Katsu curry is just a variation of Japanese curry with a chicken cutlet on top. I have used a store-bought block of Japanese curry roux which is commonly used in Japanese households. Chicken Cutlet (Japanese version of chicken schnitzel) brings the Japanese curry up to the next level. It’s so delicious and filling.
It is not an exaggeration to say that Japanese curry rice (カレーライス, pronounce it as ‘karē raisu’) is the national home cooking dish. Everyone, particularly children, love it. When Japanese people say ‘having a curry tonight’, it is the Japanese curry that is made from the store-bought block of curry roux.
Ready-made Curry Roux
The most popular store-bought curry roux in Japan is called Vermont Curry. It is one of the many curry roux products made by House Food Corporation. When you say ‘Vermont Curry’, everyone knows that it is House Vermont Curry.
The roux contains apple and honey to reduce the spiciness so that even little kids can eat curry.
Apparently, the name ‘Vermont’ came from the state of Vermont in the USA, which was known for folk medicine with apple cider vinegar and honey. At the time of the first TV commercial, this folk medicine was well known and popular, so House Foods just borrowed the name ‘Vermont’.
House Food Corporation broadcasted the commercial with a catchy theme song. The commercial was a big hit and absolutely every household bought the roux and made curry for their kids. I suppose the Japanese curry rice became a national dish then.
There are many varieties of curry roux products are available now (see a few samples in above photo) and each household has its favourite curry roux. The roux made the curry-making so easy. Sauté the meat and vegetables, add water and cook them, then add the roux. Viola!
The photo below is the beef curry I made by just following the instructions on the pack (in English!). I used Java Curry (the middle one in the photo above). Because it is medium hot, the colour of the curry is darker than that of mild curry such as House Vermont Curry.
You can buy Japanese curry roux at Japanese/Asian grocery stores as well as most of supermarkets.
What’s in My Katsu Curry
Katsu Curry is simply a rice and curry with a cutlet on it. Since the cutlet is a meat dish on its own, my curry does not have any meat in it. I added three vegetables in the curry that are commonly used to make a Japanese Ccurry.
- House Vermont Curry (mild) – see the sample photo of the packet in the post
- Cooked rice
- Onion – sliced into 1cm wide pieces
- Potato – cut to 1.5cm / ⅝” cubes
- Carrot – sliced to 7mm / ¼” thick pieces
- Chicken Cutlet (Japanese Chicken Schnitzel) – cut into 2.5cm / 1″ wide strips
The curry roux does not have to be Vermont Curry and the spiciness can be different too. Depending on the brand of the curry roux, the amount of water required to make the right consistency of the curry is different. You need to read the instructions on the packet.
The combination of the vegetables can also be changed but I prefer using the vegetables that do not stand out too much in the sauce, e.g. large green leaves. The Chicken Cutlet is the hero of today’s dish and you want to draw an attention to the cutlet.
Instead of Chicken Cutlet, you can use pork cutlet. See my post Tonkatsu (Japanese Pork Schnitzel) for the recipe.
You will notice that the size of the vegetables in my recipe are not very large. This is because I wanted the cutlet to stand out even after pouring the curry on. Katsu curries served at restaurants often do not have anything in the sauce.
Katsu Curry – Great Pre-made Dish
You can store Japanese Curry for 2-3 days in the fridge and 1 month in freezer. But if you are freezing the curry, I strongly recommend avoiding potatoes added to the curry. Defrosted potatoes become spongy and the texture is not great.
When reheating the chilled curry, you may add some water to the curry because the roux thickens when cooled down. It still tastes great, though.
There are two ways to reheat frozen curry – heat in the microwave and heat in hot water bath.
When reheating the curry in your microwave, stir from time to time. The outer part of the curry gets heated and even starts bubbling but often the centre is still frozen. You need to mix the hot and cold to speed up the process of defrosting and heating.
In the hot water bath method, you don’t need to worry about occasional mixing. Put the block of frozen curry in a zip lock bag and place it in a sieve that can go inside a pot of boiling water. The sieve prevents the plastic from touching the side of the pot, which is extremely hot.
The Japanese curry is quite different in flavour and consistency from other authentic curries. The sauce is thicker than other curries in the world. It is similar to the consistency of béchamel sauce. But it is delicious!
