Vegan Katsu Curry
Katsu curry is a classic Japanese curry that is sweeter and less spicy than other curries.
In the UK there is a very popular Asian fusion restaurant called Wagamama. Wagamama make a veganised chicken katsu curry called Vegatsu. Vegatsu is a vegan chicken fillet made from soy protein and tofu. As I now live in Australia I can no longer visit Wagamama so I developed this recipe so you and I can have Wagamama katsu at home.
In this dish the vegan chicken fillet is made from a seitan.
Making seitan can often be a long and complex process but this recipe is a simplified one that I believe anyone could make. The fillet is then panko bread crumbed, shallow fried and served up with a delicious katsu curry sauce which is also simple to make.
So if you love Wagamama Vegatsu or just any katsu curry give this one a try and let me know what you think!
Homemade Wagamama Vegatsu katsu curry ingredients and substitutes-
- Vital wheat gluten flour –This is mainly just gluten ( sorry GF people!!) from regular flour making it high in protein and forms a sliceable meat substitute in a seitan recipe, much like chicken. You can find this In some health food stores or buy online.
- Sage- To make the seitan chicken flavour I usually make a herby mix as that’s what I associate with chicken. I used powdered sage here but you can use mixed herbs instead. The seitan will have no flavour at all so its up to you to decide the flavour!
- Vegan chicken stock powder- Massels chicken stock is accidentally vegan and the best one I’ve found so far so I recommend this one. You can find this in Coles or Woolies. Alternatively use any vegan stock you like.
- Panko breadcrumbs- Panko breadcrumbs are a light Japanese breadcrumb great for making a golden crispy coating. I buy these in the world food section of any supermarket. You can get them in Asian supermarkets or buy online.
- Ginger & Garlic paste- I always have a jar of ginger and garlic paste in the fridge as I use them in almost every recipe I make! You can also use fresh ginger and garlic minced up finely.
- Mild curry powder- You can buy a Japanese curry powder that is more suited to katsu however I just use a generic mild curry powder found in any supermarket. If you prefer a spicier curry then you can use the ‘hot’ curry powder but try not to use an Indian style one such as ‘garam masala’ or ‘tandoori masala’ as these will contain spices that don’t go well in katsu.
- Coconut milk- To make this a creamy curry sauce I use full fat coconut milk in a tin but you can also use a vegan double cream. For a slightly lighter sauce you can also use light coconut milk.
FAQ-
- How can I make this healthier?- You can bake or air fry the seitan for a less oil recipe, however it will be slightly drier. You can also use a light coconut cream in the curry sauce. Serve up with brown rice or quinoa and some steamed veggies for an additional fibre hit.
- I cant get vital wheat gluten flour what can I get instead?- You can use tofu in place of the seitan but no need to steam the tofu, just cut it into thick slabs and batter, breadcrumb and fry.
Seitan Katsu Curry
Golden, crispy bread crumbed seitan cutlet with a rich, sweet Japanese curry sauce
Ingredients
For the seitan-
- 90 g Vital wheat gluten flour
- 30 g Plain flour
- 170 ml Water
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Sage
- 1 tsp Black pepper
- 1 tsp Garlic powder
- 1 tbsp Vegan chicken stock powder
- 2 tbsp Nutritional yeast
For the panko coating
- 100 g Plain flour
- 180 ml Water
- 100 g Panko breadcrumbs
For the sauce-
- 1 Onion
- 1 tsp Garlic paste
- 1 tsp Ginger paste
- 1 tsp Turmeric powder
- 1 tsp White sugar
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tbsp oil for frying
- 2 tbsp Mild curry powder
- 300 ml Vegan chicken stock
- 150 ml Coconut milk
- 1 tbsp Soy sauce
Instructions
- To make the sauce fry the onions in oil until soft.
- Add the ginger paste, garlic paste, turmeric, curry powder, salt and sugar, stir to coat the onions.
- Add the stock and coconut milk and simmer on low whilst you get started on the seitan.
- In a large mixing bowl add all of the seitan ingredients and mix until a ball is formed.
- Knead the dough on a floured surface for 1 minute, roll into a ball.
- Cut the ball into 4 equal pieces and flatten and stretch each piece into a cutlet shape.
- Get four pieces of tin foil big enough to fit the seitan pieces in to fold into a parcel.
- Oil the foil and wrap the pieces up individually into a parcel.
- Add the foil parcels into a steamer and steam for 20 minutes.
- Once steamed remove the seitan from the foil and leave to cool whilst you set up the breading station.
- Grab two shallow bowls and add the panko breadcrumbs to one and mix the flour and water in the other.
- Dip each seitan into the flour, coat in breadcumbs and shallow fry until golden.
- At this point you can blend your curry sauce or leave it unblended if you like.
- Serve the katsu cutlet on a bed of rice and drizzle on your curry sauce!
Notes
Flavouring seitan- When the seitan is steamed some of the flavour is lost so be sure to over season the mix so it stays flavoursome once steamed.
Vegetable curry- Another way katsu curry is served is with carrot and potato in the sauce, if you like you can add this element by adding pre cooked carrot and potato after blending the sauce and warm to heat the vegetables all the way through.
Check out some of the latest The Plant Bowls recipes!
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