From Chef/Co-owner Basil Yu, Yagi Noodles, Newport
This comforting dish is a perfect way to highlight emerging spring vegetables. Sticky rice (or any plain rice) and kohlrabi slaw make great accompaniments. We also make and sell a delicious chili crisp at Yagi Noodles, which is a perfect topping for all the spice lovers out there!

Curry Katsu Pork Cutlet and Japanese Curry with Spring Vegetables
From Chef/Co-owner Basil Yu, Yagi Noodles, Newport
Servings 4 servings
Ingredients
Curry Sauce:
- 8 tablespoons 1 stick unsalted butter
- 8 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons red curry paste
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt such as Diamond Crystal
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 12 radishes halved
- 4 spring carrots peeled, cut into 2-inch pieces (larger pieces halved)
- 1 pound asparagus woody ends trimmed, cut in 2- to 3-inch pieces
Katsu Pork Cutlet:
- 1 pound pork loin sliced in ½-inch-thick pieces
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt plus more for sprinkling
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- 1½ cups panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup neutral frying oil
- 4 cups warm cooked rice for serving* see Note
Kohlrabi slaw*
- 4 scallions sliced for garnish
- Cilantro leaves for garnish
- Yagi Chili Crisp for serving
Instructions
- Melt butter in a medium saucepot over medium heat. Slowly add in flour to make a roux, whisking constantly. Add red curry paste, curry powder, cumin, coriander, ground nutmeg, salt and brown sugar. Cook on low heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. After 10 minutes, add chicken broth and bring to a boil, whisking to break up the roux until smooth. Add radishes and carrots; lower heat and simmer 15 minutes. Add asparagus and cook 5 minutes more, until asparagus is just tender but still snappy. Turn off heat and keep warm.
- While the sauce is cooking, prepare the pork katsu. Lay cutlets between two sheets of wax paper or cling wrap and lightly pound to ¼-inch thickness with the bottom of a heavy pan. Mix flour and salt together in a shallow bowl. Place beaten eggs in a shallow bowl and panko in another shallow bowl. Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium-high heat until it shimmers.
- Dredge pork pieces in the flour to lightly coat, then dip in the egg mixture and finally the panko to coat evenly. Being careful not to crowd the pan, cook cutlets until golden brown, about 2–3 minutes each side. Remove to a paper-towel-lined dish and season with salt to taste. Cut into thin strips for serving.
- Divide rice evenly among 4 large shallow bowls and spoon curry vegetables over the rice. Divide pork and place on top. Garnish with kohlrabi slaw, sliced scallions, cilantro and chili crisp. Enjoy!
Notes
Get Chef Yu’s recipe for Sticky Rice (a delicious alternative to plain rice) and his crunchy Kohlrabi Slaw recipe.




