Food & Drink

28th April 2020

Wagamama To The Rescue | Katsu Curry Recipe

Since the UK government closed all restaurants last month, my Wagamama cravings had been going through the roof… until now! Executive Chef, Steve Mangleshot, has rid my withdrawal symptoms by releasing the famous katsu curry recipe on Instagram. Of course I didn’t hesitate in giving it a go!

The katsu curry was chosen for episode one of the British chain’s new Instagram series: ‘Wok from home’. This gives Wagamama fans a glimpse into Mangleshot’s home kitchen, where he has now cooked up 5 pan-Asian delights for viewers to re-create. I couldn’t believe how simple the recipe for the curry sauce was, which, for two people, is as follows:

Recipe

2–3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
2.5cm piece of ginger, peeled + grated
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 heaped tablespoons mild
curry powder
1 tablespoon plain flour
300ml chicken or veg stock
100ml coconut milk
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar, to taste

My Additions

In order to see how alike my version was to the real deal I didn’t want to mix any of the ingredients up too much. However, we had a lot of veg that needed eating and no breadcrumbs, so I swapped out the usual breaded chicken for roasted chunks of sweet potato, courgette and green pepper. I coated these in olive oil, salt and pepper, paprika and chilli flakes, gave it all a big shake, and popped them in the oven for 30 minutes. After turning half-way through, I cracked on with the sauce.

As suggested by the Executive Chef himself, I also added a few extra spices to my katsu so that my Dad’s crazily high tolerance for spice would be satisfied. Mangleshot called this…

“the beauty of the recipe”

Steve Mangleshot

in that you can make it your own.

Method

Before coming to uni and properly learning to cook for myself, I always assumed that curries would be complicated and long-winded to make. However they’re quite the opposite, and this recipe proves it!

When it comes to the katsu, Mangleshot starts by frying off the onion, ginger and garlic with the curry powder and turmeric over a medium heat. A tip from one amateur curry-maker to another at this stage would be to make sure you’re heavy-handed with the oil before beginning this, otherwise it will go all dry against the bottom of your pan. Trust me, the washing up arguments are not worth it!

Next up came the flour, the stock, the coconut milk, the soy sauce and the sugar. After a good ole’ simmer, Mangleshot passed the sauce through a sieve to give it its signature smooth consistency. And voila! You’ve got yourself a Wagamama katsu curry, without so much as an opening of the Deliveroo app.

A Replica or a Fake?

I couldn’t believe how incredibly alike my take on the katsu was to the Waga’s in-restaurant special! The 100ml quantity of coconut milk made it the perfect ratio of spicy to sweet, and the flour was in my opinion the secret weapon. It gave the sauce the signature gloopiness of a katsu curry, and I was wholeheartedly thrilled with my creation! As Mangleshot puts it, I was indeed in…

“katsu heaven”.

Steve Mangleshot

I think the release of such popular recipes has been a wonderful decision on the part of Wagamama, for both fans at home and for the business. It certainly added a bit of zing to my quarantine cooking, and I cannot wait to get back to their restaurants.

Whilst CEO Emma Woods wrote on the chain’s website that the company had put down their chopsticks, we are very much picking up ours!

To find out the best food and drinks that Liverpool has to offer, and tasty recipes, check out some of our other articles!

Featured Image Credit: Unsplash