Vegan katsu curry with crispy tempeh

You’ve probably seen a vegan katsu curry on the menu of Wagamamas, but I first encountered this delicious meal at a Coco Ichibanya (a chain of curry houses) in Japan. 

I remember always walking past these curry houses feeling amazed at just how steamy the windows were from all the curry that was being cooked up and served inside. I imagined it was like the McDonalds of Japan because of how popular it was.

So I was particularly happy when I realised they had a vegan version I could try, and I soon found out that it tasted just as comforting as it looked! I’ve been obsessed with katsu curry ever since.

My one big takeaway from the katsu curries that I ate whilst in Japan was that they are simple but very comforting. So I always avoid overcomplicating the dish. It really doesn’t need lots of stuff in it! But many vegan recipes do have a tendency of overcomplicating something. With my vegan katsu curry recipe here, I have taken the fundamentals of a katsu curry and then just veganised it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

What is katsu curry?

Katsu curry (Katsu Karē カツカレー) is a Japanese dish consisting of curry sauce, a panko-breaded meat cutlet, and steamed rice. It is considered one of the national dishes of Japan, up there with ramen.

The curry sauce is typically made using onions, carrots, and curry powder. It is served with Tonkatsu, a Japanese dish of pork cutlet that has been coated in panko breadcrumbs and then deep fried. The cutlet is then sliced up and served next to a bed of steamed rice, with the curry sauce poured over the top. There are now many variations of this, using different meats & vegan alternatives – like my recipe here!

Right now you are probably thinking, but isn’t curry powder Indian? How did this end up being the main component of a traditional Japanese dish? Well, let me tell you…

What are the origins of katsu curry?

In the late 1800s, when India was under British colonial rule, the Anglo-Indian British navy officers introduced curry powder into Japan. It was used to create a staple meal of curry sauce, served with steamed rice, and was given the Japanese name of Karē. This soon became very popular throughout Japan.

So this very Indian dish did indeed come from India itself and was experimented with to include variations like the katsu curry, which is merged with the Japanese dish of Tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet). It is thought this particular variation was invented by Ginza Swiss, a restaurant in Toyko, where you can still go today and enjoy this dish – it isn’t vegan-friendly though unfortunately!

Is katsu curry vegan-friendly?

Katsu curry is often served with breaded meat, which obviously isn’t vegan. You may be thinking that the katsu curry sauce itself is vegan though, but it is often cooked using animal-based stocks. So the traditional katsu curry itself isn’t vegan, no.

That being said, it is very easy to veganise katsu curry by cooking the curry sauce without the stock and using a vegan meat alternative for the cutlet. You can quite easily find vegan versions in both Japan and across the world, in both vegan restaurants and non-vegan restaurants, like the Coco Ichibanya curry house chain.

There are many vegan katsu curry recipes online, like my one here! I have followed the traditional make-up of this recipe but veganised it.

How do you make vegan katsu curry?

Making vegan katsu curry is really simple. You need to first pick your vegan protein source that will be coated in panko breadcrumbs. I have picked tempeh because I like its texture and how nutritious it is! Then you make your katsu curry sauce, which is first cooked and then blended (although blending isn’t that traditional, it is quite common to see it this way now). This is all then served up with a bed of steamed rice.

I’ll go into more detail about each stage of making my vegan katsu curry recipe below:

1. Marinate the tempeh

Tempeh isn’t like tofu, so you won’t find that the marinade fully seeps inside of it. But you will get a good sticky coating around the outside of it that will help to flavour it because just like tofu, it doesn’t taste of much!

Because of the sticky coating, you’ll also find you can add a light coating of panko breadcrumbs to the outside of the tempeh, which will help to give it a crispy outer when cooking it. Traditionally, katsu curry uses breaded meats, so this is my take on that!

Simply add sliced tempeh to the marinade and set aside as you get on with the katsu curry sauce.

2. Make the katsu curry sauce

Chop onions, garlic, and carrots and fry off. You then add curry powder and garam masala to coat the veg before mixing in some maple syrup (apple sauce is used in more traditional recipes). Stir in the coconut milk and let it simmer away and cook for about 10 minutes.

Once the sauce has cooked you can blend it until smooth. Pour the blended mix back into your pan and keep it on low heat so that it stays warm.

3. Cook the tempeh

Next up you’ll need to get your vegan protein breadcrumbed.

I like my tempeh lightly breadcrumbed and I find I can achieve that just fine with the sticky marinade that we have had the tempeh sitting in. But if you like to go for a full breaded mix then you’ll need to make up a water flour mix to bind it to the tempeh before adding breadcrumbs. If you do this, you’ll be better off deep frying them to achieve an even crispness.

Unlike the traditional katsu curry recipe, I am baking my breadcrumbed protein source to make this into a healthy dinner that can be enjoyed more regularly.

The breadcrumbed tempeh cutlets need to be baked for about 10 minutes before serving.

4. Serve

Layer your breadcrumbed tempeh cutlets on the plate and cover them in the blended katsu curry sauce. Serve with steamed rice.

You could also top yours with cucumber slices like I do to add freshness to the dish. I also like how the cucumber balances out the beige look of this dish.

Get yourself a fork or spoon and enjoy scooping this comforting dish into your mouth!