Healthy Katsu Curry 🍛
Yes it is healthy! Just because you are wanting to eat healthy, doesn't mean you have to just have salads all the time - unless of course you love to do that.
The reason this food is often unhealthy is the way the chicken is fried in a lot of oil.
One of the secrets to frying food in a healthy way is to use less oil and to use a healthy oil. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) has a lot of evidence behind it showing it to be an excellent choice for health. Therefore, I use it most of the time in cooking. The only time I would use a different oil is if I don't want the flavour of the EVOO. In that case, I would choose a low flavoured oil like grapeseed oil, which also has the high smoke point you need when cooking with oils to reduce the carcinogenic reactions that occur when oils start to burn.
So back to frying with less oil. I find the best way to use less oil is to use an oil sprayer. You will see me using this in the video. It is very convenient and easy to use. I found mine at the supermarket.
Another think I do with this recipe is to make it all about the veggies (well, really it's all about the Katsu sauce, but lets not go there). Because of the excellent flavours of the sauce, you can easily add plenty of vegetables to be covered with lovely Katsu curry flavour. This is great for those who don't like plain vegetables. I know my son would prefer the vegetables to remain seperate so he can enjoy the chicken and rice with the curry without the interference of vegetables. Well each to their own. Do what works best for your crew. Just remember to add plenty of veggies 🥕 🥦 either in the sauce or on the side.
The other thing to mention is to use basmati rice either white or brown. Brown is higher in fibre, but both are lower GI than your typical white rice. Lower GI food just takes longer to be absorbed and so it means you will stay satisfied for longer and you shouldn't get the big energy drop after a meal.
The final tip is about the sauce. Just note that it does take a bit of time for the sauce to simmer. But if you do the full batch, you can save some for the next 3 times you make this dish, saving you time in the long run.
If you have any feedback on this recipe, please leave a comment. Otherwise, I hope you really enjoy it!