Vegan Katsu Curry

Ingredients

Katsu Curry Sauce:

• 2 Tbsp Sesame Oil
• 1 Medium Onion White, Yellow or Brown, Chopped
• 1 Large Carrot Chopped
• 2 Cloves Garlic Crushed
• 1 Tbsp Freshly Grated Ginger
• 2 tsp Mild Curry Powder
• 1 tsp Turmeric
• 2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
• 14 ounce Can Coconut Milk (400ml) Full Fat, Unsweetened
• 1 cup Vegetable Stock/Broth (240ml)
• 1 Tbsp Coconut Sugar

Breaded Tofu

• 14 ounces Firm Tofu (400g)
• 2 Tbsp All Purpose Flour
• 2 tsp Mild Curry Powder
• 1 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 cup Vegan Buttermilk (240ml)*
• 1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
• ½ tsp Salt
• ½ tsp Ground Black Pepper
• 2 Tbsp Sesame Oil For Frying, add more as needed

*1 Tbsp Lemon Juice + Soy Milk up to the 1 cup (240ml) line, sit for 15mins

Serving:

• Basmati Rice
• Sesame Seeds
• Fresh Cilantro
• Lime Wedges

Instructions

1. Press the tofu: Put your tofu on to press. It’s ideal if you have a tofu press, but even if you don’t, just place the tofu on a plate, with another plate on top of it and then stack something heavy on top, like a heavy pot. Leave it to press for 30 minutes while you prepare the curry sauce.
2. Prepare the curry sauce: Add sesame oil to a pot on medium heat and add chopped onions and carrots. Sauté until the onions are softened.
3. Add crushed garlic, ginger, curry powder, and turmeric, and sauté for a minute to toast the spices.
4. Add tomato paste, coconut milk, vegetable stock, and coconut sugar. Mix together and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the carrots are soft.
5. Remove from the heat and use an immersion blender to blend the sauce directly in the pot. If you don’t have an immersion blender you can let the sauce cool for a bit and then transfer it in stages to your blender jug, blend and then when it’s all blended return it to the pot.
6. Place the pot back on the heat at low heat and leave it to keep warm while you prepare the tofu.
7. Prepare the tofu: When the tofu has finished pressing, slice it into rectangles and then into squares. Then slice each square diagonally from corner to corner leaving you with two triangles. Spread the tofu triangles out on a baking sheet. You should get around 20 tofu triangles from your block of tofu.
8. In a shallow dish, add all-purpose flour, curry powder, and garlic powder and mix together.
9. Prepare the vegan buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to a measuring jug and then add soy milk* up to the 1 cup (240ml) line. Let it curdle and then pour it out into a second shallow dish.
10. In a third shallow dish, add breadcrumbs, salt and pepper and mix together.
11. Take each tofu triangle and roll it in the flour mix. Then roll it in the buttermilk and then roll it in the breadcrumbs. Make sure each tofu triangle is well coated. Place each crumbed tofu triangle back onto the baking tray.
12. In a frying pan on medium to high heat, add sesame oil and let it heat up until hot. Sprinkle a few breadcrumbs into the hot oil. If they sizzle nicely then the oil is ready.
13. Add 6 tofu triangles (or however many will comfortably fit in your pan). They should sizzle when they hit the pan. Fry for a minute and a half or until golden brown on the bottom and then flip them over and fry on the other side. When they are golden brown on each side, place them onto a tray lined with paper towels to soak up any excess oil. Repeat until all your tofu is cooked. Top up the sesame oil as needed for each batch of tofu.
    14. Assemble and Serve: Build your bowls. Place your rice and katsu curry sauce side by side in a bowl. Serve the crumbed tofu on top of the katsu sauce and decorate with sesame seeds, fresh cilantro, and lime wedges.