
Chicken Katsu Curry
After curry was introduced to the Japanese by the British in the Meiji era, it has evolved to become a national dish as synonymous with Japanese food as sushi or sashimi. This katsu curry sauce is thickened with a little flour and carrots and is sweet and mild and served with delicious crispy panko-crumbed chicken, which we’ve added some of our furikake seasoning to. This is the ultimate starter curry for kids and sure to be a family favourite. Serve with traditional shredded cabbage, rice and/or steamed broccoli. We recommend making two or three times the sauce and keeping some in the freezer for quick mid-week meals.
Ingredients
Sauce
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 brown onion, chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh ginger, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 carrot (about 100g), chopped into 1cm pieces
- 1 1/2 tbsp Herbie’s Katsu Japanese Curry Blend
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 1 tbsp tamari
- 1 tbsp mirin
- 1 tbsp honey or palm sugar
- 700ml chicken stock
Chicken
- 4 chicken breasts, halved lengthwise
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 100g panko breadcrumbs mixed with 1 tbsp Herbie’s Furikake Seasoning
- 200g plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
- 200ml vegetable or rice bran oil
Instructions
- For sauce, add onion, ginger, garlic and carrots to oil in a heavy based saucepan. Stir over low heat for 10 minutes until soft. Add curry powder and flour and mix well, then add stock and tamari, mirin and honey. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally for 15-20 minutes until thickened and carrots are tender. Taste for seasoning then blitz with a stick blender. Once cool, the sauce can be refrigerated or frozen.
- For chicken, dust pieces in flour, then dip into egg, allowing excess to drip off, then coat in the breadcrumbs. Set aside on a wire rack while completing others. Chicken can be refrigerated for a few hours if preparing ahead.
- In a large shallow pan, heat oil for frying and cook chicken pieces for 5 minutes each side until golden. It can be good to have the oven on low to keep warm while preparing.
- Serve with desired side and curry sauce. For some chilli heat, sprinkle some Herbie’s Shichimi Togarashi on top.