Crispy Chicken Katsu Curry with Pickled Cucumber

Ingredients

• 8 boneless, skin-on chicken thighs, flattened slightly
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 60g plain flour
• 120g panko breadcrumbs
• 4 tbsp vegetable oil
• 400ml chicken stock
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 3 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 20g fresh root ginger, finely grated
• 2 tbsp medium curry powder
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 200ml coconut milk
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp honey
• 20g unsalted butter
• 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 cucumber, halved lengthways, seeds scraped, thinly sliced
• ½ tsp dried chilli flakes
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 300g jasmine rice, cooked to packet instructions, to serve
• 3 spring onions, finely sliced, to serve
• small bunch of fresh coriander, leaves picked, to serve
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds, to serve

Method

1. Start with the pickle. Toss the sliced cucumber with the rice wine vinegar, caster sugar, chilli flakes and a pinch of salt, then set aside to slacken and pickle while you cook everything else — at least 20 minutes.
2. Cook the jasmine rice to packet instructions, then keep warm with the lid clamped on.
3. For the sauce, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 6–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft, translucent and just starting to take on colour at the edges.
4. Stir in the garlic, ginger, curry powder and turmeric and cook for 1 minute, until the kitchen smells unmistakably of curry. Scatter in the flour and stir for a further 30 seconds to cook out the raw taste.
5. Pour in the stock and coconut milk in a steady stream, whisking constantly to keep things smooth, then add the soy sauce and honey. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and leave a clean line when you draw a finger through it. Season to taste and keep warm over a low heat.
6. Set up a breading station with three shallow dishes: seasoned flour in the first, beaten egg in the second, panko in the third. Season the chicken thighs generously on both sides.
7. Working one at a time, coat each thigh in flour and shake off the excess, dip into the egg to coat, then press firmly into the panko so every surface is densely crusted.
8. Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat until it shimmers. Fry the chicken in batches for 5–6 minutes per side, until deeply golden, shatteringly crisp and cooked through with no pink remaining. Rest on a wire rack for 2 minutes so the crust stays crunchy.
9. Slice each thigh on the diagonal into thick pieces — you want to see the juicy interior against that craggy golden crust.
10. Spoon the rice into bowls, ladle over plenty of katsu sauce, then lay the sliced chicken on top. Drain the pickled cucumber and pile alongside. Scatter with spring onions, torn coriander and toasted sesame seeds, and serve immediately while the crust is still crackling.