Vegan Katsu Curry

Name: Vegan Katsu Curry
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 2 tbsp vegan butter; 2 onions (finely diced); 1 carrot (finely diced); 3 cloves garlic (minced); 1 tbsp ginger (grated); 2 tbsp mild curry powder; 1 tsp turmeric; 2 tbsp plain flour; 1 cup vegetable stock; ½ can coconut milk; 1 tbsp soy sauce; 2 tsp sugar or maple syrup; 1 block tofu (firm or extra firm); salt and pepper (for seasoning); ¼ cup flour plain / all-purpose (plus extra for flour coating); 1 tsp garlic powder; 1 tbsp soy sauce; ¼ cup water; 1 cup panko breadcrumbs; 2 tbsp nutritional yeast; ½ tsp salt; 2 tbsp sesame seeds; vegetable oil (for frying); 1 cup rice (dry, cooked for serving); pickled vegetables (pickled cucumber or ginger); 1 tbsp black sesame seeds (as garnish); 2 tbsp spring onion (sliced, as garnish)

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This vegan katsu curry recipe is our vegan spin on the Japanese curry classic. Crispy fried tofu cutlets, served on a bed of rice with a thick curry sauce make a tasty, satisfying, and nutritious full meal.

Slices of tofu cutlet on top of rice, with a Japanese curry sauce.

Table of Contents

Japanese curries
Ingredient tips
Step by step pictures
Variations and substitutions
Serving suggestions
FAQs
More vegan dinner recipes
📖 Recipe

Japanese curries

Japanese curries date back to the 19th century when the British brought the spice mix called curry powder to Japan from India. At first a specialised Western dish, curry was then made popular in the Navy and spread throughout the general population.

Now curries are among the most eaten meals in Japan. Katsu curry is one of the most popular Japanese curries, and probably the best known outside of Japan.

For a traditional katsu curry, a cutlet of pork, beef or chicken would be served with the curried vegetable sauce. This comes with a side of rice, of course, and some pickled vegetables to balance out the flavours of the curry and cleanse the palate.

Two plates of vegan katsu curry, with cucumber pickles and sesame seeds on the side.

In creating this vegan tofu katsu curry, we adapted our breaded tofu recipe to bring the crunchy protein to this dish.

The seasoned tofu cutlets are covered in a savoury coat of crispy panko breadcrumbs and sesame seeds, then shallow fried to golden brown perfection. Prepared this way, the tofu has an almost meaty texture.

The crispy tofu slices are served on a bed of rice next to a rich and thick sauce of curried roux and diced vegetables.

Some other katsu curry recipes strain the veggies out of the sauce for a smooth texture. But we think it'd be a shame to waste them! So we blend them up instead, which also brings more flavour and nutrients.

To round off the flavours of the katsu curry, our quick pickled cucumbers add a refreshing acidic note. Japanese cooking philosophy aims at creating a balance of the five basic flavours - salty, sweet, bitter, savoury (or umami) and sour - and the pickle provides the sour element.

Are you hungry yet? Let us show you how to make a great vegan katsu curry!

Ingredients for vegan katsu curry sauce.

Ingredient tips

Here's what you need to make this vegan tofu katsu curry. Let's start with the ingredients for the Japanese curry sauce:

Vegan butter for sauteeing the veggies - substitute vegetable oil or coconut oil.
Onions, carrot, garlic and ginger for a nice flavour base.
Curry powder and a bit of turmeric - you can use mild or medium curry powder, depending on your heat preference.
Plain flour / all purpose flour - used in the roux, to thicken the sauce.
Vegetable stock - we use Marigold Swiss Bouillon.
Coconut milk for a rich, creamy sauce. We like full fat organic coconut milk.
Soy sauce and maple syrup for a balanced savoury and sweet flavour.

And for the breaded crispy tofu:

Firm tofu
Salt and pepper - freshly ground to season the slices of tofu before breading
Some more plain / all purpose flour - to coat the tofu as well as to mix with water for the batter.
Soy sauce and garlic powder to season the batter.
Panko breadcrumbs - A Japanese type of white breadcrumbs.
And nutritional yeast and sesame seeds - mixed with the breadcrumbs for an extra savoury note.

Step by step pictures

Here’s a visual guide to help you make our vegan katsu curry. You can find the full, adjustable and printable recipe in the recipe card at the end of the post.

Katsu curry sauce

First, prepare the curry sauce.

Finely diced onions and carrots in a large saucepan.

Step 1 - Melt the vegan butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat and saute the diced onion and carrot until the onions are translucent.

Adding garlic and ginger to sauteed carrots and onions.

Step 2 - Add the minced garlic and grated ginger and saute for another 2 minutes.

Spices mixed with the fried carrots, onion, garlic and ginger.

