How to Make Japanese Katsu Curry: Easy Flavorful Recipe - FeedMi Recipes (2024)

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Japanese katsu curry is a delicious combo of crispy fried pork cutlet and rich savory curry served over rice. It’s a super flavorful and easy-to-make meal!

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What is Japanese Katsu Curry?

Indian curry was introduced to Japan by the British. Over the years, it has become a super popular dish in Japan, modified to their taste, and distinct from Indian curry.

Japanese curry is thick and often served with rice or udon. It can consist of a variety of vegetables and meats such as carrots, potatoes, beef, chicken, or pork.

My favorite variation is Japanese katsu curry. Katsu is a breaded and fried cutlet.

I love the textural contrast of fried katsu with curry. It’s a super flavorful meal and fairly easy to make with a little shortcut!

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Protein to Use for Katsu

Katsu is most commonly made with pork or chicken. Pork katsu is also known as tonkatsu.

I typically like to use chicken breast or boneless pork chops for making katsu.

The thickness should be about 1/4″ to 1/2″ depending on your preference. Thinner cuts will have more crispy breading to meat ratio while thicker cuts will have more meat to breading ratio. I prefer thicker katsu.

You can purchase the cutlets to your desired thickness, cut it yourself, or pound it until thin. Pounding will also help to tenderize the meat.

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How to Make Katsu

To make a crispy katsu, dredge the meat in flour, eggs, and panko. Panko are Japanese breadcrumbs which give katsu that irresistibly light crunch.

First, create a dredging station by placing flour, eggs, and panko each in its own separate plate/container.

Then lightly season each component (pork or chicken cutlet, flour, eggs, panko) with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and ginger powder.

Next cover the cutlet completely on all sides in the following order: flour, egg, and panko.

Once the cutlets are dredged, deep fry until they are golden and crispy. It takes about 2-5 minutes on each side depending on the thickness of the cutlet. Use a neutral oil with a high smoke point like canola or vegetable oil. The heat should be on low to medium for a continuous bubble. Be careful not to have the heat on too high to avoid burning the oil.

Lastly, remove the fried katsu from the oil and place on a wire cooling rack or on top of paper towels to soak up excess oil.

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How to Make Japanese Curry

Japanese curry is made with curry powder, flour, oil, and other spices to form a roux. It thickens as you simmer with broth, water, vegetables, or meat.

However there are lots of great Japanese curry mixes and pre-made roux that you can use at home as a shortcut to make this a super easy meal without sacrificing any flavor.

My favorite brand to use is Golden Curry’s Japanese Curry Mix. It comes in different spice levels. The green “Medium Hot” has a little tingle but not very spicy at all. I usually get the 7.8 oz package which comes with 2 containers that have 4 cubes each, 8 in total.

I start by sautéing onions, garlic, baby gold potatoes, and carrots. If you like a touch of natural sweetness with your curry, I recommend also grating in about one half to a full Fuji apple.

Then add in water and the Golden Curry Japanese Curry Mix. I usually do a ratio of 1 cup of water to 1 cube of the curry mix. You can also use chicken broth instead or add chicken bouillon if you want a little more salty and savory flavor.

The Golden Curry Japanese Curry Mix by itself has a ton of flavor so you don’t really need to add anything to it.

Simmer the curry until it is thick, almost like a gravy consistency, and the vegetables are fork tender.

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Serving Japanese Katsu Curry

Cut the pork tonkatsu or chicken katsu into strips right before serving. Then serve the curry with rice. Lastly, top with the katsu strips, green onions, and enjoy!

Store leftovers of katsu and curry separately in sealed containers in the fridge. I recommend reheating the katsu in an air fryer or oven and reheat the curry on the stove or microwave.

Did you make this recipe? I would love to see! Tag me on Instagram @feedmi_ or TikTok@feedmi

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Japanese Katsu Curry

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

Katsu:

  • 4 pork chops, boneless (or 2 chicken breasts, butterflied & halved)
  • 1 cup flour
  • 2 eggs, whisked
  • 1 cup panko
  • salt to taste
  • pepper to taste
  • garlic powder to taste
  • ginger powder to taste
  • onion powder to taste
  • neutral oil

Japanese Curry:

  • ½ onion, chopped
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 baby gold potatoes, quartered
  • 2 carrots, sliced
  • 4 cubes (3.9 oz) Golden Curry Japanese Curry Mix
  • 4 cups water
  • 2 green onions, sliced
  • ½ – 1 Fuji apple (optional)

Instructions

Katsu:

  • Cut and pound pork into ¼"-½" thick slices.

  • Place flour, eggs, and panko each in its own separate plates/containers.

  • Season pork, flour, eggs, and panko with salt, pepper, ginger powder, garlic powder, and onion powder to taste.

  • Coat the pork in the following order: flour, eggs, and panko.

  • Fry pork in oil for ~2-5 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness, until it is golden and crispy.

  • Remove and place fried katsu on a wire cooling rack or on top of paper towels to soak up excess oil.

Japanese Curry

  • Sauté onion, garlic, potatoes, and carrots until onions are translucent.

  • If you like an touch of natural sweetness, grate in half or a full Fuji apple.

  • Add water and the curry mix cubes.

