Crispy Chicken Katsu Curry Bowl

• 50 g dry White rice (¼ cup dry)
• 100 g Water (½ cup)
• 170 g raw Chicken breast (6.0 oz raw)
• 1 g Salt (⅛ tsp)
• 0.3 g Black pepper (⅛ tsp)
• 10 g All-purpose flour (1¼ tbsp)
• 40 g raw (1 large egg) Egg
• 25 g Dry breadcrumbs (panko if you have it) (0.9 oz)
• 5 g Olive oil (1 tsp)
• 5 g Curry powder (2½ tsp)
• 50 g Coconut milk (3⅓ tbsp)
• 50 g Tomato sauce (1.8 oz)

You'll need: Small saucepan with a lid, Sieve, Baking sheet, Parchment paper, 3 shallow dishes, Rolling pin or small pan, Plastic wrap, Small saucepan or frying pan, Cutting board and knife.

Method

1. Cook the rice

   Rinse the rice in the sieve until the water runs almost clear. Put it in the saucepan with the water and bring to a boil. Cover, turn the heat to low and cook for 12 minutes, then leave the lid on off the heat for 5 more minutes.

   Keep the lid on the whole time. The trapped steam finishes the rice.

2. Flatten and crumb the chicken

   Heat the oven to 220°C (425°F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cover the chicken with plastic wrap and pound it to an even 1.5 cm (½ inch). Season it with half the salt and the pepper. Put the flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs in three dishes. Coat the chicken in the flour, then the egg, then the breadcrumbs, and lay it on the sheet. Drizzle the oil over the top.

   Press the breadcrumbs on firmly with your palm. Loose crumbs fall off in the oven.

3. Bake the katsu

   Bake the chicken for 16–18 minutes, turning it once halfway, until the crust is deep golden and the middle reads 74°C (165°F). Rest it for 3 minutes, then slice it into strips.

   Rest it before slicing. Cut straight away, the juices run out and the crust goes soft.

4. Simmer the curry sauce

   While the chicken bakes, stir the curry powder in a small pan over low heat for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the coconut milk, tomato sauce and the rest of the salt. Simmer for 4–5 minutes, stirring, until it coats the back of a spoon.

   Toasting the curry powder in the dry pan first takes the raw edge off the spices.

5. Plate the katsu curry

   Spoon the rice into a bowl, fan the sliced katsu over one side and pour the curry sauce next to it, not over it.

   Keep the sauce off the crust. It stays crisp for the whole meal that way.

Swaps

• Chicken breast → Pork tenderloin cutletsSlightly richer. Pound them thin and bake to 63°C (145°F).
• White rice → Brown riceMore fiber and a nuttier taste. Cook it with twice its weight in water for 25 minutes.