Chicken Katsu Curry

Ingredients

For the curried roux:

• 40g salted butter 
• 55g plain flour 
• 2 tbsp Gewürzhaus Japanese Curry Blend 

For the curry sauce:

• 20g salted butter 
• 1 small onion, thickly sliced 
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped 
• 2 tbsp tomato paste 
• 1L salt-reduced chicken stock 
• 1 apple, peeled and finely grated 
• 2 carrots, roughly chopped 
• 1 potato, roughly chopped 
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce 
• 2 tsp kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) 
• ½ tsp dark soy sauce  

For the chicken katsu:

• 500g chicken breast 
• Cracked black pepper, to season 
• Flake salt, such as Pyramid Flake Salt, to season 
• 1/2 cup plain flour 
• 2 large eggs, whisked 
• 1 ½ cups panko breadcrumbs 
• 30g salted butter 
• 80ml / 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 

To serve:

• Steamed rice 
• Pickled vegetables or ginger 
• Flake salt, such as Pyramid Flake Salt 

Directions

1. To make the curried roux, melt the butter in a pot over medium heat, add in the flour and stir to combine. Keep stirring until the mixture turns slightly golden, about 1-2 minutes. Mix in the Japanese Curry Blend and cook for a further 30 seconds. The roux should be crumbly. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

2. To make the curry sauce, into the same pot, add the butter, followed by the onion and garlic, and sauté for a few minutes. Then add the tomato paste and stir through for 30 seconds. Next, mix in the roux and the chicken stock, stirring continuously and slowly as you pour to break up any lumps. Add the grated apple and remaining vegetables and bring to a simmer.

3. Cook gently for 5 minutes, making sure to remove any impurities that may rise to the top, then mix in the Worcestershire sauce, kecap manis and dark soy sauce. Continue to simmer on low heat until the vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes, stirring often to ensure it doesn’t stick. Adjust the seasoning to your liking by adding some extra soy sauce.

4. While your sauce is simmering, cut each chicken breast in half lengthways. Use a meat tenderising hammer to even the thickness of the chicken to about 1cm. Season both sides with salt and pepper.

5. Place the flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs in separate shallow dishes. Dip a chicken piece in the flour and shake off the excess, then dip it into the egg on both sides. Coat the chicken with breadcrumbs, pressing down firmly to make sure they stick to the chicken. Repeat this process for the rest of the chicken.

6. Combine the butter and oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Fry the chicken pieces for 10 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from the pan and slice the chicken into strips.

7. To serve, ladle the curry sauce into a shallow bowl with steamed rice. Top with sliced chicken, pickled vegetables or ginger and sprinkle with flake salt, seaweed strips and black sesame seeds.