a paper towel lined plate to soak up any excess oil.
- To serve, spoon rice into pasta bowls. Slice the tofu and serve on top with hot curry sauce on the side. Garnish with chopped green onions and a pickled salad if desired.
If you liked this, you might also like Korean Curry Rice, Burmese Khao Soi, Curry Laksa or this Ramen bowl.
