Katsu Curry カツカレー

The Japanese absolutely love curry and deep-fried food. So, it only makes sense that we pair the two together for a hearty and scrumptious dish like this Katsu Curry (カツカレー). Don’t be surprised when I tell you there are so many paths to put this popular curry rice together!

In this recipe post, I’ve included various popular options to enjoy, including chicken katsu curry and pork katsu curry. But really, the combination is up to you!

What is Katsu Curry?

Katsu curry (カツカレー) is a combination of Japanese curry and a crispy cutlet (called katsu in Japanese) coated in panko breadcrumbs all served over steamed Japanese rice. It’s the ultimate comfort food when you crave a big, hearty meal. At speciality curry restaurants in Japan, you can choose different toppings to go with your curry rice, and katsu is one of them.

When I make curry at home, my husband always prefers to add katsu on top. He just can’t get enough of the crunchy katsu texture that pairs perfectly with the rich sauce and slightly sticky Japanese rice. I don’t blame him!

How to Make Katsu Curry at Home

My family never gets tired of eating this dish because we can switch things up easily. It’s a wonderful mix-and-match meal with many options to pair different kinds of curry and cutlet:

1. Choose Your Japanese Curry

My curry recipes below feature a main protein plus vegetables such as onion slices, carrots, and potatoes. We make the curry sauce from Japanese curry roux, ginger, garlic, chicken stock, grated apple, honey, soy sauce, ketchup, and black pepper.

On the Stovetop

• Japanese Chicken Curry
• Japanese Beef Curry
• Japanese Pork Curry
• Vegetarian Japanese Curry

In the Pressure Cooker

• Instant Pot Japanese Curry
• Instant Pot Seafood Curry

Use store-bought curry roux or make it from scratch ahead of time. My homemade version uses ingredients like Japanese curry powder (I use S&B brand), garam masala, all-purpose flour, and butter. See my Homemade Curry Roux recipe for instructions.

2. Choose Your Katsu

Katsu comes in many forms, and you can choose your own protein. Not a fan of pork or chicken? Use shrimp or fish!

Deep-Fried Katsu

• Tonkatsu (pork cutlet)
• Chicken Katsu (chicken breast cutlet)
• Crispy Tonkatsu (thin pork cutlet)
• Menchi Katsu (minced meat cutlet)
• Ham Katsu (ham cutlet)
• Ebi Fry (fried shrimp)

Baked Katsu

• Baked Tonkatsu
• Baked Chicken Katsu
• Gluten-Free Baked Chicken Katsu
• Baked Fish Katsu – use white fish instead of salmon for katsu curry
• Baked Ebi Katsu – shrimp cutlet

3. Make Your Rice

• Use only Japanese short-grain rice for an authentic taste.
• See how to make Japanese rice in a rice cooker, pot over the stove, Instant Pot, or donabe.
• You can use frozen cooked rice! See how to freeze and reheat Japanese rice in my post How to Store Cooked Rice.

How to Make Katsu Curry FAST

While you could make the three components from scratch all at once, it takes more effort and time. To simplify and shorten the cooking process, here’s how I usually put together my katsu curry recipe:

Option 1: Use the oven and pressure cooker. For hassle-free cooking, I often make fresh Japanese curry in the Instant pot and I bake the katsu in the oven.

Option 2: Reheat last night’s leftover curry. It’s easier to reheat the curry than make it from scratch. The flavor is better the next day as well. I usually cook my curry the night before, then warm it up while I cook fresh katsu.

Option 3: Defrost frozen leftovers. I often freeze Japanese curry and katsu for easy and quick meal prep! While you simmer, stir, and gently warm up the curry in a saucepan, you can reheat the katsu in the oven in 30 minutes or less. You can also reheat frozen cooked rice.

How To Assemble the Katsu Curry

To serve, place an individual portion of hot steamed rice on one side of a plate or bowl. Layer the sliced cutlet on the side of the rice in the middle of the plate. Pour the curry on the other side of the cutlet. Garnish with half a hard-boiled egg and fukujinzuke (red pickled daikon).

Katsu curry is a hefty meal but tastes amazing and immensely satisfying. I hope you give the fabulous combo a try!

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