Katsu curry is a popular Japanese comfort food. It is a rice bowl which consists of a crispy chicken cutlet also known as katsu, Japanese curry and steamed rice . This is assembled at that moment and served piping hot which makes it a filling and delicious meal.
Heat oil in a pot. Add in chopped garlic and sauté until fragrant. Now add in onions and sauté for couple of minutes until raw smell leaves.
Add in carrots and potatoes and give a good mix. Now pour vegetable stock and mix well. Bring it to a full boil, cover the pan with lid and cook on low medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes until the potatoes and carrots is cooked.
Now add in the curry block and mix gently until the block melts completely. The sauce will get thick as it cools. Serve with rice.
For Making Chicken Katsu
Take couple of boneless chicken breast. Pat them dry completely with paper towel. Take them on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to butterfly the chicken breast so it opens like a book.
Place another sheet of plastic wrap or parchment on top and use a meat mallet or a rolling pin to gently smash the chicken breast so it gets slightly thin and in even thickness.
Remove the plastic wrap and this is how the chicken looks like. Now you can keep it as it is for one big chicken katsu. Or slice it in half so each chicken breast gives you 2 chicken cutlets. Set aside till needed.
Take plain flour, cornstarch, seasonings, salt, pepper in a bowl and mix well. Add in egg and mix to a batter, add little water at a time to make a slightly thin batter. The batter has to be sligthly pourable consistency.
Now take your chicken cutlets and drop into the batter. Coat the chicken on both sides, so each side is coated with the batter.
Take the chicken from batter, let the excess batter drip off, Drop the chicken on some panko breadcrumbs. Coat both sides of the chicken in panko really well. Once it is well coated, remove the chicken and place it on a wire rack.
Heat neutral cooking oil in a pan and place it on medium high heat. Let the oil get hot. If you insert a chopstick into the oil, you will see small bubbles around the chopsticks which indicates the oil is at the right temperature.
Drop the chicken into the oil. The chicken should be completely immersed in the oil. So it fries from all sides. Let the chicken fry on medium high heat for 4 to 5 minutes. It will get golden brown in colour. Remove the fried katsu from oil. It should be super crispy and crunchy. Place on a wire rack.
After every batch, use a skimmer to remove any fried crumbs from the oil. So it doesn't burn. Continue with remaining batch. Once fried, let it sit for 3 minutes before slicing. Serve.
Serving Katsu Curry
Take a bowl of freshly cooked rice. Place sliced chicken katsu on one side, generously pour curry on other side. Top with green onions for garnishing. Serve immediately.