Chicken Katsu Curry
BROUGHT TO YOU BY Penguin Random House
You can find chicken katsu in Wagamama, Yo! Sushi and Itsu as well as in supermarket chiller cabinets, testimony to the dish’s popularity in this country. There are probably very few people under the age of 30 who don’t know it. It’s a dish that combines the Japanese love of protein fried in panko breadcrumbs with the flavours of India. Personally, being perhaps more familiar with the flavours of India than many Japanese, I prefer my katsu a little bit hotter than usual, so have added a modest amount of cayenne pepper to the recipe and I like a splash of vinegar to give it a bit more vigour. Katsu curry often appears on vegetarian menus, and I think slices of aubergine are the perfect alternative to chicken.
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS
4 small chicken breasts (or 2 aubergines, thickly sliced)
2 tbsp plain flour
1 large egg, beaten
60–70g panko breadcrumbs
60ml sunflower or vegetable oil
Rice
400g sushi rice
½ tsp salt
Katsu sauce
2 tbsp oil
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2.5cm root ginger, grated
1 tbsp medium curry powder
½ tsp cayenne pepper
400ml tin coconut milk
150ml chicken stock
2–3 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp honey
2 tbsp malt vinegar
To serve
Steamed green beans, sugar snap peas or tenderstem broccoli
METHOD
Wash the sushi rice until it runs clear, then leave it to soak for 30 minutes in cold water.
For the sauce, heat the oil in a pan and gently fry the carrots, onions, garlic and ginger until soft. Add the curry powder and cayenne and cook for a minute, then add the coconut milk, chicken stock, soy sauce, honey and the vinegar. Simmer for 20–25 minutes until the vegetables are really soft and the liquid has reduced a little. Using a stick blender or liquidiser, blitz to form a smooth sauce, then taste and add a little more soy sauce or honey if needed.
Place a chicken breast between 2 sheets of cling film or baking parchment and bash it into an escalope about 3–4mm thick. Season with salt and pepper. Repeat with the other breasts. Put the flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs on 3 separate plates. Dip each chicken breast in flour, then egg and finally breadcrumbs. If using slices of aubergine, you don’t need to bash them, just season and coat them as for the chicken.
Put the soaked rice in a pan with 500ml of cold water and the salt, cover with a lid and bring to the boil. Once boiling, immediately turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, leave the lid on the pan and allow the rice to steam for a further 10 minutes.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the chicken, or aubergine, for 4–5 minutes on each side until golden. Transfer to a warm plate lined with kitchen paper and keep warm if cooking in batches.
Slice each chicken breast or aubergine slice on the diagonal into 5 pieces. Spoon some rice into a teacup and compress, then turn out on to a plate to make a rice dome. Add slices of chicken or aubergine and spoon over some of the sauce. Serve with green vegetables.
This recipe is from Rick Stein's cookbook – Food Stories, available for purchase here.
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