  • Simmer for ~15 minutes until curry thickens almost like gravy and the vegetables are fork tender.

  • Serve curry with rice, katsu, green onions, and enjoy!

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How to Make Japanese Katsu Curry: Easy Flavorful Recipe - FeedMi Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What gives Japanese curry its flavor? ›

A mix of traditional South Asian spices like turmeric, cumin, coriander, and fenugreek with East Asian spices like star anise and mandarin peel along with Western herbs like dill, sage, and thyme gives this curry powder a complex flavor profile that balances sweet and savory aromas with herbal and citrus notes.

What is the Flavour of Katsu Curry? ›

What does katsu curry taste like? The Katsu curry bears little resemblance to your usual Indian curry in terms of flavour. It's a sweeter, richer flavour thanks to the variety of spices used. The sweet flavours are enhanced by using soy sauce, bringing a delicious more-ish flavour to the dish.

What is the difference between Japanese curry and katsu curry? ›

Along with the sauce, a wide variety of vegetables and meats are used to make Japanese curry. The basic vegetables are onions, carrots, and potatoes. Beef, pork, and chicken are the most popular meat choices. Katsu curry is a breaded deep-fried cutlet (tonkatsu; usually pork or chicken) with Japanese curry sauce.

What gives curry its distinctive flavor? ›

A curry mix has a warm, robust spicy taste as a result of combining roasted and grounded coriander seeds, turmeric, cumin and chili peppers. Other spices commonly found within the blend are fenugreek, clove, mustard, black pepper, nutmeg or ginger.

What is the spice level of Japanese curry? ›

Some would describe Japanese curry more like a hearty stew than a typical curry like Thai or Indian. It isn't spicy, so it is suitable for children. It's also served with Japanese short-grain rice, which is sticker than basmati rice or long-grain rice. The rice grains also soak up the curry.

What's the red stuff in Katsu Curry? ›

A customary item for Japanese curry, f*ckujinzuke (福神漬) is a type of Tsukemono, Japanese pickled vegetables. The pickles are easily recognizable for its eye-catching red color as they sit atop in almost every curry dish.

What is the pink thing in Katsu Curry? ›

Love these Sakurazuke - pink pickled daikon mooli radish slices - really unusual sweet & sour / tangy flavour with a satsifying crunch. I tend to pop them on a Katsu curry, stir-fried noodles or ramen noodles with a Yutaka instant bonito miso soup broth (very lean but un-authentic!) or to accompany sushi.

What is katsu sauce made of? ›

This sauce is the traditional Japanese accompaniment for tonkatsu — Japanese-style breaded pork cutlets. It's made from a specially balanced blend of applesauce, onion, tomato paste, carrots and traditionally brewed Kikkoman® Soy Sauce that adds flavor to meat and poultry.

How to make curry extra tasty? ›

Transform your curry with a simple topping! Toasted sesame seeds, desiccated coconut or a sprinkle of fresh pomegranate adds another layer of depth to your creation. Leftovers: Make curries go further by adding pulses like chickpeas and yellow split peas.

How can I enhance my curry flavour? ›

The easiest way to fix a bland and tasteless curry is by adding spices like red chili powder, cumin, coriander, garam masala, curry leaves and turmeric. Just make a quick tempering and pour over the curry to give it a nice punch of spices and herbs.

How to make a bland curry tasty? ›

Add fresh soft herbs such as coriander or mint at the end of cooking for maximum flavour. Make sure you replenish your dried spices often – they can quickly lose their pungency. Ensure that you cook out spices for long enough otherwise they can taste raw and bitter.

What Flavour is Katsu Curry? ›

The Katsu curry bears little resemblance to Indian curry's in terms of flavour. It's a sweeter, richer flavour thanks to the variety of spices used and the soft onion and garlic flavours. The sweet flavours are enhanced by using soy sauce, bringing a delicious more-ish flavour to the dish.

Why is Japanese curry so addicting? ›

The stand-out feature of a Japanese curry is its thick, rich sauce. The thickness of the sauce which can only be found in Japanese curry is supported and beloved by many. The rich and indulgent sauce mixes with rice so perfectly, you will find it difficult stoping eating.

What makes Japanese curry so good? ›

While curry is prevalent in multiple countries, Japanese curry is usually thicker in texture, sweeter, and less spicy than its Thai or Indian counterparts. That sweetness often comes from the addition of an apple and/or some honey.

Why does Japanese curry taste so good? ›

The stand-out feature of a Japanese curry is its thick, rich sauce. The thickness of the sauce which can only be found in Japanese curry is supported and beloved by many. The rich and indulgent sauce mixes with rice so perfectly, you will find it difficult stoping eating.

What makes Japanese curry different from Indian curry? ›

For one, Japanese curry uses curry powder with less spices whereas Indian curry uses a variety of bases such as cumin, paprika, turmeric, and many more. Indian curry is more vibrant and bursting with flavor, while Japanese curry is sumptuous and “umami” but in a more understated manner.

Is Japanese curry bland? ›

Japanese curry is often described as milder and less spicy compared to Indian or Thai curry, but it's important to understand that this is a matter of taste preference and cultural differences in seasoning. Japanese curry has its own unique appeal and flavor profile.

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