by Linda Leave a Comment
Katsu curry sauce recipes are everywhere on the internet. They’re not hard to find and you’ll get them for free, written by actual, proper chefs. But none of the ones I tried quite got me to exactly where I wanted to be.
So for that reason, here’s the way I make my Katsu curry sauce.
I’ve made this at least six different times, playing around with the ingredients just slightly each time. I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m actually incredibly fussy and specifying a “medium carrot” just doesn’t cut it for me.
In earlier iterations this sauce has been too carrot-y, too fruity, too thin and just not quite there. This version of it though gets the thumbs up of approval from the other half, and I quite like it too.
Usually I’m not overly bothered about the quantities of ingredients. I’m quite flexible when I cook, just throwing things in here and there… but with this one I’ve found it quite important to stick to a measurement. So whilst it sounds strange, I’m going to specify a certain weight of onion, carrot and apple.
Obviously you’re welcome to ignore me, but this specific blend gives me the balance of flavour I like best.
This sauce can also easily be made entirely to vegan standards. Just swap the chicken stock for veggie stock and swap the honey for any other sweetener you like. Even a teaspoon of brown sugar should do the trick.
Finally though, and I’m sorry for this, but this sauce needs a blender of some sort. I’ve tried it without and I’ve tried passing the bits and pieces through a sieve, but I prefer the control over consistency a blended sauce has.
To serve then? I’ve done this with flattened out, seasoned chicken breast that’s been floured, egged, breadcrumbed and fried. I’ve also done this with poached chicken (when I just couldn’t be bothered with the frying part).
This sauce can also be made in advance and kept in the fridge for a couple of days before using, just reheat gently to serve. I hope you enjoy it!
Table of Contents
This is a nicely spiced, comfortingly warm and sweetened Katsu style curry sauce. It’s lovely with breaded, fried chicken and plenty of rice to soak it up!
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Japanese
Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 1/2 tbsp Oil, Sunflower or Vegetable
- 110 g Brown Skinned Onion
- 60 g Carrot
- 75 g Apple (Eating, not Cooking)
- 2 Garlic Cloves
- 1 tbsp Plain Flour
- 1 tbsp Curry Powder, Mild
- 300 ml Chicken or Vegetable Stock
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 1 Pinch of Chilli Flakes
- 1 tsp Honey (or alternative)
- 1/2 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
- 1/2 tsp Dark Soy Sauce
Instructions
- Prepare the onion, carrot, apple and garlic: Remove the skin and cut into very small, little chunks. The smaller the pieces are, the faster they’ll cook.
- Put a large pan (with a lid) on a low heat. Allow to warm, then add the oil.
- Add the onion, carrot, apple and garlic. Fry slowly and gently with the lid on, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes until everything is softened but not colouring.If you find the mixture starting to stick, add a splash of water to lift it.
- Mix in the flour and curry powder, stirring thoroughly to get rid of any lumps. Then add the chicken (or vegetable) stock, bay leaf, chilli flakes, honey, light soy and dark soy sauces. Note: the dark soy adds colour and a slight depth of flavour, but a little goes a long way.
- Simmer the sauce gently for around 15-20 minutes with the lid off. When all the veggies are properly cooked through and very soft, take the sauce off the heat. Remove the bay leaf.
In earlier iterations, this sauce was too carrot-y, too fruity, too thin and just not quite there. This version, although it gets a lot of approval from the other half, and I really like it too.
- Pour the sauce into a blender (or use a hand/stick blender) to blend the sauce thoroughly. At this point the sauce will lighten up in colour, so don’t worry if it’s been looking very dark and nothing like the pictures.
- Give the sauce a taste, if you feel it needs a little more chilli or curry powder to suit your preferences, add it now.
- At this point you can also adjust the consistency of the sauce; either add a splash of stock or water to thin it down, simmer gently for a little longer to reduce it and make it thicker, serve it as it is, or put it in the fridge and chill until you’re ready to heat it back up and use it.
Did you try this recipe? Let us know what you think below with a comment and rating! Enjoy!
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