Vegan Katsu Curry

A vegan version of the classic Japanese katsu curry! Crispy fried tofu cutlets with a wonderfully aromatic yellow curry sauce. Perfect with rice and a vegetable pickle.

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 45

Servings: servings

Ingredients

Sauce

2 tbsp (27 g) 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 (240 ml) vegetable stock
½ can (200 ml / 7fl oz) coconut milk
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sugar or maple syrup

Breaded Tofu

1 block (280 g / 10 oz ) tofu firm or extra firm
salt and pepper for seasoning
¼ cup (30 g) flour plain / all-purpose plus extra for flour coating
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp (15 ml) soy sauce
¼ cup (60 ml) water
1 cup (50 g) panko breadcrumbs
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp sesame seeds
vegetable oil for frying

Serving suggestion

1 cup (200 g) 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

Instructions

Katsu curry sauce

Melt the vegan butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
Saute the diced onion and carrot until the onions are translucent.
Add the minced garlic and grated ginger and saute for another 2 minutes.
Add the curry powder and turmeric and saute for 1 more minute.
Stir in the plain flour, and make sure there are no lumps.
Little by little, add in the vegetable stock. After each addition, whisk well and let the resulting roux bubble up briefly.
Add the coconut milk, soy sauce and maple syrup. Simmer on medium heat for 5 minutes.
Blend smooth with a hand blender/immersion blender. Set aside or keep warm until serving.

Breaded Tofu

Prepare the batter: In a bowl, whisk together flour, garlic powder, soy sauce and water.
Prepare the seasoned breadcrumbs: Combine the panko breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast, sesame seeds and salt in a shallow bowl.
Drain, press and slice the tofu. Briefly press the slices in a tea towel.
Season the tofu slices with salt and pepper on both sides.
Prepare the breading station: Arrange three separate bowls containing plain flour, the batter, and the seasoned breadcrumbs.
To bread a slice of tofu, first dip each side in flour to lightly coat it and briefly shake off any excess flour.
Now dip it in the batter and make sure it's well coated on both sides and no spot is left out. Again, let any excess drip off before transferring to the next bowl.
Finally, set the piece down in the bowl of seasoned breadcrumbs. Cover it in the breadcrumb mix, then gently press it down to make the coating stick well to the battered tofu.
Set down on a dry board or plate, and repeat with the remaining slices.
Place enough vegetable oil in a frying pan to complete cover the whole the pan. Heat it up over medium-high heat.
When the oil is hot, carefully place some breaded tofu slices in the pan and fry for 2-3 minutes until the underside is golden brown. Watch out for splashes of hot oil. Flip the tofu slices over and fry on the other side for 2-3 more minutes, making small adjustments to the heat level if necessary to keep the breadcrumbs from getting too dark.
Only cook as many slices at a time as you can easily fit and handle in the pan. Fry in batches if necessary, topping up the oil as needed to keep the bottom of the pan covered in oil.
When a slice of tofu is done on both sides, remove it from the pan and set it down on a plate topped with a double layer of kitchen paper/kitchen towels to remove excess oil.
Set aside until serving. If necessary, keep the plate of fried tofu warm in a fan oven at a low temperature (80℃ / 170℉) until ready to serve.

Serving

Cut the crispy fried tofu into strips and serve them on a bed of rice and with a small pool of sauce on the side. Place a heaped tablespoon of pickled vegetables on the plate. Garnish with black sesame seeds and sliced spring onion.

Notes

Rice

To serve with rice, cook ¼ cup (50 grams, or 2 ounces) of dry rice per person according to the package instructions. Japanese curries are typically served with white short-grain rice. Jasmine, basmati or brown long grain rice work well, too.

Freezing

The katsu curry sauce freezes well, but the tofu cutlets and rice are best prepared fresh.

Nutrition

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