Step 3 - Add the curry powder and turmeric, saute for 1 more minute, then stir in the plain flour.

Adding vegetable stock to form a curry roux.

Step 4 - Little by little, add in the vegetable stock. After each addition whisk well and let the resulting roux bubble up.

Step 5 - Add the coconut milk, soy sauce and maple syrup. Simmer on medium heat for 5 minutes.

Blending the curry sauce with an immersion blender.

Step 6 - Blend the sauce until it's smooth, using a hand blender.

Crispy tofu cutlets

An light orange-brown batter and a whisk in a white bowl.

Step 1 - Mix the batter by whisking together flour, garlic powder, soy sauce and water.

Panko breadcumbs with nutritional yeast and sesame seed being stirred with a fork in a bowl.

Step 2 - Combine the panko breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast, sesame seeds and salt in a shallow bowl.

Rectangular slices of tofu arranged on a white square plate.

Step 3 - Drain, press and slice the tofu. Briefly press the slices in a tea towel.

Step 4 - Season the tofu slices with salt and pepper on both sides.

Breading process - dipping tofu in flour, batter, and then the breadcrumb mixture.

Step 5 - Prepare the separate bowls containing plain flour, the batter, and the seasoned breadcrumbs. Dip each slice in flour to lightly coat it, then in the batter, and finally, in the breadcrumbs.

Two slices of tofu coated in breadcrumbs in a frying pan. One is pale on top, the other golden brown after being turned over in the pan.

Step 6 - Shallow fry in vegetable oil in a frying pan on medium-high to high heat on each side until golden brown.

Top tip: After frying, place the tofu cutlets on paper towels / kitchen paper to remove excess oil.

Variations and substitutions

Instead of tofu, you can also bread vegetables such as sweet potato or eggplant/aubergine. Cut them into ½ cm or ¼ inch slices so that they cook through fully when frying.

For a slightly easier meal, instead of making the breaded tofu, just use store-bought crispy vegan chicken fillets and prepare them as instructed on the packaging.

You don’t strictly have to blend the sauce, but just leave the veggies as they are for some added texture and a bit of a bite to the sauce.

You can make a gluten-free vegan katsu curry by making several adjustments to the recipe and preparation:

Substitute the soy sauce for tamari or liquid coconut aminos.
Don’t make a roux with flour. Instead of adding flour, add all remaining sauce ingredients (substituting the soy sauce). Simmer as usual and after blending, thicken the sauce with a cornstarch slurry (made of 1 part cornstarch and 2 parts water) until the desired consistency is reached.
For the breaded tofu, again substitute the soy sauce. Also, use gluten-free breadcrumbs and swap out the plain flour for gluten-free flour. In the batter, you can use chickpea flour for a rich flavour.

Tofu katsu curry garnished with black sesame and cucumber pickle.

Serving suggestions

Katsu is typically served with rice. You can use Japanese short-grain rice or sushi rice. Other varieties like Jasmine rice are also delicious. Prepare a quarter cup (50 grams, or about 2 ounces) of uncooked rice per person.

We also like a garnish of black sesame seeds, which give the dish a nice finishing touch that looks great. Some sliced spring onion sprinkled on are welcome too.

For us, pickled vegetables like our quick cucumber pickle, are a must to balance the salty and slightly sweet flavours of the curry sauce with the refreshingly sour tang of the pickle. Pickled ginger, like it is served with sushi, would work as well.

Golden brown tofu katsu with a vegan Japanese curry.

FAQs

How can I thicken curry sauce?

The sauce will thicken a little bit as it cools down. But if you need to thicken it, or if you are thickening a gluten-free curry sauce, the best way is to use cornstarch (called cornflour in the UK).

Combine a tablespoon of cornstarch with two tablespoons of water into a smooth slurry in a small bowl or cup. While you stir the simmering sauce, add small amounts of the slurry while stirring the sauce and check the consistency of the sauce after a few seconds. Add more slurry as needed.

Can I freeze katsu curry?

The curry sauce freezes very well. The breaded tofu is not suitable for freezing and should be made fresh.

To freeze the curry sauce, let it cool and then freeze it in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge, or on the defrost setting in a microwave.

To reheat, place the sauce in a saucepan and cook on medium heat until thoroughly hot.

Dipping a piece of tofu into the creamy curry sauce.

More vegan dinner recipes

We hope you'll like this vegan katsu curry! Why not check out some of these other tried and tested Asian inspired recipes for your next meal:

Sticky Lemon Tofu (tangy, sweet and incredibly yummy!)

Burmese Tofu (served with a delicious garlic, ginger and chilli sauce)

Red Lentil Dal with Potatoes and Spinach (ready in just 20 minutes for an easy dinner)

📖 Recipe

Comments

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