大象传媒

Theo says: "This dish is the ultimate comfort food - it feels like a proper treat but actually doesn't take too long to cook, and it doesn't contain any processed food which means it's nutritious and completely adaptable depending on your preference and what you have in the kitchen."

Ingredients (Serves 4):

Chicken Escalope

• 2 chicken breasts; sliced through the middle
• 60g plain flour
• 2 eggs
• 150g breadcrumbs
• 120ml vegetable oil

Katsu Sauce

• 1 onion finely diced
• 1x 300g tin carrot
• 1 clove garlic crushed
• 1 inch ginger grated
• 1 heaped tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp light soy
• 200ml light coconut milk (or use a splash of milk)
• 400ml chicken stock (use stock cube + water)
• 1 tbsp flour
• 15 ml olive oil

• 400g rice

Optional Extras:

• Lime wedges, to serve
• Coriander, to serve
• Pickled cucumber ribbons, to serve

Method:

Chicken Escalope

1. Place 3 bowls in a line; one with flour, whisked eggs and breadcrumbs.
2. Place half the chicken breast between two sheets of cling film and bash with a rolling pin (or base of a saucepan) until chicken is about 1/4 inch thick (give or take).
3. Continue until all four portions are done; it doesn't matter if they look a little scraggy!
4. Take the first breast and dust it in the bowl with flour, then dip into the eggs, shake off the excess egg wash and finally pat it down in the breadcrumbs; place on a plate.
5. Continue with the rest of the breasts.
6. Shallow fry the breaded chicken breasts in vegetable oil for about 4 minutes each side or until cooked through and golden.
7. Repeat with the rest (you can place them in a warm oven to keep warm).

Katsu Sauce

1. Fry the onions for a couple of minutes to soften, then add the carrots, garlic, ginger and spices.
2. Stir together, then add the flour followed by the chicken stock, soy, honey and coconut milk if using (or cheat with a splash of regular milk).
3. Leave to simmer, stirring as you do until thickened, only takes a couple of minutes.
4. Remove from the heat once bubbling and consistency is as you like.
5. Optional - use a hand blender to blitz till smooth (or mash with a potato masher to get it as fine as possible).

Rice

1. Add 1 cup basmati rice and just under double the amount of water (that’s always a good ratio to follow).
2. Add water and rice to a pan, bring to the boil, cover, and then reduce heat to a very gentle simmer for 12 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat, remove lid and leave to rest to release the steam.
4. Never fluff rice with a spoon – it’ll clog, use a fork and serve!
5. And you end up with the perfect end result - place it in a bowl and tip it onto the plate to provide that extra wow factor - then serve!

Theo's Top Tips:

• We use canned carrots to help speed up the process and make it easier to reach a smooth consistency.
• You can also cheat and keep the cost lower by swapping the coconut milk with regular cow’s milk (just to make it a little creamier).
• Cook rice from scratch or use microwave packet - whatever is easiest.