This vegan version of the classic Katsu Curry is a fantastic option for those seeking plant-based alternatives without compromising on taste. Made with sweet potato and aubergine, this dish is both flavorful and hearty. Learn how to enjoy Katsu Curry while adding more vegetables to your diet.
Katsu curry is one of our favorite Japanese dishes that traditionally consists of a breaded, deep-fried protein or vegetables served with a rich curry sauce, rice, and some greens.
At home, we've tried different versions of this curry, such as this Cauliflower Katsu Curry. We love breading and cooking to a crispy perfection our favorite seasonal veggies to serve with this creamy sauce.
After visiting Wagamama in Dublin, I was inspired to make this Vegan Katsu Curry using sweet potato and eggplant from our garden. These veggies have a similar cooking time, which makes the cooking process much easier. For the kids, we like cutting smaller sweet potatoes into smaller pieces. They love the sauce and the crispy veggies, which makes this recipe a family favorite!
You can prepare the sauce ahead, which is super handy for us. We leave the sauce and rice ready in the morning, and at dinner, we just have to prepare the vegetables.
Ingredients for the Katsu Curry Sauce
Curry Powder. You can use mild or spicy curry powder, depending on how you prefer your sauce. We normally use the mild version as the kids love this dish when we make it.
Onion, garlic, carrots, ginger. You can use yellow onion, red onion, or shallots. If you don't have fresh ginger or garlic, you can use garlic and ginger powder.
Turmeric Powder. We love adding some turmeric powder when cooking Katsu Curry. It adds color and is such a great supplement to add to your diet if you haven't yet. You can also use spices such as garam masala and chili powder for spice, star anise, cloves, etc.
Vegetable Stock. Homemade or store-bought.
Coconut Milk. To make the sauce creamier, you will need some coconut milk. Alternatively, you can use cashew cream, soy cream, or another type of plant-based cream or milk you like. For this recipe, we always use full-fat coconut milk, as it gives your sauce a nice creamy consistency.
Flour. To thicken the sauce, we use a little bit of flour. All-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, or gluten-free flour such as rice flour, almond flour, or chickpea flour can be used.
Soy Sauce. Use soy sauce or tamari (gluten-free options). You can also add some sesame oil if you want to add more umami to the dish.
Sweetener. You can use any type of sweetener of your choice, such as date syrup, agave, brown sugar, monk fruit, etc.
Cooking Method for Katsu Sauce
- We use our cast-iron pot to cook the Katsu Curry sauce, but any medium-size pot or large pan will work. Heat some oil in a pot or pan and add onion, carrot, garlic, and ginger, roughly chopped. Stir and cook for 5-6 minutes until the onion starts to soften.
- Add the curry and turmeric powder and cook for another minute.
- Then add the flour and pour in the vegetable stock a bit at a time while constantly mixing. Let it simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the carrot has softened.
- Transfer the sauce to a blender or food processor. Add the coconut milk, soy sauce, and maple syrup and blend until you have a smooth consistency.
How to Prepare the Crispy Vegetables
Ingredients
Eggplant or aubergine and sweet potato. These are the two veggies we use for our Katsu Curry, but of course, you can use any other veggie of your choice. If you are a big fan of cauliflower, you should definitely try our Cauliflower Katsu. If you want to add a plant-based protein, you can use tofu, seitan, or tempeh for example.
Breadcrumbs and cornflakes. You can use homemade or bought breadcrumbs. When we make Katsu, we like combining breadcrumbs with cornflakes. If you don't have breadcrumbs, and you have some plain or salted crackers at home, you can blend them to use as breadcrumbs. Other options are panko breadcrumbs, coconut flakes, or gluten-free breadcrumbs.
Flour. You can use all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, or gluten-free flour such as rice flour, almond flour, or chickpea flour for a gluten-free version of the dish. We normally use regular flour or whole wheat flour; they both work perfectly.
Spices. To give some extra flavor to our coating, we use a seasoning blend that includes cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper. This will make the batter tastier and give your crispy veggies a deeper flavor. You can add other spices, such as garlic powder, onion powder, or five-spice powder.
Plant-based milk. To prepare the batter, we use plant-based milk with no added sugars. Our favorite is unsweetened soy milk, as it doesn't overpower the taste of the batter.
Cooking Method
- Peel the sweet potato and wash the aubergine or eggplant. Cut the vegetables into round slices. You want thin slices that are easy to cook when deep-frying, but that will hold their shape.
- Add the flour, spices, and plant-based milk to a large bowl. Combine well until you have a perfectly smooth batter with no lumps.
- Dip the sweet potato and aubergine slices into the batter until they are fully coated. In a separate bowl, add the breadcrumbs and dip each slice into the breadcrumbs until perfectly coated.
- Heat some frying oil in a frying pan, and when hot, add the sweet potato and eggplant slices. Fry until they are golden brown. Place them on a paper towel to release excess oil, and they will be ready to be served.
Place some short-grain rice on a plate, and add the crispy veggies and Katsu sauce. We like garnishing the dish with spring onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy your Vegan Katsu Curry!
Vegan Katsu Curry
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
Katsu Curry Sauce
- 1 onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 carrot
- 1 thumb-sized ginger piece
- 2 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cup vegetable stock
- ½ cup coconut milk
- 2 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
Katsu Curry Vegetables
- 1 eggplant or aubergine
- 1 sweet potato
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- A pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 cup plant-based milk unsweeteened
- 1 ½ cup breadcrumbs
- ½ cup cornflakes
Instructions
Katsu Curry Sauce
- Roughly chop the onion, garlic, ginger and carrot.1 onion, 2 garlic cloves, 1 carrot, 1 thumb-sized ginger piece
- Heat some oil in a pot or pan and add the onion, carrot, garlic, and ginger. Stir and cook for 5-6 minutes until the onion starts to soften.
