Tofu katsu recipe
With breadcrumbed tofu smothered in curry sauce and melted cheese, this is the mother of all comfort food dishes.
Tip: you could also try different vegetables in the curry sauce, such as mushrooms or sweet potatoes. Instead of tofu, you could try chicken breast or white fish fillets.
Ingredients
For the tofu- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 100 g panko crumbs
- 400 g firm tofu, drained for 20 minutes, pressed and cut into 2cm (3⁄4 inch) rectangular slabs
- 1 amount of vegetable oil, for frying (see method)
- 40 ml vegetable oil
- 1 carrot, roughly chopped
- 1 large onion, roughly chopped
- 44 g medium curry powder
- 85 g caster (superfine) sugar
- 10 g sea salt flakes
- 15 g cornflour (corn starch)
- 2 tsp light soy sauce
- 200 ml water
- 2.5 tsp tomato purée (tomato paste)
- 2.5 tsp white wine vinegar
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 100 g grated Cheddar, or other hard cheese
- 4 servings of rice and vegetables
Details
- Cuisine: Japanese
- Recipe Type: Tofu
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 15 mins
- Cooking Time: 25 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
- First make the sauce. In a large, heavy-based saucepan, heat up the oil for a few minutes before adding the carrot and onion. Stir-fry over a medium heat for 3–4 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften. Add 3 tbsp water and put the lid on.
- In a mixing bowl, mix the curry powder, sugar, salt, cornflour, soy sauce and measured water and mix until smooth.
- Add it to the pan of vegetables, stirring vigorously to stop any lumps. Then add the tomato purée, vinegar and cayenne.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer the sauce for 5–10 minutes. It will thicken as you cook.
- Put the eggs for the tofu in a shallow dish and the panko in another. Dip the tofu in the egg, then press the slabs into the panko until covered and sticking on all sides.
- Heat enough oil in a frying pan (skillet) to cover the base by 3mm/1⁄8 inch. Add the tofu and fry for 3–4 minutes on each side or until golden, turning carefully with tongs.
- Preheat the grill (broiler) to high.
- When ready to serve, loosen up the curry sauce with 3–4 tbsp water, or until you are happy with the consistency. Distribute the tofu and sauce between ovenproof plates, sprinkle with the cheese and melt it under the hot grill (broiler). Serve with rice and vegetables.
This recipe is from Tofu Tasty: Imaginative tofu recipes for every day by Bonnie Chung, published by Pavilion Books. Recipe photography by Yuki Sugiura.
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