Tofu coconut katsu curry from "Nadiya's British Food Adventure!"

Bundtlust
Jul 26, 2017
2 min read

I recently received Nadiya's newest cookbook in the mail… I own her previous two cookbooks, and couldn't wait to dive into her latest, which features internationally-influenced British classics. One recipe that quickly caught my eye was the tofu coconut katsu curry; this dish is quite common in Japan and is usually made from pork, but as a longtime vegetarian, I thought I would never have the opportunity to try this.

My city in Japan is famous for Navy curry, which was originally introduced by the British Navy. Japanese adapted it to suit their tastes, and now packaged curry is a booming business in Japan, as are curry houses like Coco Ichibanya.

Also, katsu is usually deep-fried, another no-go for me.

I followed Nadia's recipe to the letter, for the tofu I used shimadoufu (島豆腐), a meaty, super-firm tofu from Okinawa. It was also the first time I have ever attempted to cook Japanese curry from scratch, and the curry sauce is delicious over rice.

Instead of frying, I baked it at 400° with convection, turning it over regularly and standing the tofu on its edge so air can circulate. Baked up in credibly crispy and golden. Also added two extra steps based on Naomi's recipe for baked Tonkatsu: first, I dredged in flour, and I also toasted the Panko breadcrumbs before breading.

Although the recipe didn't call for it, I served it with a pile of shredded cabbage, which is the traditional accompaniment here in Japan. Per the recipe, I also served with basmati rice, so here in Japan, plain steamed white rice is used (I normally cook with koshihikari).

Paired with a frosty-cold glass of Anchor Libert Ale, it's made for a fantastic dinner and is a definite repeat!