Vegan Tofu Katsu Curry (GF) - Rhian's Recipes (2024)

5 from 10 votes

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: gluten-free japanese curry, tofu katsu curry, vegan japanese curry, vegan katsu curry

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Author: Rhian Williams

For the tofu katsu:

• ▢ 400 g (14 oz) firm tofu (or sub silken tofu)
• ▢ 4 heaped teaspoons gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
• ▢ 40 ml (⅕ cup) water
• ▢ Salt + pepper, to taste
• ▢ 30 g (1 oz) panko breadcrumbs (*see notes for gluten-free options)
• ▢ 3 tablespoons rapeseed or vegetable oil (**see notes for oil-free and baked options)

For the curry:

• ▢ 1 tablespoon coconut oil (or sub vegetable or rapeseed oil)
• ▢ 1 onion , diced
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic , minced
• ▢ 1 cm (½ inch) ginger , peeled and minced
• ▢ 1 heaped teaspoon curry powder , to taste
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• ▢ 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• ▢ 400 g (14 oz) potatoes , diced (new potatoes are best as they retain their shape and there’s need to peel them), diced (you can also substitute sweet potatoes)
• ▢ Handful of frozen green peas
• ▢ 200 ml (⅘ cup) tinned coconut milk
• ▢ 1 vegetable stock cube (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon agave syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon tamari (or soy sauce if not gluten-free)
• ▢ 120 ml (½ cup) tinned tomatoes
• ▢ 200 g (14 oz) French (green) beans , trimmed and halved
• ▢ 2 tablespoons cornflour (cornstarch)
• ▢ Salt + pepper , to taste

To serve:

• ▢ Cooked brown or white sticky rice
• ▢ Pickled ginger
• ▢ Salad

For the tofu katsu:

• Drain and rinse tofu and pat dry with a paper towel

• Cut the block of tofu into thirds horizontally, then each piece into 6 small rectangles

• Mix together the flour and water in a bowl

• Mix the breadcrumbs with salt + pepper and lay out onto a plate

• Dip a piece of tofu into the flour and water mixture, then coat with the breadcrumbs. Transfer onto a large plate

• Repeat for the rest of the tofu

• Heat up oil in a large frying pan and cook on a medium heat for about 15 minutes, occasionally turning over the pieces until crispy and golden

• Transfer onto a plate lined with a paper towel to soak up the excess oil

For the curry:

• Heat up coconut oil in frying pan andadd onion, garlic and ginger once hot

• Fry for about 10 minutes until softened

• Add curry powder, cumin and turmeric and fry for a minute until fragrant

• Add carrots, potatoes, frozen peas, coconut milk, stock cube, agave syrup and tamari, with enough water to cover

• Bring to the boil then turn down heat and simmer for around 15 minutes, until potatoes are soft enough to gently pierce with a fork

• Add the tinned tomatoes and French beans, and cook for a further 10 minutes

• Dissolve the cornflour in a small amount of water in a separate bowl, before adding to the curry

• Stir well and leave to heat gently for a further couple of minutes until the sauce is thickened. If it's still looking too thin, do the same with more cornflour dissolved in water first and if it's looking too thick, add more water

• Taste and add salt + pepper

To serve:

• Serve the curry and tofu katsu with brown or white sticky rice, pickled ginger, and a side salad

• Leftovers keep well covered in the fridge for up to a few days. Store the tofu katsu and curry separately - reheat the curry in a pan or in the microwave, and reheat the tofu katsu in a dry frying pan

*Panko breadcrumbs work really well for this tofu katsu, but if you’re gluten-free you can:

• Make your own breadcrumbs by crumbling up gluten-free bread with your hands or in a food processor
• Use shop-bought gluten-free breadcrumbs
• Use crushed gluten-free cornflakes

**I tested out lots of different ways to make this tofu katsu, so you can choose which method you prefer depending on your dietary requirements and how healthy you want to be. You can either:

• Pan-fry in a small amount of oil - this is the method stated above.
• Shallow-fry in about 1 cm (½ inch) of oil - similar cooking time to the method stated above.
• Bake in oven with a tiny amount of oil added - lay out tofu katsu pieces on a baking tray, drizzle over a small amount of oil or spray with oil. Bake at 180 degrees (350 degrees) for about 15 minutes, or until crispy and golden brown.
• Bake in the oven oil-free (this worked surprisingly well) -lay out tofu katsu pieces on a baking tray. Bake at 180 degrees (350 degrees) for about 15 minutes, or until crispy and golden brown.
• Cook in your air-fryer if you’re lucky enough to own one!

Nutrition Facts

Vegan Tofu Katsu Curry (GF)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 479Calories from Fat 270

% Daily Value*

Fat 30g46%

Saturated Fat 13g65%

Sodium 563mg23%

Potassium 899mg26%

Carbohydrates 40g13%

Fiber 7g28%

Sugar 8g9%

Protein 16g32%

Vitamin A 5505IU110%

Vitamin C 25.1mg30%

Calcium 230mg23%

Iron 8.2mg46%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.