Ingredients - serves 4

For the curry roux:
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. curry powder
1 tsp. garam masala
1 tsp. ground coriander
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

For the sauce:
2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
8 oz. (225g) mushrooms, halved
1 white onion, thickly sliced
1 inch (2.5cm) fresh ginger, peeled & thinly sliced
1 pint. (480ml) vegetable broth/stock
1 medium potato, peeled & cut into cubes
1 large carrot, cut into irregular chunks
1 medium apple, peeled & grated
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp. tamari
salt (to taste)

For the katsu tofu:
1.8 lbs. (800g) firm tofu, drained, pressed
2.8 oz. (80g) all-purpose flour
5.6 oz. (160ml) almond milk, unsweetened
1.6 oz. (45g) panko bread crumbs (or home made breadcrumbs)
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
3 tbsp. sesame seeds
2 tbsp. olive oil
1.1 lbs. (500g) cooked white rice, for serving
salt (to taste)

What you need to do

For curry roux:
In a small saucepan, heat the olive oil over a medium heat. Gradually add the flour and whisk to combine. Continue cooking gently, whisking constantly for 1-2 minutes, until the flour becomes golden and fragrant. Stir in the spices and continue to cook gently, stirring constantly, until the spices become very fragrant, roughly 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove from the heat and set aside.

For the sauce:
Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a large skillet/grill pan/frying pan over a medium heat, add the mushrooms and cook for 4 minutes until golden. Season with salt, stir to combine and continue cooking for 3-4 minutes, then remove the mushrooms from the heat.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot over a medium heat. Add the onion, season with salt, and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions have softened slightly and are turning golden at edges. Now add the ginger and cook for a further minute, until fragrant.

Add the vegetable broth and a big pinch of salt, bring to a boil, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Reduce the heat to a simmer.

Transfer about ½ cup of the cooking liquid to a small bowl and whisk in about a quarter of the curry roux. Return this mixture to the pot and stir to combine. Repeat this process a further 3 times until all of the roux has been dissolved into the pot.

Now add the potato and simmer, partially covered, for 5 minutes. Add the carrots and half the grated apple and bring to a simmer and cook, partially covered, until the carrots and potatoes are just tender, around 8-10 minutes.

Stir in the cooked mushrooms, fresh tomatoes and remaining apple, then season the sauce to taste with tamari.

For tofu katsu:
Cut the tofu into 4 thinner rectangles. Season each slice on all sides with salt.

Add the flour to a shallow bowl, the almond milk to another bowl, and the panko breadcrumbs to a third. Whisk mustard into the bowl with milk, the sesame seeds into the bowl with breadcrumbs. Line a baking sheet or large flat plate with greaseproof paper (to hold the tofu before cooking).

Work with one piece of tofu at a time, dip it first into the flour mixture (covering completely), shaking off any excess flour. Next dip the tofu into to the milk mixture, then return it to the flour, before dipping back into the milk. Finally dip the tofu pieces into the breadcrumb mixture, pressing with your fingers to help the breadcrumbs adhere. Transfer the breaded tofu to the prepared baking sheet or plate with greaseproof paper, and then repeat this process with remaining pieces of tofu.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over a medium-high heat. Add the tofu to the hot oil and cook for 4-6 minutes until golden on the underside. Flip the tofu over and repeat on the second side. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and season with salt.

Slice the tofu and serve with cooked rice and curry sauce.

Nutritional Information (per serving)

kCal - 653 | Fats (g) - 23 | Carbohydrates (g) - 85 | Protein (g) - 33 | Fibre (g) - 12

Enjoy! If you love this, don't forget to try our other lovely vegan and vegetarian recipes for all seasons here!