Katsu kare (katsu curry)

Katsu curry, made with breaded, fried pork cutlet, is hugely popular in Japan. The katsu element is easier to make than you might think and it has a delicious crunch, as this recipe from Millie Tsukagoshi Lagares shows.

Katsu kare (katsu curry). Credit: Quadrille

• serves

  4

• prep

  5 minutes

• cook

  1 hour

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

For the curry

• 3 tsp (15 ml) neutral oil, such as rapeseed (canola) or sunflower
• 2 onions, very finely sliced
• 1 tsp garam masala
• ½ tsp chilli flakes
• 3 potatoes, cut into sixths
• 2 carrots, cut on an angle to make 6–7 even chunks
• 4 curry cubes (around 75 g/2½ oz)
• 3 tsp ketchup
• 3 tsp okonomiyaki sauce
• 3 tsp butter
• 100 g (3½ oz) shimeji or chestnut mushrooms

For the katsu

• 4 (boneless) pork chops (500 g/1lb 2 oz total weight)
• 50 g (3 tbsp + 1 tsp /1¾ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
• 1 egg, whisked
• 100 g (3½ oz) panko breadcrumbs
• 300 ml (10½fl oz/1¼ cups plus 1 tbsp) neutral oil, such as rapeseed (canola) or sunflower

To serve

• Steamed rice
• Rakkyo or fujinzuke pickles (se Note)

Instructions

1. For the curry, heat the tablespoon of oil in a large, lidded saucepan over a low-medium heat. Add the onions and cook slowly for 15 minutes, or until very soft and slightly caramelised. Add the garam masala and chilli flakes and cook for 5 minutes more. Add the potatoes, carrots and 500 ml (17 fl oz / 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons) water. Cook over a low heat for 15–20 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft.
2. Add the curry cubes, ketchup, okonomiyaki sauce, butter and mushrooms. Let this simmer, stirring occasionally, for a further 10 minutes until the curry has thickened. turn off the heat and cover with the lid to keep warm.
3. Meanwhile, for the katsu, bash the pork chops with a rolling pin to a thickness of 1.5cm (5/8in) and slice incisions in the fat at the top (this will prevent curling as it cooks). Season with a pinch of salt and set aside while you sort out the breading.
4. Put the flour in one bowl, the whisked egg in a separate bowl and the panko in a final bowl. dip the pork pieces in the flour, shaking off any excess, then the egg and, finally, the panko. Set aside.
5. Heat the 300ml (10½fl oz/1¼ cups plus 1 tablespoon) oil in a large heavy-based pan, filling it no more than half-full. When it gets to 170ºc (340ºF), add the breaded pork pieces, two at a time. if you don’t have a cooking thermometer, dip the tip of a wooden or bamboo chopstick into the oil. When it’s hot enough, a steady stream of small air bubbles will rise to the surface. Fry for 3 minutes on one side, then flip with tongs and fry for 2 minutes on the other side.
6. Turn off the heat, return all the pork pieces to the hot oil and cook them in the residual heat for 3 minutes, or until completely cooked through. transfer to a cooling rack set over a plate to drain the excess oil, then cut into thick slices.
7. Spoon the curry sauce over bowls of steamed rice and top with the sliced pork. Serve with pickles on the side.

Note

• This is the easiest version of this popular curry, made using curry cubes. These are what everyone in Japan uses, as every cook will have a couple of packs in their pantry ready for a speedy meal.
• I always add a few extra ingredients to make the curry extra delicious and to suit my tastebuds more. Feel free to fry sliced eggplant (aubergine) for a vegetarian version. Common curry toppings, if you want to go the extra mile, are a fried egg, grated cheese and rakkyo (sweet vinegar-pickled Chinese onions) or fujinzuke pickles (pickled root vegetables with a sour, sweet and soy sauce flavour), both available at Asian supermarkets.

This is an edited extract from Umai by Millie Tsukagoshi Lagares, published by Quadrille. Photography by Lizzie Mayson and Lucy Laucht.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.