Katsu curry is the most popular dish in Japan and is becoming increasingly popular around the world. It is often paired with squash for a cozy vegetarian meal. Here the soft, melt in your mouth squash is coated in crispy breadcrumbs and drizzled with the thick, comforting katsu curry sauce, all served over perfectly cooked rice.
Interestingly, despite originating in Japan, this dish is influenced by Indian spices brought by the British during the spice trade. The curry powder is mixed with flour to thicken the sauce by making a roux in traditional French style. The most commonly eaten dish in Japan has true multicultural influences.
Whilst this dish is great for using up all that squash from the garden or veg box, if you fancied something different, you could serve it over roasted aubergine or tofu instead. If you are eating meat then chicken and pork are also pretty popular. Leftover curry sauce freezes really well too, so it is great for batch cooking.
Squash katsu curry
Equipment
- 2 sauspans and an oven
Ingredients
- 500 g squash, sliced into 1 cm slices I used butternut, buut any squash is fine
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 100 g panko breadcrumbs
- 2 – 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 3 garlic cloved, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 2 tbsp mild curry powder
- 1 tsp tumeric
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 500 ml stock
- 50 g creamed coconut
- 1 tbsp brown sugar or honey
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- spray oil
- 200 g rice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
- Start by making the squash. Dip the slices into egg and immediately into the breadcrumbs. Repeat this step if the breadcrumb coating is a bit thin. Once coated, place on a baking tray and spray with oil. Cook for 20 – 25 minutes until golden brown, turning half way through.
- To cook the rice, place twice as much water as rice by volume (one cup of rice, two cups of water) into a saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer with the lid on for 15 – 20 minutes. Turn the heat off and leave in the pan with the lid on until ready to serve.
- Meanwhile, make the sauce. Add chopped onion and carrots to oil on a medium heat and cook until the carrots are softening and the onions are beginning to turn golden brown (about 15 minutes).
- Add the garlic, ginger, curry powder and turmeric and mix well, stirring and frying for a few minutes until fragrant.
- Add the flour and stir for a few minutes. Add one ladle full of stock at a time, stirring well, until any lumps in the flour dissolve.
- Once the stock is added and the mixture is smooth, add the creamed coconut, brown sugar or honey and soy sauce. Stir until all dissolved.
- Use a blender (upright or a stick blender) to puree the onion and carrots.
- Serve with rice, squash, and curry sauce. Garnish with some chopped coriander.
