- 1 onion, diced (approx. 2 cups)
- 1 tbsp oil
- 2 tbsp Garlic-Ginger Paste*
- 2 - 15 oz full-fat coconut milk
- 2 tbsp curry powder
- 1 tsp garam masala, or to taste
- 2 tsp tomato paste
- 1 to 2 tbsp maple syrup (or other sweetener)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sea salt, or to taste
Note: This makes a fair bit of sauce. You can easily half the recipe or you can freeze half of the sauce for another time.
To prepare the sauce, heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the oil, followed by the onions — as well as a good pinch of salt. Let the onions fry, stirring frequently, until they have a nice golden color, approximately 10 minutes or so.
Next, turn the heat down a bit and then add the Garlic-Ginger Paste and let cook for 30 seconds or so and then add the remaining ingredients. Whisk to combine the ingredients and let the sauce gently simmer for 15 minutes or so.
In the meantime, you can go ahead and prepare your vegetables.
Note: Typically many Katsu curry sauces are made with a thickener such as flour but we have used coconut milk here to naturally thicken the sauce — we also blend the sauce and the onions also act as a natural thickener. If the sauce seems a bit too thick or rich to you, you can easily add a bit of stock to thin it down. To blend the sauce, use a stick or hand blender (or a blender) and blend until smooth.
Lastly, taste the sauce for seasoning, adding a bit more garam masala, salt, soy, and/or maple syrup as desired.
- 1 1/2 cup large diced potatoes, such as Yukon or red potato
- 1 1/2 cup large diced carrots
- 1 cup large diced yam, sweet potato or taro root
- 1 cup fresh or frozen peas
- 1/2 cup water or stock
Once the sauce is ready, add the vegetables and let them simmer for 20 to 40 minutes. Ultimately, the time will depend on which vegetables used, how big they were cut, and the heat.
The vegetables are done when a knife goes in and out quite easily.
- fresh cilantro
To finish the dish, serve it with some Fragrant Coconut Rice and some Cucumber Sunomono (we like to use both cucumber and carrots for the pickled vegetables).
If desired, garnish the dish with a bit of fresh cilantro and serve with hot sauce on the side.
Another, great addition to this dish is the crispy-fried tofu from this Tofu Katsu Curry.