Surprise your guests with this hybrid recipe, half-Katsu, half-curry: crispy, tender, and sweet all in one!
Are you crazy about Katsu? Is curry one of your favorite dishes? If so, you shouldn’t miss out on Katsu curry. By combining two favorite dishes from Japanese cuisine, this enhanced curry recipe with breaded chicken pieces revitalizes plates and delights those lucky enough to taste it.
What is Katsu Curry?
Curry has long been associated with its spicy, even hot character. However, if you’ve tried my authentic Japanese curry recipe, you know that the Japanese version is known to be milder, thicker, and sweeter than its Thai and Indian counterparts. Katsu curry is a perfect example of this.
Katsu curry カツカレー, or Katsu Curry Don if it meets the strict criteria of a donburi, consists of fried chicken (tori katsu) with panko breadcrumbs (typically the famous Katsu chicken I’ve already praised), white rice, curry, carrots, and potatoes.
All in all, it makes for a complete dish, very mild in terms of flavors, but above all very nutritious.
It’s sometimes even accompanied by miso soup. There are several variants of this recipe that offer different toppings, with Tonkatsu pork for example. In Japan, it’s even served with a Japanese pickle called fukujinzuke or pickled red daikon.
Where does Katsu curry come from?
We know that Katsu curry itself has its roots in a Tokyo restaurant at the end of the 19th century. But its origins go much deeper than that.
It’s thought that this dish was first introduced to Japan during the Meiji period by the British who came from India. They brought the famous “katsu” (cutlet), mixed with Indian curry, all enhanced with Japanese techniques. A melting pot of cultures in a single dish, literally!
The British navy is said to have adopted this dish for its hearty and rich nature, which was well-suited for their long sea voyages. They would even sometimes make these curries thicker by adding potatoes and meat.
In short, the success of curry is “primarily due to colonization. It” was through the transport and export of Indian food (an English colony, let’s remember) that this dish, including Katsu curry, made people happy in Japan, the United Kingdom, and the rest of the world.
The Main Ingredients of Katsu Curry
Chicken: although pork Katsu curry exists, for this recipe I’ll use boneless chicken thighs. It’s the most popular version.
Panko breadcrumbs: if this ingredient seems familiar, it’s because it’s the breadcrumbs most often used in Asian cuisine. We find it in the preparation of Korokke or Tsukune. Panko is lighter and crispier than traditional breadcrumbs, and it must be said that it’s what’s most interesting about this recipe!
Sushi rice: sushi rice is a bit stickier than others, which makes it more indulgent and easier to eat. There’s also a certain method to follow for cooking and preparing this type of rice that I’ll let you discover in my related article. Note, no seasoning is necessary for the rice here.
Carrots: along with potatoes, carrots make the curry much milder and sweeter than those we’re used to being served. It’s the specialty of Japanese cuisine.
Ginger: this ingredient has the art of brilliantly enhancing dishes like this one. Ginger pairs very well with meat, making the flavors more powerful. You’ll see this with ginger chicken, ginger beef, or my latest recipe, Hainanese chicken rice!
Light Soy Sauce: Among all these sweet and mild flavors, light soy sauce helps to balance everything by providing the right amount of salt that the curry needs.
Rice Vinegar: Similar to soy sauce, rice vinegar slightly acidifies the sauce that accompanies the curry.
Curry Roux: The basics of Japanese curry is indeed the curry roux. Simply put, it’s a kind of broth but specially adapted for this type of recipe. Additionally, you can prepare your homemade curry roux.
Tips for Preparing Katsu Curry
It goes without saying that to make a quality Katsu curry that you (and your guests) will remember, you’ll need to choose the right cut of chicken. That’s why I prefer to cook with chicken thighs. The katsu will be tender, at least on the inside. The breading will do the rest. To obtain a tenderized and uniform meat, be sure to flatten the chicken cutlets before frying them.
Authentic Japanese Katsu Curry
Ingredients
- 2 chicken thighs boneless
- Salt
- Pepper
- Neutral oil for frying
Breading
- 1 egg beaten in a bowl
- 2 tablespoons wheat flour In a deep plate
- 1 deep plate of panko breadcrumbs
- 2 portions of sushi rice cooked
- Green onions for garnish
Curry
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 0.5 carrots
- 0.5 onions
- 1 potatoes
- 0.25 teaspoon of grated ginger
- 1 cloves garlic
- 15 g of apple grated
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil for cooking
“Sauce”
- 250 ml of chicken broth
- 0.5 tablespoon of honey
- 0.5 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 cherry tomato crushed
- 0.5 teaspoon of sugar
- 0.5 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 60 g of Japanese curry roux homemade or golden curry cubes
Procédé
- Cut the onions into quarters, or slice them if you prefer them to dissolve in the sauce.0.5 onions
- Peel the carrots and cut them into rolled quarters for better flavor absorption and faster cooking.0.5 carrots
- Peel the potatoes, cut them into quarters and soak them in water for 15 minutes to remove excess starch.1 potatoes
- Grate the ginger to obtain the necessary amount. Mince the garlic.0.25 teaspoon of grated ginger, 1 cloves garlic
- Cut the apple into quarters, remove the core, peel the skin, and grate the apple.15 g of apple
- To cook the curry, heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat and add the onions. Sauté the onions until they are translucent and tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add the grated garlic and ginger, mix well.
- Add the chicken broth, or half broth and half water with MSG.
- Add the grated apple, honey, soy sauce, sugar, tomato, and vinegar.0.5 tablespoon of honey, 0.5 tablespoon light soy sauce, 1 cherry tomato, 0.5 teaspoon of sugar, 0.5 teaspoon rice vinegar
- Add the carrots and potatoes. The broth should barely cover the ingredients.0.5 carrots
- Let simmer, covered, over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Simmer uncovered if the ingredients are completely submerged.
- Skim off the scum and foam from the surface of the broth once it comes to a boil.
- Continue cooking covered until a wooden pick easily pierces the carrots and potatoes.0.5 carrots, 1 potatoes
- Turn off the heat and add the curry roux, dissolved in a ladle of cooking liquid, then incorporate into the rest of the curry.60 g of Japanese curry roux
- Let simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat, stirring frequently until the curry thickens, about 5 to 10 minutes. Taste the curry and add salt if needed, depending on the broth and condiments used.
- Keep on low heat while you cook the chicken
Chicken
- Pound the pieces until flat, season the chicken with salt and pepper. Also remove any fat from the edges2 chicken thighs, Salt, Pepper
- First dip in flour, press well and shake once2 tablespoons wheat flour
- Dip in the egg1 egg
- Dip in the panko breadcrumbs, press well and shake1 deep plate of panko breadcrumbs
- Fry for 2 minutes on each side at 170 degreesNeutral oil
- Let rest for 5 minutes
- Fry again for 1 minute on each side
- Let rest for 2 minutes before slicing
Assembling the bowls
- On a cutting board, slice the meat (keeping the shape intact)
- Place rice in a bowl, generously pour sauce over it, leaving part of the rice visible2 portions of sushi rice
- Place a piece of sliced meat on top, taking care to replace each piece so that the shape of the meat is preserved
- Garnish the bowl with some green onions to make it prettyGreen onions
