Vegetarian Katsu Curry

5 from 4 votes

This vegetarian katsu curry is made with breaded fried eggplant and a delicious creamy katsu curry sauce, for a delicious Japanese-inspired vegetarian dinner.

Prep Time30

Cook Time40

Total Time1 10

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Japanese-Inspired

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 632kcal

Author: Alison

Ingredients

Katsu Curry Sauce:

2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil
1 Medium Onion White, Yellow or Brown, Chopped
1 Large Carrot Chopped
2 Cloves Garlic Crushed
1 Tablespoon Ginger Freshly Grated
2 teaspoons Curry Powder
1 teaspoon Turmeric
2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
14 ounces Canned Coconut Milk (400ml) Full Fat, Unsweetened
1 cup Vegetable Stock (240ml) or Broth
1 Tablespoon Coconut Sugar or Light Brown Sugar

Crumbed Eggplant:

2 Large Eggplants or 3 Medium (1 ½ pounds / 680g)
2 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour
2 teaspoons Curry Powder
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 cup Homemade Buttermilk (240ml) 1 Tablespoon lemon juice + room temperature milk up to the 1 cup line
2 cups Panko Breadcrumbs
½ teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil For frying, add more as needed

Serving (Optional):

Basmati Rice
Sesame Seeds
Fresh Cilantro Chopped
Lime Wedges

Instructions

Katsu Curry Sauce:

Add sesame oil to a pot on medium heat and add chopped onions and carrots. Sauté until the onions are softened.
Add crushed garlic, grated ginger, curry powder and turmeric and sauté for a minute to toast the spices.
Add tomato paste, coconut milk, vegetable stock and coconut sugar. Mix together and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the carrots are soft.
Remove from the heat and use an immersion blender to blend the sauce directly in the pot.
Leave the pot on the heat at low heat and leave it to stay warm while you prepare the eggplant.

Crumbed Eggplant:

Cut the ends off the eggplants and then peel them. Then slice the eggplant into ¼ inch thick circles.
Add all purpose flour, curry powder and garlic powder to a shallow dish and mix together.
Prepare the homemade buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (or distilled white vinegar) to a measuring jug and then adding room temperature milk up to the 1 cup (240ml) line. Let it curdle. Pour this out into a second shallow dish.
Add breadcrumbs, salt and pepper to a third shallow dish and mix together.
Take each eggplant circle and roll it in the flour mix. Then roll it in the buttermilk.
Finally, roll it in the breadcrumbs making sure it is coated on all sides. Place the crumbed eggplant slices onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
Add sesame oil to a frying pan and heat it on medium to high heat until hot. Sprinkle a few breadcrumbs into the pan, if they sizzle then your oil is hot enough.
Add eggplant circles to the pan, as many as can comfortably fit without overcrowding. They should sizzle when they hit the pan. Fry for a minute and a half and then flip them and fry on the other side.
When they are golden brown on both sides, place them onto a tray lined with paper towels to soak up any excess oil. Repeat until all your eggplant is cooked. Add more sesame oil as needed.

Serving:

Place rice and katsu curry sauce side by side in a bowl. Serve the crumbed eggplant on top of the katsu curry sauce and sprinkle sesame seeds and fresh chopped cilantro over the top with lime wedges on the side.

Notes

Homemade buttermilk - we use homemade buttermilk in this recipe which is a mix of lemon juice (or distilled white vinegar) and room temperature milk. For a dairy-free version soy milk also works really well for this.
Make ahead: If you want to make this recipe ahead of time, then you can make the katsu curry sauce up to 24 hours in advance, let it cool, cover and refrigerate. When you're ready for it, just reheat it on the stovetop at low heat. That way you would just need to prepare the eggplant, make the rice and serve.
Storing: Store the eggplant and the curry sauce in separate containers in the fridge for 2-3 days. The eggplant will lose a lot of its crispiness but still tastes great.
Reheating: If you have an air fryer then reheating the eggplant in the air fryer is the best way to restore their crispiness. The sauce can be reheated on the stovetop. Otherwise you can reheat everything in the microwave.
Freezing: The sauce can be frozen and freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge and then reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave. The eggplant is not suitable for freezing.
Nutritional information excludes rice.

Nutrition