Last updated on January 31st, 2023 at 06:37 pm
An easy and quick curry with warming ginger, curry and garam masala, this Japanese Tofu Curry is a delicious bowl of comfort ready in around 30 minutes.
What Does Japanese Curry Taste Like?
Curry most likely arrived in Japan in the 19th century with the British who were ruling India at the time. Tweaked to suit local tastes, Japanese curry is sweeter and more subtle than Indian curry. It has far less heat and is more stew-like than other curries. Japanese Curry or karē is commonly served one of three ways:
karē raisu - over rice
karē udon - over noodles and
karē pan - curry bread
Why You'll Love This Curry
I based this vegan version of Japanese Tofu Curry on a lovely recipe from Emma Knowles and am so completely chuffed with the result. The sauce in this curry is slightly sweet, warmly ginger-ish and spiced just enough with garam masala and curry powder.
Additionally, this curry sauce is quick. While I do love slow cooked curries with their layers of deep flavours, I can't go past a deeply flavourful sauce made in fifteen minutes flat.
To balance the creamy, thick sauce texture and to best emulate the original chicken katsu ("katsu" is short for "katsuretsu" the Japanese transliteration of the word cutlet), I crumbed slices of silky tofu in panko crumbs and fried.
Served with a steamy bowl of jasmine rice, a scattering of spring onion and julienne carrots, this Japanese tofu curry is a quick, flavourful and wonderfully layered curry option. Quick to prepare this warming, gently ginger and slightly spiced curry will certainly make many more appearances on our table. The Husband doesn't miss the chicken and the Elf even ate her share. In a family of omnivores, this is high praise indeed.
Enjoy.
Hungry for More Plant-Based Goodness? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all the latest news and updates
More curry recipes:
Easy Red Lentil Masala with Spinach
Walk-Away Chickpea Tomato and Spinach Curry
Mushroom and Chickpea Tikka Masala
Japanese Tofu Curry
Ingredients
Sauce
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil or a neutral flavoured oil
- 1 brown onion finely sliced
- 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 2 teaspoon plain flour (I use spelt because that's what we keep in the pantry)
- 1 ½ cups vegetable stock
- 3 tablespoon tamari
- 1 ½ tablespoon rice syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 300 grams medium to firm Momen tofu
- ¼ cup soy or almond milk
- 2 tablespoon flour
- ⅓ cup panko crumbs vegan
- 4 tablespoon vegetable oil to shallow fry
- 2 cups steamed rice
- 1 scallion sliced in to rounds to serve
- 1 carrot peeled and julienned
Instructions
- To make the curry sauce, heat the vegetable oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
- Add the onion, ginger and garlic and sauté until tender, around 3 minutes.
- Add curry powder and stir until fragrant.
- Stir in flour and cook for 1 and a half minutes.
- Slowly whisk in the stock, add the soy sauce and rice syrup and simmer stirring occasionally for 10 minutes or until sauce thickens.
- Stir in rice vinegar and garam masala and keep warm.
- To make the crispy tofu, pop the tofu out on to a kitchen towel to drain for 10 minutes.
- Slice tofu block in to 1cm (approx ½ inch) thick slices.
- Put flour on a plate, the milk in a medium bowl and the Panko crumbs on another plate. Sit them beside each other with a large plate at the end to put the finished crumbed tofu.
- Roll each slice of the tofu in the flour, then the milk and finally roll in the crumbs.
- Heat enough oil to fill a fry pan ½ inch. Test heat by flicking some cold water in, if it sizzles, it's ready.
- Shallow fry the tofu for around 2 minutes on each side or until golden. Place on kitchen paper to drain.
- To serve, place a few good spoons of steamed rice on to a plate or in a bowl, place the crumbed tofu around and spoon a curry sauce over. Serve with fresh shallots and carrot
Howard simons says
This looks delicious. Question: I recently got some S&B golden curry cubes for a beef dish, and wondering if this recipe could be modified to use those?
Amanda says
Hey Howard, I've not used the cubes but they look like they are are a complete replacement for the curry sauce. You could just prepare the tofu and pour the prepared curry sauce over the top. That should work fine. 🙂
Jean Bernon says
My goodness this is absolutely amazing. I made it tonight and I got a 10 on 10 from my wife which is not normally easy from her as she's a good cook. Thank you so much.
