Chicken Katsu Curry
Chicken Katsu is a winner with my children, possibly based on the very loved high street version… During lockdown 2.0 I tried cooking my own version at home and here it is in one easy to follow recipe. The sauce is packed full of flavour and elevates a simple chicken and rice dinner, into something special. You can make the sauce ahead of time, so it is ready for when you need it. This is a meal to be enjoyed all together, both kids and adults love it.
ingredients
Serves 2
2 organic chicken schnitzel/ or organic chicken breasts
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 organic onion, peeled and diced
2 medium organic carrots, peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 thumb sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon mild curry powder (for young children use ½ tablespoon)
300ml vegetable stock (no added salt stock)
1 teaspoon honey, not suitable for babies under 1 years old
1 teaspoon low-salt soy sauce, not suitable for babies under 1 years old
to serve
cooked rice
edamame beans
sugar snap peas
ribbons of fresh carrot
homemade Katsu sauce
Take a shallow pan and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the diced onion. Sauté gently over a medium heat for 5 mins, until translucent. Add the diced carrot and continue to gently sauté, for a further 5 minutes. Next add crushed garlic, finely sliced ginger and mild curry powder (1/2 tablespoon for smaller children), stir continuously for 1-2 mins. Pour in the stock and bring up to a gentle simmer for 15 minutes, the sauce will cook through and reduce. To finish the sauce, add 1 teaspoon of honey for sweetness and 1 teaspoon low-salt soy sauce, for depth of flavour. Then remove from the heat. Once cool, blend with a hand blender until smooth and set aside. Re-heat to serve.
cooking the chicken
Take a shallow pan and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, once hot place the chicken schnitzel in the pan and leave to cook for 3-4 mins, once golden turn and cook on the other side for a further 3-4 mins. (The cooking time will depend on the thickness of the Schnitzel and the temperature of the pan). Check that the chicken is completely cooked through before removing from the pan; you can also finish for a couple of minutes in a hot oven. Drain on kitchen paper, to remove any excess oil.
serve
Place the golden chicken Sschnitzel on a plate, with a portion of cooked rice, and the Katsu sauce in a bowl on the side. Add tender-crisp vegetables, for a little crunch, and enjoy.