JAPANESE AUBERGINE & TOFU KATSU CURRY

I doubt many Japanese cooks would start a katsu curry sauce by frying red chilli and shallot, but I wanted to intensify the flavours. You can make both the curry powder and sauce in advance. Serve with plain sticky rice and Japanese pickled vegetables, if you like.

Serves 4

75g (2¾oz) panko breadcrumbs

½tsp cayenne pepper or red chilli powder ¼tsp black and/or white sesame seeds (optional) ¼tsp ground turmeric Sea salt

2tbsp rice flour or cornflour mixed with 4tbsp water to a paste 200g (7oz) firm tofu, pressed, patted dry and cut into 5cm slices, about 1cm thick 1 large aubergine, cut into 1cm-thick slices Sunflower oil, for deep-frying

Fresh red chillies and spring onions, sliced on the diagonal, to garnish Sticky rice, to serve (see tip at bottom of page) For the katsu curry sauce

1tbsp sunflower oil 1 fresh red bird’s-eye chilli, finely chopped 1 shallot, chopped 1tbsp tomato purée 2tsp Japanese Curry Powder (see panel far right)

½tsp garlic powder 500ml (18fl oz) vegetable stock

200ml (7fl oz) coconut milk

4tbsp rice flour or cornflour mixed with 6tbsp water to a paste

To make the curry sauce, heat the oil in a pan over a medium-high heat. Fry the red chilli and shallot, stirring for 30 seconds to flavour the oil. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the tomato purée. Add the curry and garlic powders. Stir for about 30 seconds to cook the spices. Stir in the stock and coconut milk with a pinch of salt. Add the flour paste and slowly bring to the boil, stirring, until the sauce thickens and coats the back of the spoon. Remove from the heat and set aside.

When you are ready to cook, preheat the oven to 150°C/fan 130°C/gas 2 and line a baking tray with kitchen paper. Put the breadcrumbs in a