Recipe – Katsu Curry Rice

Katsu curry has two main components, the cutlet (katsu) and the curry rice. The flavorful meat of the cutlet covered with a crunchy layer of panko bread crumbs pairs perfectly with the taste of curry—it’s truly a match made in heaven.

I absolutely adore Japanese Curry. Ever since I got my first taste of the dish from Coco Ichibanya, I was hooked and I thought to myself: I need to learn and make this at home. Katsu curry is a Japanese comfort food loved by many. Compared to other curries, it’s milder, thicker and oftened sweetened using fruits such as apple. The mild flavor is also very appealing to kids. In fact, my daughter loves it when we make curry rice at home.

I skip those store-bought curry roux blocks when I make Japanese curry. It’s so easy to make the dish without it and the best part is, you can freely adjust to your taste by making it stronger or milder. You also skip on ingredients you don’t need such as any additional chemicals and MSG. You’ll just need some curry powder and garam masala to simulate the taste of Japanese curry. I just use a slurry of potato starch and water to thicken the sauce. I love the result and my Japan-obsessed friends love it too! Feel free to play with the ratio of curry powder and garam masala. You can add some more garam masala to make your curry stronger or spicier.

Variations

Aside from carrots and potatoes, I mix up this curry recipe by adding other vegetables such as blanched green beans, asparagus and broccoli or I sometimes add some sautéed eggplant to add more color and nutrients to the dish.

For a more tender katsu experience, you can switch use menchi (minced meat) katsu instead of the typical tonkatsu (pork) or torikatsu (chicken).

Katsu Curry Rice

A delicious Japanese comfort food that's surprisingly easy to make! Enjoy this sweet curry with a wonderfully juicy and crunchy cut of either pork or chicken. This recipe makes for an absolutely filling and comforting meal for any time. It's also one of those dishes that tastes better the day after!

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Japanese

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

Curry

• 1 tbsp Neutral cooking oil Such as Canola or Vegetable
• 1/2 tbsp Sesame oil
• 1 Onion sliced`
• 1 tbsp Ginger minced
• 1/2 tbsp Garlic grated
• 2 cup Dashi stock
• 2 cup Light chicken stock
• 1 Medium carrot chopped rangiri-style
• 1 Large potato chopped rangiri-style
• 2 tbsp Curry powder
• 1 tsp Garam masala
• 1 Fuji apple grated
• 1 tbsp Potato starch
• 1 tbsp Water
• 1 tbsp Soy sauce
• 1 tsp Mirin
• 1/4 cup Tonkatsu sauce (optional)

Katsu

• 4 Pork loin fillet or chicken breast fillet (4oz each pounded to 1 inch)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup Flour
• 2 Egg

To Serve

• Fukujinzuke
• Steamed rice
• Cabbage shredded

Instructions

 

Curry

• In a sauce pot, heat both sesame and cooking oil over medium heat. Add the onions until caramelized. Add the ginger and garlic in the last minute and sauté until fragrant.
• Add the dashi and chicken stock to the pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the carrots and potatoes and cook through (about 5 minutes)
• Combine garam masala and curry powder in a bowl. Blend together with a ladleful of broth. Mix together to form a paste and add that to the pot.
• Combing potato starch, mirin, soy sauce and any additional seasonings you like in a small bowl.
• Add the potato starch solution to the pot and adjust the heat to low and allow the contents of the pot to simmer until thickened (about 7-10 minutes). Stir occasionally to prevent the bottom from sticking to the pot.

Katsu

• Prepare the katsu for frying by heating enough oil to cover the katsu in a skillet. The oil is hot enough if a piece of panko floats to the top when dipped in the oil.
• Prepare a breading station by preparing three containers with the flour, beaten egg and the panko
• Rub salt and pepper on the chicken or pork fillet and dredge the chicken in the flour, then the egg and finally the panko—shaking off any excess of the breading ingredients in the process. Once breaded, set aside
• Place the katsu individually in the oil and cook through until golden brown (about 5 minutes).
• Once the katsu is done, place them on a paper towel-lined tray and allow the katsu to drain excess oil.

Serving

• Prepare a bed of rice on a soup plate and take a ladleful of the curry and vegetables and pour next to the rice.
• Slice the katsu and place above the bed of rice. Drizzle with curry sauce if desired
• Serve along with a bowl of shredded cabbage and some fukujinzuke

Keyword Chicken, Curry, Katsu, Pork