YO! Aromatic Katsu Curry Sauce - 100g - 12 Pouches

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If sharing the recipe of one of their most popular dishes isn't generous enough, Wagamama has only gone and sweated the small stuff and let us in on the secret to that salad dressing, too. You know the one: that perfectly acidic, salty, sweet-tasting dressing that you just cannot get enough of. If you buy another brand like Cauldron, you will need to press it beforehand. There's a handy guide here from the BBC about how to do that. In recent years katsu curry has gained popularity outside of Japan and is enjoyed in western countries like the US, Australia and UK where it is one of the most popular dishes in the British Asian restaurant Wagamama. Rapeseed or sunflower oil for shallow frying These oils are good for shallow (or deep) frying as they are stable at high temperatures, and are also pretty flavourless. Curry powderKatsu is traditionally quite a mild curry sauce, but it is up to you whether you add mild, medium or hot curry powder. I tend to use medium as I like a bit of heat, or else I use garam masala instead with no heat at all if I'm making this for the kids.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan or frying pan and sweat the diced onions until they are cooked through. You're looking for extra-firm tofu which is usually found in the chiller cabinets at supermarkets, (tofu which is sold not chilled is usually silken tofu, which won't work here). Extra-firm smoked tofu Getting the right kind of tofu is really important to the success of this katsu curry. And there are so many different types of tofu out there with not-very-helpful labelling, it can be a bit of a minefield! Tongs A good pair of tongs are very useful for getting the tofu in and out of the hot oil... please be careful! I like these from OXO. Lime, spring onions, fresh coriander, sesame seeds You can garnish your katsu curry however you like. For me, spring onions and lime are a must and the others are nice if I have them handy, but it is entirely up to you! EquipmentPour enough oil into a large saucepan or high-sided frying pan to come to a depth of 2cm. Heat over a medium-high heat to 170ºC (or until a few breadcrumbs dropped in start to sizzle in a few seconds). Line a large baking tray with kitchen paper. Using a slotted spoon, carefully lower ½ the crumbed mushrooms into the hot oil and fry for about 3 minutes, turning halfway, until tender, crisp and deep golden. Once ready, transfer to the kitchen paper-lined tray with the slotted spoon. Repeat the process with the remaining mushrooms. In Japan katsu curry sauce is commonly made with instant curry roux which contains curry powder, oil and other seasonings. It's likely you'll need to venture into an Asian grocery sauce to buy curry roux outside of Japan, but fortunately, a tasty katsu sauce can be made without curry roux and this tasty recipe will show you how. Kitchen thermometer This really takes a lot of the fear out of shallow-frying for me, (see below!). I have a thermometer from Thermapen ( which was a gift - see sponsored recipe here) which I really love, but any kitchen thermometer will be fine. This allows you to get the oil up to the correct temperature for frying, then monitor it as you cook in case it rises or drops.

There are lots of vegetarian alternatives to katsu curry. These are often made with breaded tofu, but can also be made with Quorn, sweet potato, aubergine/eggplant or pumpkin. Other curry options Use just 1-2cm oil, and make sure it comes no more than half way up the sides of the pan, so there is room for it to bubble up the sides.

BBQ yakitori chicken

Salad: Salads are cool and fresh and complement the rich umami flavour of the curry sauce. I often serve katsu curry with my mooli salad or a simple green salad with wafu dressing. Turmeric gives the sauce its deep yellow colour, but beware it does stain anything it touches, so be careful once you've added it to the sauce! Use a curry powder to suit your taste - use mild, medium or hot curry powder depending on how hot you want your sauce. If you want to prep ahead, make the sauce, cool to room temp and store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to two days. When ready to serve, reheat the sauce in a pan over a low heat, whisking in a few drops of water to loosen any lumps if necessary.

Panko breadcrumbs Whilst I often make my own breadcrumbs, saving crusts of bread in the freezer then popping them all into the food processor whenever I have it out, for this recipe I really do recommend getting hold of some proper panko breadcrumbs if you can. Use long-handled tongs or a large slotted spoon to get your tofu in and out of the oil, and allows excess oil to drain.I am! Anything involving a pan of hot oil gives me the heebie-jeebies, but it doesn't need to be scary. Here are a few top tips: The beauty of this recipe is that it is actually two different recipes that can be used independently. This curry sauce is just like the kind that goes with fish and chips, so if you want the perfect homemade fish and chip curry sauce, try the recipe below. Lidded frying pan A good quality frying pan that is fairly deep is important for shallow frying. Always make sure you have a tight-fitting lid close by, so if your oil was to start smoking or a fire started, you could immediately remove it from the heat and put the lid on. I like this lidded sauté pan from Circulon. Keep a close-fitting lid close by, in case the oil should catch fire. If you don't have a lid, a baking tray would do. Garlicand ginger Depending on what you have to hand and how much time you have available, you can use fresh garlic and ginger, or ready-chopped from a jar or tube - the choice is yours.