Yumiko
Katsu curry is just a variation of Japanese curry with a Chicken Cutlet on top. I have used a store-bought block of Japanese curry roux, which is commonly used in Japanese households. The Chicken Cutlet brings the Japanese curry up to the next level. It’s so delicious and filling.
Time dos not include the time required to make Chicken Cutlet
Don't forget to see the section 'MEAL IDEAS' below the recipe card! It gives you a list of dishes that I have already posted and this recipe that can make up a complete meal. I hope it is of help to you.
- 400g / 0.9lb onion sliced into 1cm / ⅜” wide pieces
- 250g / 0.6lb potato cut into 1.5cm / ⅝” cubes
- 100g / 3.5oz carrot sliced to 7mm / ¼” thick pieces (note 1)
- 1 tbsp oil
- ½ packet of 230g / 0.5lb House Vermont Curry (Mild, note 2)
- 800ml / 1.7pt water
- 4 cups cooked rice (hot)
- 4 Chicken Cutlets cut into 2.5cm / 1” wide strips
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Add oil into a pot and heat over medium high heat.
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Add onion and sauté for a few minutes or until the onion becomes translucent and edges start getting slightly burnt.
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Add potatoes and carrots into the pot and stir for a couple of minutes or until the surface of the vegetables starts getting cooked.
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Add water and turn the heat up to bring it to a boil. Then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for about 7 minutes or until the vegetables are nearly cooked through (note 3).
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Break the curry roux cake into small blocks along the lines and add them into the pot. Stir gently to blend the curry roux.
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Place a lid on and cook over low heat for about 10 minutes or until the curry roux is completely dissolved. Stir occasionally.
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Check the consistency of the sauce. It should be like béchamel sauce. If too thick, adjust with some water. If too thin, cook further without the lid. It will thicken when cooled down as well.
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Turn the heat off.
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Place a cup of hot cooked rice onto one side of a plate. Place the chicken cutlet pieces next to the rice, leaning them on the rice so that there will be a space to pour the curry.
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Pour curry next to the chicken cutlet and serve immediately.
1. If the carrot is fat, you may halve or quarter it lengthwise, then slice it.
2. I happened to have a mild curry pack. But you can use medium hot or hot curry or even another brand instead of House Food.
Different kinds/brands of roux might require different amounts of water. Please follow the instructions on the pack.
3. Put a skewer through to the potato/carrot. If the skewer can easily get through, the vegetables are cooked.
4. You may pre-make the curry and serve it later. The curry can be kept for few days in the fridge, 1 month in the freezer.
When the curry cools down, the sauce thickens. The consistency of the sauce should be like béchamel sauce. Check the consistency of the sauce after re-heating and if too thick, adjust with water.
To defrost your curry, see the post for two different methods.
5. I did not use it but you can add Fukujinzuke (Condiment for Japanese Curry) if you have it.
6. Nutrition per serving. It is a high calorie food. Eat vegetables rest of the day!
serving: 790g calories: 945kcal fat: 45g (69%) saturated fat: 8.3g (42%) trans fat: 0.3g polyunsaturated fat: 9.6g monounsaturated fat: 24g cholesterol: 198mg (66%) sodium: 559mg (23%) potassium: 958mg (27%) carbohydrates: 93g (31%) dietary fibre: 6g (25%) sugar: 8g protein: 41g vitamin a: 88% vitamin c: 36% calcium: 10% iron: 31%
Originally published in March 2017, split into two posts to have Chicken Cutlet in a separate post, improved photos and contents with Meal Ideas in 2020 (no change to recipe).
Meal Ideas
A typical Japanese meal consists of a main dish, a couple of side dishes, a soup and rice. I try to come up with a combination of dishes with a variety of flavours, colours, textures and make-ahead dishes.
Fukujinzuke is the condiment to go with Japanese curry. I included it in today’s Meal Idea as a condiment.
I strongly recommend serving a salad to go with the rich flavour of the curry. Fresh or steamed salad with Mixed Vegetable Dressing would be perfect for it.
