Chicken Katsu Curry
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| I forgot to add the carrots in the photo... |
Curry Ingredients:
- box of curry flavoring (try to get two-three versions)
- potatoes
- onion
- garlic
- carrots
- broth
Chicken Katsu Ingredients:
- Chicken breast
- flour
- egg
- panko
The amounts are going to depend on how much you want to make. I am only cooking for 2 people and I don't want much leftovers so I only got 1 baking potato, 1 onion, a couple cloves of garlic, and a handful of carrots. This amount made a very chunky curry sauce which I like. So if you like a thinner sauce, then don't put as much vegetables in or make a bigger pot with less vegetables.
- Start by doing all the prep work. Cut the potatoes into the same size so it'll cook evenly. If you are in a rush, cut them into smaller cubes so that they'll cook faster. Cut carrots into similar size or smaller than potatoes (since they don't cook as fast).
- If you want rice with it, then start cooking some rice now.
- Pick an appropriate sized pot for how much curry you want to make.
- Cook garlic in some oil until aromatic
- Add onions and cook until tender
- Add carrots and potatoes and then fill with water or use broth for more flavor. If you want a chunkier sauce like me, just fill to the top of the vegetables. If you want a thinner sauce, fill the liquid higher.
- Bring to a boil and then simmer until vegetables are fork tender. If the liquid gets low, just fill with more water or broth.
- While you're waiting for this, pound the chicken breast flat. Just look for the thinnest part of the chicken breast and pound the rest to match. I find thin sliced chicken breast is the easiest for katsu. You don't need to do much but you still want to pound it out to make it even. This ensures an even cook.
- Dip the flat chicken breast into the flour, egg wash, then panko crust.
- Fry until golden brown.
- The oil should be around 350F. If you don't have a frying thermometer, test it out by throwing a couple pieces of panko in there. It should bubble strongly. If you throw in your chicken and it sinks and only slightly bubbles, then the oil is not hot enough. If your oil is not hot enough, it will take longer to cook... meaning your panko will soak in more oil and it will taste/feel greasy.
- If you are using a large pot for frying, throwing lots of pieces in can cause your oil temperature to drop too quickly. Don't overcrowd and don't throw too many pieces in at once.
- Use a strainer and scoop out the remaining panko crust after each one. This will keep your oil clean. If you leave the bits in... they will overcook, burn and turn your oil brown and leave a burnt taste to your food. Your oil turning brown/black will also trick you into thinking you are done because it will get you to that golden brown faster.
- If you're worried about if it's done, then cut one and check that the juices are clear and the meat is white. If you pounded them out thinly and evenly, it should only be a couple of minutes on each side.
- Place fried katsu onto paper towels over a cookie drying rack. (I like to also line the bottom with foil for easy cleanup.) This will help soak the oil away from the katsu, keep it crispy and not so oily.
- When the vegetables are tender, add cubes of the curry flavor a little at a time. Stir to make sure it's completely dissolved. Once it dissolves, it will thicken your sauce. I usually like to do a Mild and Medium combo but today I only had a mild.
- Taste and adjust. If it's not enough curry, then add more. If you like your curry runnier, then add more broth.
- Place rice, curry sauce, then cut up katsu on top and enjoy!
I actually topped with curry but it made my katsu soggy. So I would say place the katsu on top of the sauce to keep it nice and crispy.
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