Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Tonkatsu

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). Tonkatsu - ton is pig or pork, and katsu derives from the word cutlet. While Tonkatsu is typically served with a sweet brown sauce, we like ours drizzle with mayo.

Since Tonkatsu is a simple dish that requires very few ingredients, the quality of the ingredients are important. In this case it’s crucial that you use a good piece of pork, otherwise you may end up with a tough leathery meat. I like using  boneless center-cut pork chop. Another key ingredient for tonkatsu is panko. You can buy panko at the Asian store of any supermarket. Just look at the international section.




Ingredients:

4  pork chops (about 3/4" thick)
some flour for dredging
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg beaten
1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
oil for frying

1. Remove the fats from the meat. Using a mallet or rolling pin, give the meat a few bashes to tenderized and flatten out the meat. Salt and pepper both sides of each cutlet then dredge them in flour, making sure to get an even coat on the sides. Shake off excess flour.
2. Get two shallow bowls and beat an egg in one, and add the panko to the other. Heat up the oil into a heavy bottomed pot and heat over medium heat.
3. Coat a cutlet in egg then transfer to the bowl with the panko. Shake the bowl to evenly coat the cutlet, and then press on the cutlet to get a nice thick coating of panko. Flip and press on the other side then repeat with the rest of the cutlets
4. Once the oil is hot, gently lower the cutlets into the oil, once the cutlets are golden brown on one side, carefully flip them over and brown the other side. Continue cooking until the golden brown and the meat is done. Transfer to a paper towel lined wire rack and let it rest of about 5 minutes before cutting into it.
5. Serve it with your favorite salad.

16 comments:

Aunty Liew said...

Emm...sure very crispy one! Your Tonkatsu make me soooo hungry!

Sonia ~ Nasi Lemak Lover said...

this dish also well received by my family members.

WendyinKK said...

I'd love to eat this on its own, but with just mayo and rice, it's too dry for me.
Hahaha, not that I like mine drenched with gravy, but I do like some flavour with my meals.

Little Inbox said...

Unlike Wendy, I like to serve it dry with rice. Hehe...Different people different taste buds. :)

ann low said...

I love Tonkatsu, this is definitely a delicious one dish meal.

ijayuji said...

Hi gert! my version dah tentu chicken or slice beef :D my kids all time fev, chicken katsu with tartar sauce or tonkatsu sauce with mayo!! hmmmmm...love it!

Sarah said...

A family favorite when we eat Japanese. Did you also make some miso soup to go with the dish?

My Little Space said...

My kids will definitely super love this especially with mayo. But with chicken! Hubby & kids don't take red meats, and I'll have anything except beef! Yes, I'm living with some extreme picky eaters here. See, how challenging my life is! ^_^ Hope you're having a wonderful day.
Kristy

Anonymous said...

Hi, mayo seem a little different from the regular tonkatsu sauce of catup worcestershire sauce sugar and soy sauce recipe. In Hawaii spam is use for a poor man katsu also. I use pound flat chicken breast for chicken katsu.

Lynn

Krista said...

Panko is Magical!! It's so much better than regular bread crumbs.

mycookinghut said...

I love tonkatsu! Love to make it from time to time at home... soo good with rice!

MaryMoh said...

This looks very delicious to me. My children would love this. Looks so simple and easy to make. I would love to try.

Charmaine said...

We all love tonkatsu in my family. Yours look crunchy and delicious!

ICook4Fun said...

Hellowaikitt, thanks for stopping by.

Sonia, normally kids like this type of food :)

Wendy, we had this with some other dishes too so it is not the tonkatsu alone.

Little Inbox, I actually like mine dry too as this way I can enjoy the crunch :)

Anncoo, yea it is.

Ijayuji, I pun suka buat dengan ayam jugak and Carlos actually prefers that.

Sarah, not the soup as my husband is not a fan of tofu :)

Kristy, yea some kids can be very picky when comes to their food. What to do, you have to cook what they like to eat :)

ICook4Fun said...

Lynn, yes they normally serve this with some brown sauce but me being lazy just have it with mayo.

Krista, yes I prefer panko than the regular breadcrumbs.

Leemei, me too :)

MaryMoh, thank you.

Charmaine, we love it too :)

Bakericious said...

this is one of my favourite dish for Japanese food, a must to order.