- Add the curry and turmeric powder and cook for another minute.2 tablespoon curry powder, 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- Then add the flour and pour in the vegetable stock a bit at a time while constantly mixing. Let it simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the carrot has softened.1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, 1 ½ cup vegetable stock
- Transfer the sauce to a blender. Add the coconut milk, soy sauce, and maple syrup and blend until you have a smooth consistency.½ cup coconut milk, 2 teaspoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon maple syrup
Katsu Curry Vegetables
- Peel the sweet potato and wash the aubergine or eggplant. Cut the vegetables into round slices.1 eggplant, 1 sweet potato
- Add the flour, spices, and plant-based milk to a large bowl. Combine well until you have a perfectly smooth batter with no lumps.1 cup all-purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, A pinch of salt, 1 teaspoon coriander powder, 1 teaspoon cumin powder, 1 cup plant-based milk
- Dip one by one the sweet potato and aubergine slices into the batter until they are fully coated.
- In a separate bowl, add the breadcrumbs and dip each battered slice into the breadcrumbs until perfectly coated.1 ½ cup breadcrumbs, ½ cup cornflakes
- Heat some frying oil in a pan and when hot, add the sweet potato and eggplant slices. Fry until they are golden brown.
- Place on a paper towel to release excess oil and they will be ready to be served.
Notes
- Serve the Katsu Curry with some steamed rice, fresh cucumber, and green leaves.
- You can use spicy curry powder if you want your sauce spicy.
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Nutrition
Variations to our Vegan Katsu Curry
- Change the main ingredient. One option is to experiment with the type of protein or vegetable used. While traditional vegan katsu curry is made with breaded tofu, you could also try using seitan, tempeh, or even a plant-based meat substitute.
- Make it spicier or milder. Depending on your taste, you can choose to use a mild or spicy curry powder, as this is the best way to customize your sauce. You can also add other ingredients or seasoning to give your Katsu Curry sauce a spicy kick, such as chili powder, red chili, white pepper, or chili flakes.
- Make it gluten-free. To make this recipe gluten-free, you need to substitute the flour used to make the sauce for gluten-free flour and the soy sauce for tamari. To bread the veggies, you will need gluten-free breadcrumbs and gluten-free flour.
- Use the air-fryer to cook the vegetables. If you're looking for a healthier option, consider air frying or baking the sweet potato and eggplant rather than frying it. To air-fry the veggies, you may need to make a few batches depending on your air-fryer size. Using a cooking brush, add some oil to the sweet potato and eggplant slices, set the air-fryer to 180C (350F), add the vegetables into the air fryer basket, and air-fry for 16-18 minutes. We use the Ninja Air Fryer, and we truly love it.
Serving Suggestions
Vegan Katsu Curry is a yummy main dish that pairs well with a bowl of steamed rice, some pickled vegetables, freshly sliced cucumber, and a few lime wedges. As well, don't forget to sprinkle some sesame seeds. We really love how the cucumber, squeezed lime, and pickled veggies add some freshness to this hearty and creamy curry.
To serve this Japanese curry, we recommend using a shallow bowl so the rice doesn't soak the sauce straight away.
If you're looking for some appetizers to serve with this curry, check out our Air Fryer Edamame or Agedashi Tofu.
What type of rice should I use for Katsu Curry?
When it comes to pairing rice with Vegan Katsu Curry, the top choice would be short-grain white rice, commonly used in Japanese cuisine. It is known for its slightly sticky texture, which complements the Katsu Curry well and helps to hold the dish together.
If you cannot find this type of rice, you can use jasmine rice or another type of long-grain white rice.
Alternatively, if you are looking for a more nutritious option for your Vegan Katsu Curry, try pairing it with brown rice or even quinoa.
Store and Reheat
To store any leftover curry, separate the sauce from the breaded veggies and rice. Place each item in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 to 4 days.
To reheat the sauce, you can use a saucepan on low heat, stirring occasionally until it reaches your desired temperature.
If you have an air-fryer, you can use it to reheat the veggies so they stay crispy. Steam or microwave the rice to restore its moist, fluffy texture. Once all components are heated through, assemble the dish with the desired sides and enjoy your delicious Vegan Katsu Curry just as freshly cooked.
FAQ
Yes, it's, in fact, a family favorite at home. Our Vegan Katsu Curry is made with mild curry powder, making it suitable for both our kids. I won't lie to you; they normally prefer to eat sweet potato instead of eggplant when we make this meal. Also, we like cooking it with tofu, as they love it!
While the traditional Katsu Curry recipe involves frying the breaded vegetables in oil, it is possible to make Vegan Katsu Curry with less oil or entirely oil-free. One option is to use an air fryer, which requires minimal amounts of oil. Alternatively, you can bake the breaded vegetables on a parchment-lined tray in the oven, flipping them halfway through the cooking time for even crispiness.
If you would like to try different vegetables in your Vegan Katsu Curry, consider using alternatives like tofu, pumpkin, zucchini, bell pepper, asparagus, or even portobello mushrooms. The key is to choose vegetables that can maintain their shape and texture during the breading and cooking process.
Yes, you can bake the breaded vegetables in the Vegan Katsu Curry recipe instead of frying them. Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C), place the breaded vegetables on a parchment-lined baking tray, and bake for approximately 20 to 25 minutes, flipping them halfway through the baking time to ensure even cooking and crispiness. This method not only cuts down on oil usage but can also make the dish a bit lighter and healthier.
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