Love U Katsu

For the katsu curry sauce:

Ingredients

• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1 medium carrot
• Vegetable oil for frying
• 1 medium onion
• ½ green apple
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 2 tsp white miso paste

Method

1. Peel and finely chop the onion. 

2. Peel and crush the garlic. 

3. Peel or scrub and slice the carrot. Slice the apple. 

4. Heat a little vegetable oil in a saucepan that has a lid. 

5. Fry the onion until soft, then add the garlic, ginger, carrot, apple, curry powder and garam masala. 

6. Stir well and cook on a low heat for 2-3 minutes. 

7. Mix the miso paste into 1 cup /240ml water and stir into the mixture. 

8. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 10-15 minutes until the carrot pieces are soft.

9. Allow to cool a little before transferring to a food processor or a goblet liquidiser.

10. Liquidise until very smooth, adding more water as necessary to achieve a thick, pourable consistency. 

11. Reheat to serve.

For the sweet potato hearts:

Ingredients

• Aquafaba from 1 400g / 14oz tin chickpeas
• 1 medium sweet potato
• 100g / 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 6 tbsp plain white / all-purpose flour
• Vegetable oil for frying

Method

1. Put the aquafaba into a small saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, to reduce – this makes it thicker and stickier! Allow to cool before use.

2. Peel the sweet potato and trim the ends. 

3. Cut into 1/2cm (1/4 inch) thick slices. Use a heart-shaped cutter or a small sharp knife to trim each slice into a heart shape. 

4. Put the breadcrumbs onto a plate, season with salt and pepper and mix well. 

5. Put the reduced aquafaba onto another plate. 

6. Spread the flour onto another plate. Dip a sweet potato heart into the flour, make sure it is well covered, shake off any excess. Next, dip it into the aquafaba, and finally dip into the breadcrumbs. 

7. Shallow fry the hearts on a low heat so that they have time to cook through before they get too brown. 

8. These can be reheated on a baking tray in the oven when required.

For the stir-fry:

Ingredients

• 1 400g/14oz tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed (you need the aquafaba for the sweet potato hearts)
• 1 red chilli 
• Vegetable oil for frying
• A mixture of red peppers, mange-tout, spring onions and carrots, chopped into matchsticks – you need a generous handful per person
• 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• Juice and zest of ½ lime

Method

1. Slice the red chilli finely – you can discard the seeds or keep them in the dish, if you use them the stir-fry will be hotter. 

2. Heat the vegetable oil in a wok and stir fry the chilli and chickpeas for a minute or two. 

3. Add the remaining vegetables and stir-fry for a further minute or two. 

4. Dress with sesame oil, lime juice and lime zest and serve immediately.

Serve the stir-fry at the side of each plate with a pool of katsu curry sauce, white rice and the sweet potato hearts.