Tofu Katsu Curry

I'm not kidding when I say that this is better than chicken or pork katsu.

Regular meat katsus have just lost their shine for me ever since I made this, and an added plus is that it's healthier than meat katsus too!

INGREDIENTS

Prep time: 30min + 1 ingredient needs to be left overnight
Cooking time: 40min
Serves: 6-7

Tofu and Marinade

  1. Tau kwa (firm tofu) x 2

  2. Garlic powder x 1 tsp

  3. Onion powder x 1 tsp

  4. White pepper x a few shakes

Tofu Katsu Batter

  1. All purpose flour x ¾ cup (188ml)

  2. Water x ½ cup (125ml)

  3. Pink salt x ½ tsp

  4. White pepper x a few shakes

  5. Panko breadcrumbs

Japanese curry

  1. S&B Golden Curry (Mild) x 3 cubes

      • You can choose any other curry roux you like, but this one is my favourite. It's very light and fragrant! Even my mom, who normally doesn't like Japanese curry, likes this curry roux.

  2. Olive oil x 1 tbsp

  3. Minced Garlic x 1 tbsp

  4. Ginger x 1 knob, sliced

  5. Onion x 2, sliced into eighths

  6. Carrot x 1-2, cut thickly

  7. Potato x 2-3, cut thickly

  8. Maple syrup x 1 tbsp (or sugar)

  9. Swanson's Chicken Stock x 500ml

    • Substitute with vegetable broth for a completely vegetarian recipe.

  10. Water x 500ml

  11. Soy sauce x 1 tbsp

  12. Ketchup x 1 tbsp

  13. Pink salt to taste

Rice

  1. Rice

      • On average, my family eats about 40ml of uncooked rice per person. We are small eaters, though.

      • The usual recommendation is to serve this with Japanese koshihikari rice, but I prefer to eat it with mixed grain rice because that's healthier.

  2. Water

HOW TO COOK

Tofu Prep

  1. Drain the tau kwa, discarding the liquid in the package.

  2. Remove moisture from the tau kwa by coating it with ¼ tsp of pink salt and leaving it overnight in the fridge.

      • If you forget to do this, you can also wrap the tau kwa in a towel and press it between two heavy books. If you do this, then remember to season the tofu with salt at step 4.

  3. Cut the tau kwa into fingers.

  4. Season the tofu with pepper, garlic and onion powder.

Tofu Katsu Batter

  1. Whisk all ingredients under "Tofu Katsu Batter" together except the water and bread crumbs.

  2. Slowly add the water bit by bit until the batter has a reasonably thick consistency, like pancake batter.

  3. Roll the tofu in this batter to coat it, then shake off excess and coat with panko. Press the panko into the tofu gently.

Frying the Tofu

  1. Deep fry the panko-encrusted tofu fingers until they turn golden brown. If you are doing a shallow pan-fry, flip your tofu to make sure all sides turn golden brown.

  2. Put the cooked katsu tofu on a cooling rack or a plate with kitchen paper towels on it to drain off the excess oil. Don't crowd the pieces or they might become soggy from condensation.

Japanese Curry

  1. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a wok.

  2. Fry garlic, onions and ginger until fragrant, about 1min.

  3. Add all ingredients under "Japanese Curry" into the pot and simmer until the potatoes and carrots are soft.

  4. Add the curry roux cubes. I use three, but if you want a stronger taste, you can add four.

  5. Simmer, uncovered, on medium-low heat until the curry becomes thick. Stir frequently so that the stuff at the bottom of the wok doesn't burn.

Rice

  1. Cook rice according to your package instructions.

Serve

  1. Serve as pictured above, with a generous helping of curry and as many sticks of tofu katsu as you like!

  2. Enjoy!

Recipe by Chops.