Vegan Katsu Curry

Japanese katsu curry is one of my favorite things to eat on cold fall and winter nights—it's warm, hearty, and so comforting and comes together so easily. Traditionally, katsu uses pork cutlets but I've subbed that out for tofu here for a plant-based but equally satisfying alternative.

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Makes 3 servings
Cook time: 1 hr

What you’ll need

For the Japanese curry
2 servings curry roux cubes (I use Golden Curry brand)
5-7 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, diced into bite size
1 white or yellow onion, thinly sliced
1-2 yellow or russet potatoes
2 cups vegetable stock/broth
1 cup water
1 tbsp ketchup
1 tsp cocoa powder
3 tbsp grated apple
Optional: Splash of soy sauce

For the tofu katsu
1 block firm or extra firm tofu
1/2 cup panko
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup plant milk
Neutral oil: Canola or avocado

Prep

Thinly slice onion. In a pot, drizzle some olive oil or butter, and bring to medium heat. Add the onions, and stir once every few minutes for about 30 minutes until deeply brown and caramelized. If starting to burn, you can add a splash of water.
In the meantime, prep your other ingredients: Mince the garlic and cut your carrot and potatoes into bite size chunks.

Cook

When the onions are caramelized, add the garlic and let saute for 2-3 minutes until garlic is fragrant.
Add your chopped carrots and potatoes to the pot. Add vegetable broth and water and bring to a boil.
Once carrots and potatoes are nearly tender, add the curry roux cubes, ketchup, grated apple, soy sauce, and cocoa powder (these might sound weird but they add depth to the curry!) Stir until roux cubes are fully dissolved. Keep curry on low heat while preparing the katsu.
Press your tofu to squeeze out moisture (the more you leave in the tofu the more it will sputter while frying), and slice to approximately 1/2 inch in thickness.
In three shallow dishes wide enough to hold the tofu pieces, add the panko, flour, and plant milk. First, drop the tofu in the plant milk, coating both sides. Then, coat with flour on both sides. Return to milk, and then coat generously with panko.
Preheat oil in pot or pan to 325 - 375 F (if you don't have a thermometer, you can drop a piece of panko into the oil to see if it's ready–if it sizzles and starts to brown, it's hot enough).
Drop the katsu into the oil, and fry on both sides until golden brown, about 4 minutes each side.

Plate

You can serve this with noodles, rice, or on its own—it's up to you! I like to serve this with warm white rice. If you'd like to make it how I did, you can mold some arms and legs and use nori to cut out faces.

Enjoy!

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