Tonkatsu
posted on 5 Jan 2004 by maki ::
21 comments
tonkatsu, breaded deep fried pork cutlets
Tonkatsu is a typical Japanglish word - ton is pig or pork, and katsu derives from the word cutlet. Tonkatsu is one of the western-style Japanese dishes that can be classified as yohshoku. However, tonkatsu is so popular in Japan that there are even restaurants that only serve tonkatsu and similar items such as kushikatsu (bite-sized fried bits of pork and other things on a skewer).
One of the key ingredients for tonkatsu, or any breaded deep-fried item in Japanese cooking, is panko. In recent years panko has been adopted by the trendy world of cuisine, but it's not anything special - it's just dried bread crumbs. The thing that makes panko unique is that the flakes are bigger and crunchier than the kind sold by non-Japanese food manufacturers.
You can buy panko ready-made at Japanese food stores, or make your own. To make your own, take off the crusts of day-old good white bread. Flake the white part of the bread by hand, not the food processor, which would turn the bread into powder. Spread out the bread crumbs on baking sheets and dry in the oven at a very low temperature until the crumbs are thoroughly try - not colored, just crunchy. You can store this in tightly sealed plastic bags or containers for quite a long time.
Tonkatsu (deep fried pork cutlets)
For 2 cutlets
- 2 pork chops or cutlets, boned. You can use the chop part, or use the filet part, whichever you perfer
- 1 egg, beaten
- flour for dusting the cutlets
- panko or dried bread crumbs
- peanut oil for deep frying
- salt and pepper
Trim the cutlets if necessary to get rid of any excess fat. (Note, some tonkatsu afficionados leave the fat on, but I like to cut it off.) Make small cuts all the way around the cutlet. This prevents it from shrinking and curling up when cooked.
Heat the oil to medium heat, about 160°C.
Lightly season the cutlets with salt and pepper. Dust the cutlets in flour, then dip in the beaten egg, coating the surface thoroughtly. Finally roll in the breadcrumbs.
Deep fry the cutlets in the oil, turning a couple of times, until golden brown. You can tell if it's done by poking it. If it feels firm, it's done. If it yields to pressure, then it's not done yet.
Drain thoroughly. Cut with a sharp knife into slices while still hot. Arrange on a plate with finely shredded cabbage, and condiments to taste: lemon wedge, mustard (not the French kind, but the English kind - plain mustard powder that's been reconstituted with water), or steak sauce.
Don't miss any more recipes and articles! Subscribe to Just Hungry via your newsreader or by email (more about subscriptions).
And visit our new sister site Just Bento - all about bento!
And visit our new sister site Just Bento - all about bento!
21 comments so far...
Recently commented
- In Shojo Beat Magazine (6)
- Full Japanese Breakfast, slightly scaled down (6)
- Ask Maki anything, well almost anything (or just say hi) (151)
- What instead of the tomato? (18)
- A dozen Japanese herbs and vegetables to grow (19)
- Making Soy Milk (Milking the Soy Bean, Part 1) (38)
- Rice defines me as a Japanese person (34)
- Looking at rice (18)
- Inarizushi: sushi in a bean bag (9)
- Japanese grocery stores in the United States and territories (19)
Popular posts
- Mugicha (Barley tea) is the flavor of summer in Japan
- The essential Japanese ingredients
- Onigiri (rice balls)
- Onigiri 2.0 (an easier way for beginners)
- Looking at different types of rice
- Rhubarb crumble pie
- How to make fool-proof mayonnaise
- Tamagoyaki or Atsuyaki tamago (Japanese sweet omelette)
- How to make tofu
- How to prepare and cook Japanese rice and sushi rice
- The anatomy of a Japanese meal
- Okonomiyaki, Osaka style
- Japanese potato salad
- Fun with brioche
- A Food Lover's Way of Exploring Provence
Just Hungry is a site about food. There are 
Tonkatsu
Maki,
thanks for finally explaining to me what panko crumbs are! I kept reading about them in cookbooks and on the internet but had never managed to find out what makes them different since I’ve never seen them around here.
Tonkatsu
you’re very welcome Alberto. I have often chuckled at pretentious menus that talk about “panko” as though they were some magical ingredient :).
Tonkatsu
You forgot the “sauce.” The special sauce is what makes tonkatsu! Do you have a recipe for that if you can’t find it in the stores?
On the other hand, you should have gotten rid of the shredded cabbage. I don’t know where that came from—probably pre-/post-war poverty stricken Japan—but it adds nothing, and only makes you feel guilty for not eating it (why the huge pile?). Lose the cabbage and add a green salad. The shredded cabbage thing persists in cheap convenience store bento’s, as well as the “salads” you get with teishoku in cheap restaurants: they use just enough lettuce on top to cover up the cabbage that constitutes the bulk of the “salad.”
On the other hand, a lot of Japanese food is obviously derived from “peasant food,” dressed up in cultural pretense after Japan became more affluent. Sechi-ryori is pretty horrid: obviously just a conglomeration of whatever wouldn’t rot quickly without refrigeration.
I lived in Japan recently
I lived in Japan recently for 4 years and yes, they do still serve tonkatsu on shredded cabbage. In fact it’s a regular thing. Just look up hokka hokka tei’s online menu.
Tonkatsu
That looks so incredibly delicious, Maki. Is it possible to make it with … tofu? I don’t eat any meat, but the panko part just looks too good not to put on something!
Tonkatsu
Merlot, i am not sure i agree or disagree on the shredded cabbage. Yes it is a cheap plate filler. Then again I do find it rather refreshing to eat with a high-fat main item like tonkatsu, or gyoza. With a bit of the sauce, the cabbage is quite tasty if it’s been shredded fine. But when we have tonkatsu at home we do actually serve a regular mixed green salad with it. (often we use the sauce on the salad too.)
