Today we are making Vegan Katsu Curry. Traditionally hailing from Japan, it is a sweet, tangy and lil spicy curry along with a cutlet of tofu which is simple to make at home and so delicious.
Step 1 : Prepping Tofu
Take 500 grams of extra firm tofu, we are going to slice the tofu into thick cubes, something like this. Repeat the same with the rest of the tofu slices. These look perfect right there.
Take some all purpose flour, plant based milk and crushed cornflakes, you can replace the cornflakes with breadcrumbs as well.
Roll the tofu cube in the all purpose flour, which is seasoned with salt and black pepper powder.
Dust off the extra flour, then dip the tofu in plant based milk and then place the tofu in the crushed cornflakes. Cover the tofu nicely with the cornflakes. Make sure you get all the sides and repeat the same for the rest of them. You may replace tofu in this recipe with your fav plant based protein.
Step 2 : Cooking Tofu
Now heat a pan, add around 1 tablespoon of oil. I am brushing the oil so it’s evenly spread and will be absorbed by the tofu in equal quantity.
Once the oil is hot, place the tofu slices gently. We are going to cook the tofu over medium heat for 2 minutes and then flip. Cook for another 2 minutes and then transfer them to a baking tray. Bake the tofu at 180 C for 15 minutes.
Step 3 : Make Katsu Curry
To the same pan, add 1 tablespoon of oil. Add 1 medium sliced onion, stir fry the onion for a minute and then let it cook over medium heat till its translucent. Stir the onion occasionally so it doesn’t stick to the pan.
Once the onion is cooked, add 3 medium chopped carrots, and stir fry them too. Now add 1 Inch of grated ginger and 4 chopped medium garlic cloves to the pan. Turn the heat to low and stir fry them for 2 minutes.
Then add 1 teaspoon of curry powder, 1 teaspoon of garam masala powder, 1 tablespoon of all purpose flour, stir and mix everything for a minute. We are cooking the spices at low heat. Then add 150 ml of water to the pan. Mix again and the spices will start to mix with the water and bring in the color of the curry. Adding a little bit of more water, you can adjust the water level as per the curry thickness but remember that we are going to blend everything and the curry will get thicker after that. The vegetables are nicely submerged in water and now let it cook over low heat till it starts to boil. Once the curry starts to boil, add 2 tablespoons of coconut cream, 1 and half teaspoons of salt, this is the first time we are using salt in the curry and you can adjust it later too. 1 teaspoon of black pepper powder. Mix everything, look at the coconut cream. It's just melting beautifully and getting infused with the curry. Cook for 2 more mins and then switch off the heat. Let it cool down a bit and then blend everything. The Vegan Katsu curry is ready. Look at that perfect texture, and like I said earlier, you can adjust the thickness of the curry per your liking. You can dip the tofu in the curry or serve it separately.
Katsu is one of Japan’s favorite western style foods. It was invented in Japan in 1899 at a Tokyo restaurant called Rengatei.
It was more like a Japanese version of European cuisine. Katsu is traditionally prepared with Pork and later got adapted with seafood, chicken and even vegetables.
When it comes to the Katsu curry though, it came to Japan from India via British military officers, which is why Katsu curry doesn’t really resemble a traditional one and is considered to be a Western cuisine. This Western-style curry differs from the Indian-style curry, and got popular in Indian restaurants in Japan during the 1990s. The Katsu curry is sweet, tangy and slightly spicy and goes perfectly with the tofu cutlet and I love the combination of it with some plain rice and pickled salad. I like to also add some toasted sesame seeds on top of it before serving. Guys if you try making this recipe at home, I would love to hear your feedback in the comments section and if you have already made a version of this before do share what’s your fav way of making this amazing dish.
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