Amanda says
Oh, Jean that's fantastic. I am so glad you and your wife liked it! You've made my day. Thank you for letting me know. 🙂
Joshua Howard says
Hi Amanda! I really like your recipes! I have a question. What can I use to replace rice syrup or honey?
Amanda says
Hi Joshua, thanks so much. I am so happy you like my recipes. You could easily use maple or agave in the recipe - it's a small amount to add balance to the dish. Cheers!
Karen Bryden says
I've made this several times now for my family and it's our absolute favourite dinner! I double up the quantities and it feeds four hungry ones. The softness of the tofu paired with the crispy breadcrumbs is so delicious - thank you!
Amanda says
Oh, that's awesome Karen - I am chuffed your family loves this curry. Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know. You've made my day. x
Nora says
Made this last weekend and turned out really nice! Made it for my family of 4 including me so I doubled the recipe but it still wasn't enough! Guess we were just really hungry haha. I ended up getting Japanese curry powder from my local grocery store in the international isle and it tasted so yummy. One thing however, I was tasting as I went along and the rice vinegar kind of put me off and ruined the taste despite putting the correct amount, tried to balance it out but the taste was still there in the end :/
Amanda says
Thanks for the feedback Nora. I appreciate it. I am glad you liked the recipe..mostly ;-). Rice vinegar is traditional in the recipe but if it's not for you, omit it. I love the little lift a teaspoon of vinegar gives the curry but if it's not your thing, nix it. Thanks again. Have a great day.
Nick p says
Not sure how call the Japanese when you two main spices from India. Curry powder and Garam masala. Just saying!
Amanda says
Thanks for the feedback Nick. Japanese curry has both curry powder and garam masala in it and is usually served with a chicken or pork cutlet ("katsu"). Thanks again.
kathleen says
this looks divine! I managed to DIY the wagamama katsu curry at home but it's a lot more complicated than this (who has time to shallow fry carrots until they're soft enough to blend?) - will definitely be trying this! to make it even quicker, we often use vegan chicken burgers/nuggets instead of breaded meat - it's a bit of a cheat but much easier for a busy weeknight dinner
Amanda says
I love that Kathleen. I think the vegan burgers would be awesome in this. Enjoy!
Karli says
This looks delicious! How many does this recipe feed?
Amanda says
Hey Karli, this will make 3-4 serves. We usually get 4. I hope you enjoy it!
Lindsay says
Oh my this was amazing! Made this gluten free w cassava flour and gluten free breadcrumbs and it turned out great.
Amanda says
That's awesome, Lindsay. I am so glad you liked it - great news on the gluten-free front too. Thanks for sharing.
Steve and Gabrielle says
This is absolutely delicious Amanda. Another great meal to add to the repertoire and we look forward to trying more of your recipes. We have made your olive and rosemary spelt loaf a few times and that is a winner too! We really enjoy the stories that go with each recipe, as they give a real sense of how you have come to making it and also an insight into your daily musings with the family. Thanks for your candour and your take on life and food.
Take care and enjoy a great 2017
Amanda says
Thanks so much Steve and Gabrielle. I am so grateful for the feedback and I am so happy you are enjoying the blog. Sometimes it is confronting to write about your own life and I wonder if anyone thinks it is worth reading. So, thank you. I love this tofu recipe too and it reminds me I need to make it again soon! Happy 2017 to you.
Quite Good Food says
We had this for dinner last night and it was delicious! I didn't have any fresh ginger (there's always something missing!) so I subbed 1/2 a tsp of ground ginger and it worked just fine. Even the seven year old loved it, great family meal thank you 🙂
Amanda says
This makes me so happy and good to know about the ginger. I am so glad everyone enjoyed it. Thanks Amber
Lis @ The Fare Sage says
Thanks so much Amanda - we adore japanese curry and now I don't have to use the packet stuff anymore! Hurray!
Amanda says
Excellent Lis! I love this curry and am so glad it is easy to make. The original recipe calls for honey if you prefer. x