Which brings us to the sauce…well I haven’t really been successful at finding a good recipe for it. I’ve tried making it a couple of times…it’s difficult! If bottled tonkatsu sauce is not available I would substitute a “steak sauce” - I know that A-1 sauce in the US is a decent substitute. Worcestershire sauce, which is available everywhere, is okay at least for the flavor. Or, do as my mother does and use soy sauce instead.
Osechi is another subject entirely…i didn’t have time to write about that in much detail this New Year’s. Maybe next year :P
Tonkatsu
Jodi, you can use the panko coating for a lot of things. I’ve never tried it with tofu - if I am going to deep fry tofu, I prefer to do it another way (something else to write about, hehe) but I have used it for vegetables. A popular beer snack is preboiled potato pieces with the flour-egg-panko coating. Leek pieces are also good with this coating. The same coating is also used for korokke, Japanese-style croquettes.
Tonkatsu
Three tonkatsu sauce recipes from a Japanese sauce book I have:
(1) “Indian style”
——-1 t soy sauce
——-4 T tonkatsu sauce (A recursive recipe!)
——-3 T ketchup
(2) “For kids”
——-2 T sugar
——-2 T soy sauce
——-2 T Worcestershire sauce
——-2 T ketchup
(3) “Miso tonkatsu sauce”
——-1-1/2 T dashi soup
——-4-1/2 T sugar
——-1 T soy sauce
——-3 T Miso
——-2 t “tokigarashi”
These all sound pretty gross. I wonder, is it really that hard to make real tonkatsu sauce from scratch??
Tonkatsu
I guess tonkatsu sauce is sort of similar to a barbeque sauce in flavors…
It sort of reminds me of a scene in an old movie that was playing a lot over the holidays, Meet Me In St. Louis. They were making a huge pot of ketchup, and everyone in the family kept tasting it and adding stuff to it.. hehe.
Tonkatsu
My mom taught me to make a really simple tonkatsu sauce…ketchup and worchestershire sauce. I don’t know the amounts, I just mix the two together to taste. It doesn’t sound good, or even authentic, but it’s just the same as you would get with your tonkatsu in a japanese restaurant.
Tonkatsu
Great to know how to home-make panko — sounds much cheaper than buying it in a box! Can’t do without the stuff; it’s a vital ingredient for our spring parties at the beach in Hood Canal, because nobody can do without our signature super-fresh oysters fried in panko right on the beach (no need for anything but oysters and panko — just mostly dry off the oyster with a paper towel, bread it, and toss it in the oil) are perfection. Now that I can make it, I’ll have to bring the panko this year!
Tonkatsu
Hi Maki,
Just wanted to thank you for your post on making Panko. It’s hard to believe it could be so simple, considering that in my grocery store I pay $1.99 for a 3 1/2 ounce box of the stuff. I have been looking for a recipe to no avail until I finally found yours. I will make some tomorrow, after I have properly “aged” a loaf of good white bread. Hope it works out. I love the stuff, but resent the priciness of it. Best to you and yours!
Lorna
Tonkatsu
Just for any of you who might check back, including you, Maki… I kept on with my search and found a recipe for Tonkatsu Sauce on another site. It sounds about right, so I pass it on for any and all to try with their pork.
Mix 1/2 cup Worchestershire sauce, 1/4 cup ketchup, 2 tablespoons soy sauce and some black pepper.
Actually sounds pretty good to me, and I intend to make it myself this weekend.
Lorna
Tonkatsu
maki - i only found your blog recently; congratulations, it is really good & v informative. i have recently blogged tonkatsu and referenced your site … if you have any ideas on why the combinations of pork / cabbage etc. are so successful i’d love to hear them, cheers, steve
Tonkatsu
Where is the recipe for making tonkatsu sauce with applesauce, Worcestershire sauce, etc? Candy
Tonkatsu
One of those things I guess wehre everyone thinks you know how to make tonkatsu sauce, like mayonnaise LOL, so happy I found you here, thanks
Tonkatsu
Maki:
I just wanted to say thanks for your write-up on tonkatsu. I’m giving your recipe a shot tonight for my first time making it. I’ll let you know how it turned out :)
Tonkatsu and sauce
I just made tonkatsu the other day for the first time in awhile. I had read a recipe (on Bento.com, I think) that suggested you place breaded katsu in freezer for 20 minutes before frying to ensure crispy tonkatsu. I loved how it came out.
I find the “Bulldog” brand of Tonkatsu sauce indispensable for this dish and the must-have accompaniments of my childhood include cabbage, tomato and of course rice. You can find Tonkatsu sauce at most Asian grocers. I’ve heard a ketchup/A.!. Steak sauce mix is a good substitute.
Thanks!
Jacqueline Church
AKA The Leather District Gourmet
Panko
I love using Panko, but you mention in the recipe how to make it at home you should not use a food processor and shred it by hand instead.
Well, we make breadcrumbs at home, often, and I find if you put very fresh bread into a food processor and then use a lower setting the crumbs come out more like the panko you can buy. The drier the bread (for example, if you toast it in the oven first) the finer the crumb at the end.
So, really, you can get a panko-like texture using a food processor.
I’ll have to give that a
I’ll have to give that a try. Thanks Erica!
Chicken katsu
Quite popular in Hawaii is the substitution of chicken for pork for those not wanting to eat red meat. Also yes, the tonkatsu sauce is quite important. A mixture of worchestershire sauce and catsup usually is pretty good and is most often used for the chicken katsu version. For pork, authentic tonkatsu sauce is best.
Post new comment