Katsu Curry カツカレー

Ingredients:

• for tonkatsu:

  • 2 boneless pork loin chops

  • salt & pepper

  • 2 tbsp plain flour

  • 2 eggs

  • 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

  • neutral-flavored oil (for deep frying, depends on pot/pan size)

• for curry:

  • 1 large carrot

  • 2 yukon gold potatoes

  • 1/4 onion

  • option 1: pre-made S&B Golden Curry cube + 4 cups of water

  • option 2: homemade curry (see recipe below)

• 1 cup uncooked rice (or 2-3 cups cooked rice)

• fukujin-zuke pickles (for side, not pictured)

Instructions:

1. Cook rice (if starting with uncooked rice) - wash rice until water is clear, then cook in rice cooker or stovetop

2. Season & tenderize pork loin - pound the meat with a meat tenderizer or the back of a knife (in a crosshatch pattern), then season both sides with a generous amount of salt & pepper then leave in the fridge while preparing other steps

3. If using pre-made curry cubes, skip this step - prepare homemade curry as shown in the recipe below

4. Prepare vegetables for curry - peel and cut carrots & potatoes into small half-inch pieces (or to your preference) and cut onion into thick wedges, sauté vegetables for ~5 minutes, then add 4 cups of water, bring to a boil and simmer on medium heat for 10-20 minutes (until you can skewer it easily with a chopstick or fork)

5. Finish curry - if using pre-made curry cubes, add the cube into the water with the vegetables and mix until well-combined; if using homemade curry below, transfer vegetables (without the water) to the curry and mix; keep on low heat and mix occasionally while preparing other steps (can add water if consistency is too thick)

6. Flour, egg, panko - take pork loin out of the fridge, first coat in flour, dip in whisked egg mixture, then dredge in panko (pressing gently) Tip: use one hand for dry ingredients (i.e. flour and panko) and the other hand for wet ingredients (i.e. egg) if planning to make multiple cutlets

7. Deep fry #1 - fill a pot with neutral-flavored oil and heat until ~350F, place breaded pork cutlet inside and cook for 60 seconds on each side, then remove and place on a wire rack or paper towel (do not cut open yet)

8. Deep fry #2 - once the cutlet has rested for 4 minutes, deep fry again for 30 seconds on each side (to check if cooked, poke with a chopstick to make sure the liquid is clear in color, not pink) and let rest for a few minutes

9. Serve it up - prepare a bed of rice, cut the cutlet into even pieces, place on the bed of rice, and ladle in some curry

10. Enjoy!

Homemade Curry Recipe

Ingredients (~4-6 servings):

• 30g S&B curry powder (can alternatively make your own curry spice blend, or add garam masala or cayenne pepper)

• 200g butter

• 72g all-purpose flour

• 1 qt chicken stock

• 4 dried shiitake mushroom

• 1 onion

• 1 apple

• 1 tbsp tomato paste

• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce

• 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce

• 1 tbsp honey

Instructions:

1. Caramelize onions - first thinly slice the onion, then in a pot on low heat, melt 50g of butter and add in the onion, mix for ~20-30 minutes until caramelized (can add some water to de-glaze the pot if necessary)

2. Prepare chicken-shiitake stock - in a separate pot, add the dried shiitake mushroom and chicken stock, bring to a boil and keep on heat until the mushrooms are fully hydrated, then remove the mushrooms

3. Create first part of special curry booster - peel and grate an apple then add it to the caramelized onion pot, along with 1 tbsp of tomato paste, stir for a few minutes then remove to a separate bowl

4. Make simple curry roux - melt 100g of butter in the pot and add the 72g of flour, mixing for ~10-20 minutes until color turns brown, then add in 30g of curry powder, mixing for an additional minute

5. Add back special curry booster and finish the booster - add back the carmelized onion-apple-tomato paste mixture, 1 tbsp of dark soy sauce, 1 tbsp of worcestershire sauce, 1 tbsp of honey and the chicken-shiitake stock, and mix until fully incorporated

6. Blend and strain - place contents into a blender, add final 50g of butter and blend until silky smooth, then pass through a strainer

7. Store - if using immediately, keep it warm on a stovetop, stirring often and season with salt

8. Enjoy!