Who doesn't love a katsu curry? They're incredibly easy to make and a lot more satisfying when homemade.
There are typically 3 ways of serving the curry sauce, all start the same way with the cooking of diced carrots and onions. Once you have made a sauce you can either serve it as it is, blend, or sieve to remove the vegetables and have a smooth sauce. I've found that blending makes more of a soup which some people may not find appealing, and though I like a smooth sauce it seems such a waste to remove the vegetables especially as you're removing additional flavour.
My take on the curry sauce recipe is to grate the vegetables. This way you get a nice thick sauce with texture but it's a lot smoother compared to having chunks of vegetables in it.
As for the meat I prefer chicken over pork, you could easily swap this though. For those who are vegetarians (who eat eggs), you could use long slices of aubergine (and swap the chicken stock with vegetable). The key for whatever you're serving the sauce with is to double dip in egg and breadcrumbs! This is actually the golden rule for anything you're coating with breadcrumbs.
If you want to make a lighter version of this meal instead of having a whole chicken breast per person, you could use just one and slice it in half lengthways to make it thin enough for frying without the need for flattening.
Serves 2
Hands-on Time 20 minutes
Cooking Time 25 minutes
Ingredients
2 Carrots
1 Onion
4 tbsp Oil (vegetable or sunflower)
4 Garlic cloves
1 1/2 tbsp Light soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp Curry powder
1 tbsp Honey
1 tbsp Light brown sugar
4 tbsp Plain flour
550ml Chicken stock
1 Bay leaf
150g Sushi or short grain rice
Salt and pepper for seasoning
2 Chicken breasts (skinless)
2 Eggs, medium
100g Panko or dried breadcrumbs
1 tsp Garam masala
Equipment
Vegetable peeler
Knife
Chopping board
Grater
Large saucepan
Wooden Spoon
Micro-grater
Sieve
Small saucepan with lid
Clingfilm
Rolling pin
Food bag (sealable)
2 Wide bowls
Fork
Wide frying pan
Spantula or tongs
Peel and grate the two carrots followed by the onion.
Add 1 tbsp of oil to the large saucepan and place over a low-medium heat.
Once the pan has heated up, add the carrots and onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. You don’t want them to colour too much, just soften.
Grate the garlic cloves with a micro-grater and add to the pan, followed by the soy sauce, curry powder, honey, sugar, and 2 tbsp of plain flour.
Stir and cook for 1 minute.
Add the chicken stock and bay leaf.
Turn up the heat and bring to a boil.
Once bubbling, reduce the heat to the lowest it will go, and leave to simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Whilst the curry is cooking, add the rice to the sieve and rinse under a running tap a couple of times until the water looks clear.
Add the rice to a small saucepan along with a pinch of salt. Pour over 200ml of water.
Place over a high heat until bubbling.
Clamp on a lid and reduce the temperature to as low as it will go. Leave to cook for 10 minutes.
When the 10 minutes are up, turn off the heat and leave to sit with the lid on for another 10 minutes.
Place the chicken breasts apart onto a piece of clingfilm and cover with another piece.
Taking a rolling pin, gently whack the chicken breasts so they are evenly flattened.
Add 2 tbsp of flour to the food bag along with salt and pepper for seasoning.
Add the chicken to the bag, seal and shake. Ensure the chicken is completely coated.
Prepare your worktop for bread coating the chicken.
Add the eggs to one wide bowl and add the breadcrumbs to the other.
Whisk the eggs with a fork.
Place the bowl of eggs closer to you than the bread crumbs.
Lay a clean piece of clingfilm on the worktop next to you.
Taken a piece of chicken from the bag, add to the eggs and ensure it’s completely coated.
Hold the chicken up and let and excess egg drip off before placing onto the breadcrumbs. Flip the chicken over so the breadcrumbs stick to both sides.
Add the chicken to the eggs again coating all over, before adding to the breadcrumbs a final time. Ensure you flip the chicken over so you coat both sides.
Rest the chicken on the clean piece of clingfilm and repeat these steps with the other chicken breast.
Place the wide frying pan over a low-medium heat and add 3 tbsp of oil.
Leave the pan to fully heat up before adding the chicken.
Cook for at least 6 minutes. Do check on the chicken, although avoid touching it too much. Only intervene if you think the breadcrumbs are burning. If this is the case, reduce the heat.
Once the coating underneath is golden, flip the chicken over using your tongs and cook for another 6 minutes.
The coating of the chicken should be a nice dark golden colour when cooked. If you want to be extra sure, do cut the middle of the breast with a knife, the meat should appear white and juices run clear.
When you're ready to serve, remove the bay leaf from the sauce and add the garam masala before giving a final stir.
Add the rice to one side of your serving bowls and some of the curry sauce to the other.
Slice the chicken breasts into bite sized pieces and lay on top of the sauce.
Cover the chicken with the remaining sauce.
Enjoy!