Japanese "tonkatsu" deep fried pork cutlet is an absolute classic and I think nearly every Japanese mum knows how to cook this dish. I will show you how to make the crispiest, most delicious tonkatsu that can be served on it's own with rice, salad and miso soup (teishoku style) or as part of another dish!
Tonkatsu
What is Tonkatsu?
Tonkatsu is the Japanese name for deep fried pork cutlet. Pork chops are coated in crispy panko breadcrumbs, it is pretty similar to German Wiener Schnitzel.
There are different variations of "katsu"
- Tonkatsu（とんかつ）: Pork Cutlet
- Chikinkatsu（チキンかつ）: Chicken Cutlet
- Gyuukatsu（牛かつ）: Beef Cutlet
A Brief History of Tonkatsu
The name "Tonkatsu" (とんかつ) is a combination of the words "ton" (meaning 'pork' in Japanese) and the French word "côtelettes" which means cutlet or meat chop.
The dish was first seen in 1899. The history of the dish is still not very clear but as the name suggests, it was probably inspired by French cuisine. It was also originally made with beef, but these days pork is the most common.
Now we eat katsu at home or at restaurants, diners, etc. It has become one of the most loved dishes in Japan, and I bet you will love it too.
Katsu Recipes
If you love katsu, you can also check out our other recipes that use katsu!
- Chicken Katsu Kare（チキンカツカレー）Chicken cutlet with curry and rice
- Katsu Don（かつ丼）Cutlet with egg rice bowl
- Katsu Sando（カツサンド）: Pork Cutlet Sandwich
FAQ
There is only one letter difference, but they are completely different things.
Tonkatsu = Deep fried pork cutlet
Tonkotsu = Broth made from pork bones (Typically used for ramen soup)
Tonkatsu only refers to the deep fried pork cutlet itself, however, katsudon is the deep fried pork cutlet rice served in a bowl of rice and then topped with egg. You can see how to make katsudon here.
In my recipe I use Worcestershire sauce, tomato ketchup, soy sauce, sugar
and white sesame seeds.
The name comes from the French word "côtelettes" which means cutlet.
It is mostly served as Teishoku style (Bowl of rice, miso soup, shredded cabbages, pickles) or as donburi (Katsudon). You can also serve it on top of Japanese curry which becomes "katsu curry".
In Japanese, it's called "とんかつソース" or "Tonkatsu sauce", the same as English!
Chicken katsu is prepared similarly to tonkatsu, it's simply chicken coated in panko breadcrumbs and deep fried. Chicken thigh is most commonly used for chicken katsu, but I actually have a chicken breast katsu recipe on my website here.
Check out our video for How to Make Tonkatsu with Homemade Sauce!
Print
Crispy Japanese Pork Tonkatsu (とんかつ）
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 Servings 1x
Description
Delicious pork chop coated in Japanese panko breadcrumbs and deep fried to crispy perfection! This recipe includes how to make a delicious homemade tonkatsu sauce. Serve with shredded cabbage, rice and miso soup for the ultimate Japanese set meal.
Ingredients
Katsu
- 2 Pork Chops
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- Vegetable oil (amount needed to shallow or deep fry)
- Flour for coating pork
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 tbsp Milk
- 100g (1 cup) Panko breadcrumbs
Tonkatsu Sauce
- 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tbsp tomato ketchup
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- A pinch of sugar
- 1 Tbsp white sesame seeds
Serving Up
- ¼ a green cabbage (200g)
- 2 slices of lemon (to garnish)
Instructions
Tonkatsu Sauce
- Start with the sauce, mix 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tbsp tomato ketchup, 1 tbsp soy sauce, a pinch of sugar and 1 tbsp of white sesame seeds in a small bowl. Put to one side whilst preparing the rest of the dish.
Tonkatsu
- Start by heating your oil. You can use a deep pan or fryer, (you can also shallow fry if you prefer) and heat the oil to 170°C (340°F).
- Rub a pinch of salt and pepper onto both sides of the meat.
- Pound the pork chops to tenderize the meat, they should be about 2cm thick.
- In a bowl, whisk the egg and 1 tbsp of milk.
- Prepare two plates, one with flour and one with the panko breadcrumbs.
- First coat the meat with flour on both sides.
- Dip them into the egg/milk mix.
- Next press it into the panko, make sure it’s fully covered.
- Carefully place the coated pork chops into the oil and cook for about 4 minutes on each side (8 minutes total) or until golden brown. When the oil stops making a crackling sound, that usually means they’re ready.
- Place the katsu on a wire rack to let the excess oil drain off.
- Cut into strips so that it can easily be lifted with chopsticks.
- Plate up next to the shredded cabbage, drizzle the sauce (or serve on the side) and garnish with lemon.
- Serve with a portion of rice and miso soup for the perfect teishoku set.
Notes
You can drop a piece of panko into the oil before cooking, if it sizzles then it means your oil is hot enough to cook with.
Try not to touch or move the tonkatsu during the first minute of frying otherwise the breadcrumbs may start to fall off.
You can also try this recipe with beef or chicken!
- Category: Pork
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Japanese
Keywords: Katsu,Pork,Pork kastu,Pork Cutlet,Japanese Cooking,Japanese Katsu,Katsu recipe,Tonkatsu,cutlet,tonkatsu sauce,tonkatsu recipe, How to make Japanese tonkatsu, katsu recipe, katsu for katsu curry, tonkatsu from scratch, how to make tonkatsu sauce
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