Katsu curry: an all-time favorite winter meal
Issue No. 12: Add this easy, delicious katsu curry recipe to your regular rotation. Plus a quick personal story.
Welcome back to Dish Lister!
Before sharing one of my favorite winter comfort food recipes, I wanted to get personal for a minute and explain why creating Dish Lister and writing this newsletter make me so happy (especially for my newer subscribers!).
As a professionally trained home chef, part-time recipe tester, avid foodie, and now Substack food writer, I’m constantly cooking, baking, eating, and traveling to eat really great food, and I love to share these passions with everyone around me.
My love of food dates back to my childhood and growing up with parents who cooked a lot of delicious meals. At age six or seven, I wrote my first short story about a girl and a very detailed account of everything she ate. As a teenager, I baked indulgent desserts for my friends—endless Toll House chocolate chip cookies, monster cookie ice cream sandwiches, peanut butter Rice Krispie treats, and white chocolate Bundt cake, to name just a few. I wrote one of my college application essays about the merits of Cap’n Crunch cereal. In my early twenties, I had already amassed a larger cookbook collection than most people do in a lifetime (it’s currently almost five hundred strong!).
Working in food has always been my calling, but, as often happens, life took me in a different direction. It wasn’t until I was in the midst of a successful marketing career and raising two kids that I decided to pursue my true passion and attend culinary school. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, as it gave me the knowledge, skills, and confidence to take my longstanding interest to another level. And, most importantly, I’m incredibly fulfilled and happy now, doing what I truly enjoy.
I created Dish Lister after many years of receiving regular requests from friends, family, colleagues, and neighbors to share my most treasured recipes, favorite food products, and recommended restaurants, among other food-related guidance. I’ve rarely, if ever, steered anyone wrong with my recommendations, and I found I was actually making a lot of people very happy. I hope to continue that trend here—sharing curated food recommendations, reviews, and experiences to inspire, inform, and ultimately bring a little joy to each of you. Tall order, I know, but I’m up for the challenge. I’m working on so many exciting new ideas for the coming year that I can’t wait to share! In the meantime, please know how super grateful I am for your support, as I continue to grow this into something bigger and better.
Ok, enough about me—I’m ready to dish!
Katsu curry: the ideal winter comfort food
One of my absolute favorite meals is katsu curry, especially during this time of year. A variation of Japanese curry with a fried chicken (or pork) cutlet on top, katsu curry is like a warm, comforting hug on a plate. I’ve long-enjoyed katsu (a Japanese breaded meat cutlet that’s fried, cut into strips, and served with a sauce), but a few years ago I developed an interest in katsu curry after my son saw an online cooking video and asked me to make it for him. Without a recipe, just a video as reference, I decided to wing it and came up with this delicious, easy recipe that’s ready in under an hour. I make this dish often—since my kids love it so much too—and I’m happy to now share it with you!
Rather than making a curry sauce from scratch, I use boxed Japanese curry roux cubes (traditional roux mixed with Japanese curry and some other spices and then solidified). They have great flavor, and it also cuts down on prep time significantly. I buy the S&B Golden Curry brand, which I find in the Asian foods section of my local supermarket. There are three different spice levels—Mild, Medium Hot, and Hot. My family likes Medium Hot, but you can choose whichever one you prefer. Don’t worry if you cannot find Japanese curry roux at a store near you; there are also a number of homemade recipes online like this one. I hope you enjoy this dish as much as my family and I do. And, of course, if you do make it, please tell me know what you think (and share pictures/ tag me on social)!
Chicken Katsu Curry
(Serves 4)
1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice (short-grain sushi rice works well too)
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp neutral oil (like vegetable, canola, safflower), divided
1 large onion, halved and sliced into 1/3-inch wide pieces
2 medium Russet potatoes, scrubbed, peeled and cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch cubes
3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch thick pieces
1 3.2-oz package Japanese curry mix (like S&B Golden Curry brand)
2 large chicken breasts (approx. 1 lb.), pounded to a 1/4- to 1/3-inch thickness and split in half
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 large eggs
1 cup panko bread crumbs
2-3 scallions, thinly sliced, for garnish
Flaky sea salt, for garnish
Preheat oven to 250°F. Line a sheet pan with foil or paper towels and top with a wire rack.
Cook rice according to package directions. Fluff with fork when done, set aside, and keep covered/ warm until ready to serve.
In a large Dutch oven or high-sided sauté pan, heat 2 tbsp of oil over medium-high heat. Add onions, potatoes, and carrots to pan and cook, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Add 2 1/4 cups of water, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cover, cooking about 15 min, or until carrots and potatoes are cooked through/ fork tender
Meanwhile, place flour, eggs, and panko into three separate shallow bowls. Season flour with a few generous pinches of salt and a few grinds of pepper and mix to combine. Lightly beat eggs with a fork. Working one at a time, dredge a chicken cutlet in the flour mixture (shaking off any excess), then dip into egg mixture, and lastly coat with the panko bread crumbs, patting them down lightly to adhere to cutlet as needed. Place cutlet on a plate and repeat process with remaining cutlets.
Dredging station (above); chicken cutlets ready to be fried (below). (I made a couple more than the recipe to have extra!) Heat 1/2 cup neutral oil in a large cast iron or deep-sided skillet over medium-high heat until oil is shimmering lightly. Add chicken cutlets to hot oil, being careful not to crowd the pan (you may need to cook in two batches). Cook for 2-3 min per side, or until golden brown and crispy. Place cutlets on sheet pan with wire rack, sprinkle with a little Kosher salt, and place pan in oven to keep warm. Repeat frying of remaining cutlets as necessary.
When vegetables are done, break up curry roux cubes into smaller pieces and stir them into vegetables until very well-incorporated (no chunks of curry should remain). Simmer for another 5 minutes, stirring often, until the sauce has thickened, and remove from heat.
Vegetables before (with roux cubes, before incorporating) and after (ready to serve!) When ready to serve, slice chicken cutlets crosswise into 1/2-inch thick strips. Serve in 4 shallow bowls or on plates, placing the cooked rice on one side, the vegetable curry on the other, and laying the sliced chicken cutlet centered across the top. Garnish with sliced scallions and a small pinch of flaky sea salt, and serve immediately.
That’s all for this week! I’m having fun working on a special “Year in Review” issue, which I’ll be sending soon. For now, please subscribe and share below with your favorite foodies. And hit the LIKE button too if you enjoyed what you read. Thank you!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!