Tofu Katsu Curry Recipe (Vegan)

This Tofu Katsu Curry is a simple, but very tasty dish. Extra firm tofu is coated in panko breadcrumbs and then fried until crispy. Served with a homemade Japanese-style curry sauce, sticky rice and some veggies, this is my kind of vegan comfort food.

This vegan tofu katsu is a regular on our weekly rotation. It's a firm, family favourite that always goes down a treat. The crispy breaded tofu is cooked to perfection and the katsu curry sauce is so delicious, I could easily just eat that straight out of the saucepan!

To suit the whole family I make this dish mild enough for everyone to enjoy it. But that doesn't mean it scrimps on flavour! This is my interpretation with a vegan spin on this very popular Japanese dish. I hope you love it as much as we do. And if you like Japanese-inspired food then you may also like my Miso Aubergines.

🔍 What Is Katsu?

Traditionally Katsu is a crispy fried cutlet of meat or seafood made with flaky Japanese panko breadcrumbs. It is very similar to a German schnitzel, Katsu is one of many Western foods that has been adopted and adapted to suit local tastes and has become a key part of Japanese cuisine.

According to Nami from Just One Cookbook, Katsu Curry (カツカレー) is a combination of Japanese Curry and a panko-breaded cutlet. It is the ultimate comfort dish in Japan. We couldn't agree more, it is perfect comfort food.

🛒 What You'll Need

• Tofu - Extra-firm tofu is best for this recipe. You will find it in all the big supermarkets now. I use an extra-large block of tofu.
• Curry Powder  - If you're not familiar with curry powder, it is a blend of spices similar to garam masala. I wouldn't substitute this powder for garam masala though. You will find this in the spice section of your supermarket. The brand I use is Sharwoods, just in case you are looking online for it.  I have made this curry sauce with mild or medium curry powder and the mild powder wins every single time.
• Vegetable Stock - I make my stock using a level teaspoon of vegan vegetable bullion and 300 ml of freshly boiled water.
• Panko Breadcrumbs - These breadcrumbs are Japanese but are widely available in bigger supermarkets. They are crispier than regular breadcrumbs and perfect for making katsu.
• Coconut Milk - Full-fat coconut milk is best here, but you can also use low-fat coconut milk if you want.

🔪 How To Make Vegan Tofu Katsu Curry

This is just a quick visual step-by-step guide. Please see the recipe card below for the full instructions

1. Press the tofu. You can do this by using a tofu press or by applying weight to the tofu to remove any excess water. I do this by placing the tofu in a single layer on a baking tray lined with paper towels. Cover the tofu with more kitchen paper and place another baking tray on the tofu. Next, I add 4 tins of beans on the top tray and leave it to sit for about 40 minutes. When you remove the cans and the top tray you will see that the paper towels have absorbed the excess moisture.
2. Heat some oil in a large pan, add the onion and a pinch of sea salt and cook for a few minutes over low to medium heat. Add the carrots and cook until the onions are soft and the carrots are tender. Add the garlic and ginger and cook until they release their aromas, just a minute or two.

3. Add the curry powder and the turmeric and cook for a minute. Then add the flour and stir well. Cook for a minute then pour in the stock slowly, stirring all the time.

4. Reserve 4 or 5 tablespoons of coconut milk then pour the remaining coconut milk into the sauce. Stir in half a tablespoon of soy sauce and one or two teaspoons of maple syrup. Season with salt and pepper and leave to simmer. Stir often to avoid burning. Once the sauce is nice and thick you can blend the sauce in a blender when you are ready to serve it.

5. Add plain flour to a shallow bowl, dip the sliced tofu into flour making sure it is completely coated in flour. Then dip it into coconut milk. Finally, dip the tofu into the panko breadcrumbs. Repeat with the remaining tofu.

6. Heat oil in a non-stick frying pan to medium-high heat then cook each piece of tofu until both sides are golden brown. 2-3 minutes each side should do it. Repeat until you have cooked all the tofu. Keep the tofu warm in the oven, until you are ready to serve.

🍽 How To Serve Tofu Katsu Curry

I usually serve this with sticky Japanese rice, thin slices of radish, spring onions and some fresh coriander. Add the rice to a large bowl, pour in some of the curry sauce then top with the katsu tofu. I usually slice the tofu before I place it on the rice.

👩‍🍳 Top Tips and Recipe Notes

• Drain the tofu first - I always drain my tofu. Tofu comes packaged in liquid and you want to get as much of that liquid out of your tofu as possible. 
•  Reserve some coconut milk - as this dish is vegan I don't use egg to coat the tofu. Instead, I have found that using coconut milk to coat the tofu works incredibly well. And it tastes amazing! So I reserve 4 or 5 tablespoons of coconut milk and then pour that into a bowl. After dipping the tofu into some well-seasoned flour, I dip it into the coconut milk. Make sure the tofu is fully coated in the coconut milk before you dip it into the panko breadcrumbs.
• Blend the Japanese curry sauce - Once the curry sauce is nice and thick I blend it just before I serve it. This will give you a very smooth almost creamy curry sauce. You can skip blending it if you want but I highly recommend mixing it.
• Add in more veggies - You can easily add more veggies into the sauce if you want. Peppers work well as do frozen peas. I sometimes add some cooked potatoes to the sauce too which I enjoy. I would skip blending the sauce if I add in extra veggies.
• Keep the tofu warm - While I'm preparing the rest of this dish I keep the katsu tofu warm in the oven. This has the added benefit of making the tofu even crispier!

FAQs

🍴 More Tasty Vegan Recipes

• Sweet and Sour Tofu - Crispy tofu in a sticky homemade sweet and sour sauce with pineapple and peppers. Just serve with rice for a very tasty vegan dinner
• Red Lentil Dahl - Easy to make, warming and comforting this dahl with spinach is the perfect comfort food. This tasty curry is naturally gluten-free, vegan, and very budget-friendly.
• Chickpea and Lentil Curry - vegan, gluten-free and only takes 30 minutes to make this is perfect for a weeknight dinner or great for a weekend when you want to ditch the takeaway.
• Lentil and Potato Curry - a delicious, warming and filling curry. Made with green lentils, potatoes and spinach this vegan and gluten-free curry is great for a tasty weekend dinner.

More Tasty Curry Recipes

*First published May 2021, updated Sept 2023 with new information.