Tofu Katsu Curry

Meat-free Monday dinner is sorted with this delicious vegan katsu curry tofu bowl! Simple to make and packed full of fragrant flavours from the katsu curry sauce, with the added texture of crispy crumbed tofu. If you have never tried tofu before, or are not sure about a meat-free meal, I guarantee you will love this recipe! Add in a variety of coloured veg, or try fermented veg like pickled radish, beets, or kimchi, for a tangy flavour and some added gut support.

Ingredients

To make Tofu:

• 400g firm tofu, pressed

• 4 Tablespoons tamari

• 1/2 cup gluten-free corn flour, mixed with water to form a slightly runny paste

• 100g gluten-free all purpose flour

• 200g gluten-free breadcrumbs

• Rice bran oil

• Salt & pepper to season

To make Curry Sauce:

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil

• 1 brown onion, finely diced

• 4 garlic cloves, finely diced

• 3 teaspoons ginger, finely grated

• 2 medium carrots, diced

• 1 medium Granny Smith apple, peeled & diced

• 4 teaspoons Japanese curry powder

• 1 teaspoon garam masala

• 1 teaspoon gluten-free miso paste, dissolved in 1 cup of warm water

• 4 teaspoons tamari

• 2 teaspoons rice vinegar

• 2 teaspoons mirin

Extras:

• 2 cups rice (of your choice), cooked

• 4 cups mixed salad greens, washed

• 1 bunch radish, thinly sliced

• 1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced

Directions

1. Cut the tofu into slices and in batches, wrap the tofu in paper towel and place onto a plate, pressing another plate on top of it to gently squeeze out excess liquid.

2. Remove the tofu from the paper towel and place into a shallow dish, pouring over the 4 tablespoons of tamari, flipping to coat evenly and set aside.

3. In a large frypan over a low-medium heat, heat up 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add in the diced onion, sauteing until translucent. Next add in the garlic and cook for a further minute, before adding in the ginger. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly.

4. Mix in the carrots, apple, curry powder and garam masala and cook for 2 minutes.

5. Add the miso solution to the pan and simmer on a low heat, with the lid on, for 15 minutes, or until the carrots and apple are soft.

6. Remove pan from the heat and allow to cool slightly, before pouring into a blender. Add in the tamari, rice vinegar and mirin and blitz until the sauce is smooth.

7. Meanwhile to crumb the tofu, place the flour, corn flour mixture, and breadcrumbs into separate shallow bowls (make sure you give the corn flour mixture a good mix before you coat the tofu as the flour tends to drop to the botton of the bowl). Coat the tofu in the flour, then the corn flour mix, then the breadcrumbs, repeat until all slices of tofu have been covered.

8. Fill the bottom of a frypan with rice bran oil and heat up, until it is hot. Carefully place each piece of tofu into the pan and cook for 3 minutes each side, or until the crumb coating is golden brown. Repeat until all tofu is cooked. Place cooked tofu on a tray lined with paper towel to remove excess oil.

9. Assemble your tofu bowl with the cooked rice, mixed salad greens, cucumber and radish. Re-heat the katsu sauce if needed and pour over the tofu and rice. Enjoy!