Chicken Katsu Curry (or Tofu, but you're on your own for that part)

This was an attempt to replicate one of our favorite dishes at a local Japanese restaurant, which is breaded chicken cutlets served with a mound of fluffy white rice and sea of thick, tasty curry sauce. 

The curry sauce here is a variation of the Japanese Style Vegetable Curry, only with limited veggies pureed to make the base for the curry sauce, and the methods are very similar. Instead of a variety of vegetables, we use only onion for the savory, and then carrots and apples for texture and sweetness. These are sauteed together with oil or butter till they start to soften, then sprinkled with a teaspoon of garam masala and combined before the addition of 3 cups stock. 

As in the Vegetable curry recipe, you can use any combination of vegetable, chicken, or bonito stock. My preference is straight up vegetable Better than Boullion - but use what you have on hand.

Let the veggies and apple simmer for 30 minutes or until very soft

Allow to cool slightly (to prevent splatter burns) then puree with an immersion blender

To be honest, at this point you could legitimately eat this and call it "curried carrot soup" or something like that. But if you want to eat it alongside a main dish, press on!

Make the roux according to the directions in the Japanese vegetable curry recipe 

And instead of adding stock, just slowly add the pureed veggies and stock, stirring to combine. Bring to a simmer to thicken and allow flavours to develop.

Meanwhile, prepare your chicken! You can follow the direction below, or you can use Aurora's chicken karaage  or Cris's Mini Chicken and Waffles recipe. 

My preference is to use boneless skinless chicken thighs, unrolled and pounded slightly so they are even in thickness. Dredge in seasoned flour, taking care to make sure all surfaces are covered. Let rest on a wire rack to dry out slightly. When the thighs are slightly dry to touch, prepare two shallow dishes: one with a beaten egg with 1 tbsp milk and a dash of soy sauce added, and a second with a layer of panko bread crumbs. Start heating up a heavy skillet with approximately 1/4 inch of your preferred cooking oil. Working with each chicken piece individually, dip each piece first into the egg mixture, then into the panko, pressing slightly to help the crumbs stick. It's helpful to have one wet, and one dry hand to do this, with the dry hand closest to the skillet. As soon as the chicken is covered with panko, place immediately into the hot oil.  Don't crowd the pan and allow room for the oil to surround the sides of the cutlet. Turn and fry second side till cutlet is done all the way through. 

Drain on paper towels over a wire rack (not the same one you rested the raw chicken on! or at least, make sure you clean well with soap and water in between)

Allow to rest for about 5 minutes before slicing into strips. Plate by placing a mound of rice into the centre of the bowl, then carefully ladle the curry sauce around the outside of the rice mound to make a moat. Top the rice mound with chicken cutlet strips, and add a side of steamed vegetables (if you must, and I usually do).

NOTE: this can also be done with pan fried tofu, if you prefer a meatless version. However, I am not good at making panfried tofu taste good and I can almost guarantee that whatever you do will taste better than what I did. But this sauce will still work well with that option. 

For the curry sauce:

1 Tbsp butter

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1/2 large apple, peeled, cored, and finely grated

1 to 1 1/2 tsp garam masala

3 cups stock of choice (vegetable, chicken, bonito or a combination)

In a heavy pot, melt butter and sautee onion, carrots, and apples over medium heat till onions are translucent and carrots are softened. Sprinkle with garam masala and stir to combine and allow spice to bloom and release aromas. Add stock and simmer at low temperature for 30 minutes or until vegetables are very soft. Allow to cool slightly, then blend with immersion blender.

Make roux as directed in Japanese Vegetable curry recipe, but instead of adding stock, add the pureed vegetable mix. Allow to come to a simmer to thicken and blend flavours. Set aside.

For the chicken katsu:

7-8 boneless skinless chicken thighs

Flour dredge - combine:

1 cup flour

1-2 tsp seasoning salt

1/4-1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp garlic powder (optional)

Second coating, liquid. Beat together in a shallow dish:

1 egg

2 Tbsp milk

dash soy sauce

Third coating, panko:

1 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

Lightly pound chicken thighs with a mallet to even out thickness. Dredge in seasoned flour, and lay on white rack to allow flour coating to dry and set slightly. When slightly dry to touch, dip each thigh in the egg mixture, coating both sides. Move to panko dish, scooping panko over top side and pressing slightly to coat. Shallow fry in 1/4 inch hot oil, turning when golden and to internal temperature of 175-185 degrees F. Drain and allow to rest before slicing into strips and plating over mounded rice and curry sauce.