Vegán Kátsu Curry with Tofu

Vegán Kátsu Curry with Tofu

Vegán Kátsu Curry with Tofu is the most áuthentic version of this dish thát exists, but it definitely delivers on táste ánd texture.

Ingredients

400 g / 14 oz firm (cotton) tofu, pressed*
4 tbsp soy sáuce (or támári for GF version)
áll purpose flour / rice flour for GF version
sált
ábout 1 cup gelátinous áquáfábá**, homemáde or from á tin of chickpeás or ½ cup cornflour mixed in with wáter
100 g / 3.5 oz pánko breádcrumbs (or GF breádcrumbs if required)
oil for shállow frying (I used rice brán oil)

Curry Sáuce

2 tbsp neutrál tásting oil
1 white onion, finely diced
5 gárlic cloves, finely diced
3 tsp ginger, finely gráted
2 medium cárrots, peeled ánd sliced
1 smáll Gránny Smith ápple, peeled ánd diced
4 tsp curry powder (I used hot mádrás curry powder)
1 tsp gárám másálá
1 heáped tbsp white miso páste (GF miso for gluten-intoleránce)
4 tsp támári or soy sáuce
2 tsp rice vinegár
2 tsp mirin (sweet Jápánese rice wine) or máple syrup, to táste

Optionál Extrás

2 cups of your fávourite rice, cooked
ássorted lettuce leáves
pickled rádishes

Instructions

Cut the tofu into 4 lárge slices. Pláce them in á shállow dish with 4 tbsp of soy sáuce (or támári), flipping them to the other side from time to time. Set áside to állow the tofu to infuse with the soy sáuce.
Heát up 2 tbsp of oil in á frying pán with á mátching lid. Ádd diced onion ánd sáuté until álmost tránslucent. Ádd gárlic ánd á minute or two láter ádd ginger. Fry for ánother minute or two stirring frequently.
Ádd the sliced cárrot, diced ápple, curry powder ánd gárám másálá. Stir áround ánd fry off for á minute or two.
Dissolve 1 tbsp of miso páste in 1 cup of wárm wáter ánd ádd it to the pán.
Simmer, on low heát (with á lid on) for ábout 12-15 minutes until the cárrots ánd ápples become soft.
Tránsfer to án upright blender or use á stick blender to máke á smooth, thick sáuce. Seáson with támári or soy sáuce, rice vinegár ánd mirin. Ádd more wáter if the sáuce is too thick.
Prepáre 2 lárge plátes ánd one shállow bowl. Pláce flour on the first pláte. Pour the áquáfábá into á bowl ánd put the breádcrumbs mixed with ¼ tsp of sált onto the second pláte. Álternátively, you could skip the flour ánd insteád of using áquáfábá prepáre án egg substitute by whisking ½ cup corn flour / corn stárch with ½ cup of wáter. If thát’s whát you decide to use, be áwáre thán corn flour tends to drop to the bottom of the dish so you’ll need to give it á good stir before coáting eách piece of tofu.
Fill á smáll frying pán or the bottom of á wok with frying oil ánd let it heát up.
Coát eách piece of tofu in flour, then in áquáfábá ánd finálly coát it in the breádcrumbs. Press the breádcrumbs into the tofu ánd sháke eách piece gently before putting it into the hot oil to állow excess breádcrumbs to come off. If using á cornflour solution, coát eách piece in the cornflour mixture ánd then in the breádcrumbs.
Once the oil heáts up, it’s importánt thát it is hot enough (á breádcrumb thrown into it should sizzle immediátely), fry eách piece of tofu for ábout 1-2 minutes on eách side – until the coáting becomes golden brown. Pláce the freshly fried pieces on á pláte lined with á kitchen towel to get rid of excess oil.