Katsu is a traditional Japanese dish which originates from the word ‘tonkatsu’, meaning breaded pork cutlet.
Countless variations of this famous dish now exist, including ‘chicken katsu’, which is becoming increasingly popular in Western society.
Our tofu katsu curry is a tribute to this wonderful dish.
We fry breaded tofu and serve it with an amazing curry sauce.
It’s delicious and comforting, and surprisingly straightforward.
- Not all cornflakes are vegan. If you can’t find vegan-friendly cornflakes, you can also use breadcrumbs such as panko.
- Coconut cream is the thick cream which usually sets at the top of a tin of full-fat coconut milk. You can always check before you buy the tin by lightly shaking it: if you can’t hear any liquid sloshing around, then the cream has probably set at the top.
- We prefer to bake our breaded tofu after frying, which makes it extra crispy. However this step is optional and you could speed up the recipe by cooking the sauce first and serving the tofu after frying it in the pan.
Tofu Katsu Curry
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Ingredients
For the tofu:
- 4 tbsp plain flour
- salt + pepper
- 4 tbsp plant-based milk
- 80g (2.8oz) vegan-friendly cornflakes
- 300g (10.5oz) extra firm tofu, pressed + sliced 1cm (1/3”) thick
- vegetable oil
For the sauce:
- 1/2 onion, roughly chopped
- 2 medium carrots, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled + finely chopped
- 1/2 tbsp curry powder
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 300ml (10.1fl.oz) vegetable stock
- 2 tbsp coconut cream
To serve:
- 150g (5.3oz) jasmine rice
- 2 handfuls of mixed salad leaves
- 1 spring onion, sliced
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F fan.
- On a small plate combine the flour with generous pinches of salt and pepper. Transfer the milk to a shallow bowl. Pour the cornflakes into a tea towel and crush them with a rolling pin until fine, then transfer to a third separate plate.
- Coat the tofu slices in the flour mixture, then dunk them fully in the milk and finally cover them all over in the crushed cornflakes.
- Heat a little oil in a frying pan on a medium heat. Once hot add the tofu and fry for 2-3 mins on each side until crispy. Then transfer the tofu slices to a baking tray and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
- Add the onion and carrots to the same frying pan (add an extra splash of vegetable oil) to the pan if needed and fry for 7 minutes on a medium heat.
- Add the garlic and fry for 2 minutes. Add the curry powder, garam masala and plain flour to the pan and fry for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Pour in the vegetable stock, bring the sauce to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the carrots are soft.
- Cook the rice as per the packet instructions.
- Stir 2 tbsp of coconut cream into the sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper. Then transfer the sauce to a blender and blend until smooth. If the sauce is too thick, add a little more water until it’s smooth and slightly runny.
- To serve, place a portion of rice into each bowl with a handful of mixed salad leaves, then pour in half the sauce for each portion, top with a few slices of the tofu and sliced spring onion.
36 Comments
I am going to try it but with bread crumbs instead… We’ll see !
It was absolutely delicious! It worked out perfectly and it reminded me of the katsu curry that Wagamama makes, which is my favorite item there. Thanks so much!
Amazing, so glad you enjoyed it!
My 2 year old came back for thirds, and 5 year old cleared her plate. Very much enjoyed here!!
Awesome!
Great recipe! So delish. My partner and I loved it
Where can I leave the photo of the plate?
I also have your Vegan in 5 cookbook and made the nut roast. It was also a great hit with my very fussy partner!
Hey Lorraine! That’s amazing! So glad you’re enjoying the book. Please tag us on Instagram @wearesovegan so we can share. Thanks!
do you know if this recipe is freezable? can’t wait to try it out tonight!
You can definitely freeze the sauce, but you’ll want to eat the tofu fairly quickly so it’s nice and crispy!
Hello, what curry powder did you use?
Hey Kasia, we use a medium curry powder, but you can go for a mild / hot version depending on how spicy you like it. Thanks!
This was delicious! Used panko breadcrumbs instead of cereal. Worked out great. Bought your cookbook right after!
Hey Noshini, ah that’s great! Super chuffed you enjoyed the recipe and thanks for the support with the book 🙂 Best, Roxy
I have to say this was amazing. I don’t like hot spicy things, so was a little nervous, but this was very mild, perfect for me. I used celery instead of onions, panko instead of cornflakes and yogurt instead of coconut cream, as those were what i had in. My kitchen looked like a bomb had hit it, and it took twice as long as it should ….but I got there in the end, and loved it. My son licked his plate clean and I went back for seconds! I’m now excited to try more recipes from the book and website. Thank you for sharing the recipe!. x
Hey Josie, so glad you and your son enjoyed the recipe 🙂 Let us know what other recipes you try. Best, Roxy
Wow…this was so damn delicous! And it did taste like I imagined a japanese curry to taste like.
Will make this again. Maybe every week.
Affordable, simple and so fricking yummy!
To be honest I had to put half curcuma and half curry powder in and my cornflakes weren’t as finely smashed as yours, but still amazing. Maybe I will be putting some sriracha in next time to make it a little bit spicier. So happy!
Hi Helen, so glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂 Roxy x
This sauce has to be one of the best sauces ever! I will be making this often. Everyone enjoyed it. The only thing I will do different is more than likely use my air fryer for the tofu but only because I really don’t like using a lot of oil. Great recipe and so happy I found it on pintrest. Thank you!!!!!
Yey so glad you like it 🙂 Roxy x
How many calories for the sauce?
I would have shown you a picture…….. but the whole meal disappeared in seconds. I doubled the money ingredients as were a family of 5.
So easy
So good for you
Absolutely delicious
Oh and cheap too
Love your book.
Thank you
Amanda.
Thank you Amanda! And so glad you’re enjoying the book!
Same as all the rest of the comments – my 6 year old niece cleared her plate – we really enjoyed it
Thank you Layla!
Hi- I want to make this recipe and have a question. Is the cornflake, like the cereal one? I’m new to this and want to make sure I buy the right ingredients. Thanks!
Hey Nicolly! Yes correct. But not all cornflakes are vegan because some brands use Vitamin D which is derived from sheep’s wool. The gluten-free Whole Earth brand here in the UK is vegan though! Hope that helps.
Going to try this! Can you prep this for lunches and microwave it?
Hey Joe! We haven’t tried reheating this tbh. The sauce and tofu should reheat well, but we’d avoid reheating the rice.
Love this dish! It has been accepted into our regular meal rotation…a high honour! 🙂
Amazing so good to hear. We love this dish too 🙂 Roxy
I made just the curry sauce to eat with some rice and it was delicious. Added a little fresh ginger and some hot madras curry for a little kick! So good
Hi!!!!! I just made it. And we love it. It was so simple, so tasty. Thank you for made my night.
Stay safe.
This is a fantastic recipe. I will definitely be making this dish again and again. Thank you!
Love this recipe. Made it often. One question during lockdown… can I used tinned coconut milk instead of cream? If so, any idea how much please? Watching your live videos, and love them, and Ben’s haircut is fab. Love from Croydon!
Hey Anita! Thank you so much! Coconut milk won’t be as thick so the sauce will be too runny. If you’re using it from a tin of full-fat coconut milk – simply scoop out the cream which has set at the top. If not, best to add some cornflour to thicken the sauce. Hope that helps!
Thanks For Sharing this amazing recipe. My family loved it. I will be sharing this recipe with my friends. Hope the will like it.