Katsu Curry

This may be a bit insulting to Japanese cuisine (please note I don't mean to be) but this curry

sauce reminds me of “chip shop” curry sauce which I guess will mean you’ll either love it or you

won’t, writes Alasdair Nunn of RachAls Kitchen Ltd. This recipe also works really well with king prawns or with pork.

Ingredients - Serves: 4

100g flour, seasoned with lots of salt and pepper

1 lightly beaten free-range egg

200g Japanese panko breadcrumbs

4 boneless chicken breasts

100ml groundnut or vegetable oil

For the curry sauce:

1 tbsp groundnut or vegetable oil

1 onion, peeled and chopped

5 whole garlic cloves, peeled

2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped

2 tbsp plain flour

1 tbsp medium curry powder

600ml chicken stock

2 tsp honey

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp garam masala

Instructions

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It’s worth noting that if you want to get ahead the sauce can be made a couple of days in advance,

kept in the fridge and then re-heated with a splash of water on the day. As such, to make the

sauce, heat the oil in a small pan, add the onion and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes.

When this is soft then add the carrots and cook slowly for 10 minutes with the lid on, stirring occasionally. Ensure the vegetables are softened and starting to caramelise.

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Stir in the flour and curry powder and cook for a minute or two. Then, slowly pour in the stock until combined (do this gradually to avoid getting lumps). Add the honey, soy sauce and bay leaf and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a slow simmer and cook for 20 minutes. The sauce will thicken and take on all of the flavours but you still need to ensure it has a pouring consistency (add a little water if needed). Finally, add the garam masala, then pass the sauce through a sieve to smooth it.

To prepare the chicken place the seasoned flour, egg and breadcrumbs on separate plates. Coat the chicken in the flour, then dip into the egg and finally into the breadcrumbs. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the breaded chicken breasts for 5-7 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and leave to drain on kitchen paper. Serve with sauce drizzled over the chicken along with steamed rice and salad.