- Main: Katsu Curry (Japanese Curry with Chicken Cutlet) – today’s recipe, curry can be made ahead but freshly made Chicken Cutlet is recommended
- Side dish 1: Smoked Salmon with Grated Daikon Dressing (Mizore-ae) – or just a bowl of grated daikon with a bit of soy sauce or ponzu to be healthier
- Side dish 2: Mixed Vegetable Salad Dressing over either fresh salad/steamed vegetables – make ahead dressing
- Condiment: Home-made Fukujinzuke – make ahead
- Soup: Shimeji and Mizuna miso soup from Miso Soup Ingredient Combinations: or other ingredients of your choice
Luv the cutlets curried ive been waiting for someone to take on Japanese food im so glad that its you doing it the new format is great my only suggestion would be to do all styles of cooking alphabetically as in countries of origin that would make everything so simple for me thanx again for all your wonderfull recipes MERRY XMASS
Hi Gary, I love Katsu Curry, too. I’m Nagi’s mother, Yumiko and RecipeTin Japan is actually my site, although it is under RecipeTin. Thanks for the feedback on new RecipeTin Eats design. I’ll pass on to Nagi.
Your recipes are so easy to follow. I especially like your Mom’s recipes.
Mahalo (thank you) all the way from The Big Island of Hawai’i
Lani Furlong
Hi Lani, thank you very much from beautiful place, Hawaii. One day, I shall travel to Hawaii.
I have been using the curry blocks for years. My go to brand is the Vermont, just the right flavor.
My Japanese name is Yumiko too!
Hi Helene (Yumiko-san), Vermont is popular in Japan, too.
I just received your new email with your new website, looks great, and as for this recipe ” Katsu Curry”, look good will try making it this weekend. Thank you.
Hi Alfred, Nagi’s new website looks great, doesn’t it? Katsu Curry is quite popular among my readers. I hope you also like it!
This is by far the best thing I have ever eaten 100/10 and is now my favorite food ever
Hi Dylin, that’s really great and I feel good. Thank you!
Yup! We’ve been using these curry roux’s, mostly Golden Curry, for more than 40 years! I used to use the Mild but now prefer the Medium Hot.
Depending on the day, we make it with shrimp, beef, pork, or chicken. Sometimes we add celery slices, corn, or sprinkled sweet peas over the top on serving. Always over Japanese Medium Grain or Short Grain rice. Kokuho Rose for the medium, and Tamanishiki brand for the short grain (also used for making sushi).
The really awesome thing about making this curry is the smell that wafts through the kitchen while cooking! It makes your mouth water.
Second-day curry kept in the refrigerator is sometimes even better than fresh off the stove!
The curry roux is still very popular in Japan which is the indication of how good it is, isn’t it? I agree that the curry gets better on the day after.
I have been staring at this recipe since it was posted! I finally made it to my local Asian Market and found the Vermont Curry so I’m ready to give it a go this weekend. Fingers crossed my husband can handle it but with all the comments about kids loving it, I have high hopes. Thank you for all the wonderful looking recipes, I am looking forward to trying more 🙂
Hi Clemmie, you’ll be alright. The dish will be yummy and your family will love it.
I’ve been trying to make this dish for a while now and never got to where i wanted it. However using this recipe with the vermont curry made it so much better! Really like the recipe overall. In my opinion the taste is exactly how it is supposed to be, but my curry turned out to be alittle dull flavour wise as it could be more intense. Do you have any tricks for that :)?
Hi Lukas, I have never tried adding anything to it but I read an article about how adding a small amount of instant coffee (1 tsp) changes the flavour of the curry to almost like professionally made curry. I must try this.
This tastes even better than the one I had at our Japanese restaurant. We all absolutely loved it!! Thank you SO much for sharing with us!!
Hi Gina, thank you! Now, you can make Katsu Curry better than the restaurants yourself!
How about a good Tendon Don Buri Recipe
Hi Dwayne, Tendon (tempura on rice bowl) is on my long list of recipes yet to be posted!
Thank you so much for posting this recipe Ms. Yumiko! It is super easy and delicious! I’ve saved so much money by making this myself and not ordering out every week from our local shop. Also, I order the curry roux on Amazon which makes this dish a go to at home. <3
Hi Nicole, that’s really great. Thanks for a note!