Chef Jamie Oliver has now shared his very own chicken katsu curry recipe. He serves it with coconut rice and zingy pickles for an extra tang. Even better it is pretty simple to make.
According to the chef’s website: “Katsu curry is super-delicious and is one of Japan’s most popular dishes.
“Its heart is Indian spices, which were brought through the spice trade to Britain, where we manufactured our first curry powder; then, back again through trade, they went to Japan, along with the French technique of thickening sauces with a roux (fat and flour) – and the katsu curry was born.
“Katsu was traditionally made with pork, but I have to say, chicken is my favourite. ”
The recipe serves four people and can be cooked in an hour and 30 minutes which also includes marinating time.
How to make Jamie Oliver’s chicken katsu curry recipe:
Ingredients
Four x 150g free-range skinless boneless chicken breasts
250ml buttermilk
Two heaped teaspoons of medium curry powder
Two cloves of garlic
120g panko breadcrumbs
One mug of basmati rice , (300g)
25g creamed coconut
Two litres of vegetable oil
For the sauce:
One onion
Two cloves of garlic
One thumb-sized piece of ginger
One medium carrot
One bunch of fresh coriander
Olive oil
One teaspoon each of garam masala, medium curry powder, turmeric
Two heaped tablespoons of plain flour
One heaped teaspoon of mango chutney
For the pickle:
One red onion
One lemon
One fresh red chilli
Method
Firstly, slightly flatten each chicken breast and place them in a bowl. Next, pour over the buttermilk, add the curry powder and a pinch of sea salt, crush in the garlic and then toss to coat the chicken. Cover and marinate this in the fridge for at least two hours, but preferably overnight.
After two hours, sprinkle the breadcrumbs onto a tray. Remove the chicken from the buttermilk, shake off the excess, and then turn in the breadcrumbs, pressing down to make them stick. Make sure to flatten them a little more. Keep in the fridge until you’re ready to cook.
For the sauce, peel the onion, garlic, ginger and carrot, then finely chop with the coriander stalks (reserving the leaves).
Fry in a large pan on medium-low heat with one tablespoon of olive oil and the spices for 15 minutes, or until starting to caramelize, stirring regularly.
Stir in the flour, then the mango chutney. Pour in 800ml of boiling water and leave to blip away for 15 minutes, or until reduced to a nice sauce consistency, stirring occasionally. Taste, season and add more mango chutney, if needed.
Meanwhile, place one mug of rice in a medium pan with two mugs of boiling water and a good pinch of salt. Break in the creamed coconut and mix. Bring to a boil, stir, then put the lid on and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the water has evaporated. Turn the heat off and leave with the lid on.
Make a pickle by peeling and very finely slicing the red onion. Place in a bowl, finely grate in the lemon zest, squeeze in the juice and add a good pinch of salt. Deseed and finely slice the chilli and add to the bowl, then mix up.
Just under half fill a large sturdy pan with vegetable oil – the oil should be eight centimetres deep, but never fill your pan more than half full – and place on medium-high heat. Use a thermometer to tell when it’s ready (170°C), or add a piece of potato and wait until it turns a golden colour.
Lower the chicken into the oil, fry for eight minutes, or until golden and cooked through, then drain on kitchen paper.
Alternatively, drizzle two tablespoons of olive oil into a large, cold non-stick frying pan on medium heat. Cook the chicken for 10 minutes, or until it has turned golden and cooked through, turning this after six minutes and drizzle it with an extra two tablespoons of oil as you turn.
To serve, put a quarter of the rice into a small bowl, press to compact and turn out onto a plate, then repeat with the other portions. Place the chicken next to the rice, cover with the sauce, then sprinkle over the pickle and the coriander leaves.
