Katsu Curry (Katsu Kare)
A double-fried panko pork cutlet sliced over a from-scratch Japanese curry. The curry is built on caramelized onion, grated apple, and a toasted butter-flour roux, and the plate is served with a dome of short-grain rice and fukujinzuke and rakkyo pickles.
Shatter-crisp pork katsu on a pool of glossy, mellow Japanese curry. Tokyo's ultimate comfort plate.
Why It Works
Japanese curry gets its flavor from sweetness and depth rather than heat. Caramelized onion and grated apple give it a rounded sweetness, and the toasted roux adds a nutty base while thickening it into a glossy gravy. The shoyu, Worcestershire, ketchup, and honey finish is the classic home-cook trick for layered umami and tang. For the katsu, scoring stops the cutlet from buckling, and the double fry cooks the pork gently first, then drives off surface moisture in hot oil so the crust stays crisp even sitting on curry. Laying the katsu on top of the sauce, not under it, keeps it that way.
Altitude note: on the Front Range, trust a probe thermometer over time for the pork.
References
RECIPE CARD
Katsu Curry (Katsu Kare)
Yield: 4 portions curry, 2 cutlets (scale the katsu up as needed) | Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
────────────────────────
Equipment
- Heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven (curry)
- Small skillet (roux)
- Immersion blender
- Heavy pot or wok + deep-fry thermometer (katsu)
- 3 shallow dishes (breading station)
- Wire rack over a sheet pan
- Rice cooker
- Small bowl (for doming rice)
Ingredients
- Curry base
- 15 g neutral oil
- 2 medium yellow onions (about 400 g), thinly sliced
- 10 g garlic, grated
- 10 g ginger, grated
- 1 medium carrot, grated
- 1/2 apple (Fuji), grated
- 900 ml chicken or pork stock
- Curry roux
- 50 g unsalted butter
- 50 g all-purpose flour
- 15 g S&B curry powder (or Japanese-style curry powder)
- 3 g garam masala
- 1 g cayenne (more for hot)
- Curry seasoning
- 15 g shoyu
- 15 g Worcestershire or tonkatsu sauce
- 15 g ketchup
- 10 g honey
- 5 g instant coffee or 10 g dark chocolate (optional, for depth)
- Salt, to taste
- Tonkatsu
- 2 boneless pork loin chops, 3/4"–1" thick (about 180 g each), fat cap left on
- 3 g salt + black pepper
- 30 g all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg + 15 g water, beaten
- 60 g coarse panko
- 1 L neutral oil, for frying
- To serve
- Steamed Japanese short-grain rice
- Fukujinzuke (red pickled relish) and rakkyo (pickled shallots)
- Dried parsley or aonori
Instructions
Curry
- Heat the oil in the pot over medium and cook the onions, stirring often, for 25–30 minutes until deep amber and jammy. Add a splash of water if they start to catch.
- Add the garlic and ginger and cook 1 minute. Add the carrot and apple and cook 3 minutes.
- Add the stock, bring to a simmer, and cook 20 minutes. Blend smooth with an immersion blender.
- Meanwhile, make the roux: melt the butter over medium-low, whisk in the flour, and cook, stirring, 8–10 minutes until it's peanut-butter colored. Off the heat, stir in the curry powder, garam masala, and cayenne for 30 seconds to bloom.
- Loosen the roux with a ladle of hot stock, then whisk it into the pot. Simmer 10 minutes until thick and glossy. Season with the shoyu, Worcestershire, ketchup, honey, and coffee or chocolate, then adjust the salt. Keep warm.
Tonkatsu
- Score the fat and silverskin along the edge of each chop 4–5 times so it won't curl. Pound lightly to an even thickness. Season with salt and pepper, rest 15 minutes, and pat dry.
- Dredge in flour, dip in egg, and press firmly into panko. Rest on a rack for 5 minutes.
- Fry at 340°F for 4–5 minutes, turning once, until light golden. Rest 3 minutes on the rack (aim for 140–145°F internal).
- Raise the oil to 375°F and fry again 45–60 seconds until deep golden and crisp. Drain on the rack for 2 minutes, then slice into 1" strips with one firm downward cut per strip.
Plate
- Pack rice into a small bowl and turn it out as a dome at the back of a shallow plate. Sprinkle with parsley.
- Ladle curry across the front of the plate and lay the sliced katsu over the curry. Leave the top of the crust uncovered so it stays crisp.
- Add fukujinzuke and rakkyo beside the rice.
────────────────────────
Schossow Kitchen · schossowkitchen.com
