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–+ servings

Gyukatsu (Japanese Beef Steak Cutlet)

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Resting time30 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Author Yuto Omura
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients  

For the gyukatsu

  • 350 g beef steak 2 cm thick, such as sirloin, tenderloin, or rump
  • 2 tbsp kiwi grated/blitzed, or use grated onion
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 pinch ground black pepper
  • 4 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch or potato/tapioca starch
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 100 g panko breadcrumbs fine crumbs
  • cooking oil for deep frying any neutral high-heat oil

For the dashi-soy dip

To serve

Instructions 

  • Spread 2 tbsp kiwi over 350 g beef steak surface in a thin, even film. Wrap it or seal it in a bag and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour, and stop early if the surface turns swollen or slippery. Wagyu can skip this and go straight to salting.
    beef steak coated with kiwi and wrapped in plastic in a steel container
  • Scrape the kiwi paste off and rinse the beef under cold running water until the kiwi is completely washed away. Blot every side dry until the surface feels only just damp.
    washed beef steak after marinating
  • Season both sides evenly with ¼ tsp salt (in total) and 1 pinch ground black pepper. Then leave the beef at room temperature, 15 to 20 minutes.
    beef steak seasoned with salt and pepper in a steel container
  • While the beef rests, make the dip. Dissolve ⅛ tsp dashi granules in 3 tbsp hot water. Warm it with 1 tsp mirin and let it bubble briefly, then stir in 1 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu) and take it off the heat. Heat cooking oil for deep frying to 170 °C (338 °F) to 180 °C (356 °F).
    gyukatsu sauce in a small saucepan on the stove top
  • While the oil heats, whisk 1 egg white with 1 tbsp cornstarch and 1 pinch salt. Dust the beef all over with 4 tbsp all-purpose flour and tap off the excess.
    beef steaks dusted with flour on steel trays
  • Dip the beef through the egg white and let the excess drip off, then press it firmly into 100 g panko breadcrumbs, coating every face and side.
    breaded beef steaks ready for frying (gyukatsu)
  • Slide the beef into the oil and leave it still for the first minute, then flip it once. Bring the center to 54 °C (129 °F) to 60 °C (140 °F), about 1.5 minutes per side, and lift it out the moment it reaches temperature.
    gyukatsu frying in oil in a Japanese tempura pot with thermometer
  • Set the beef on a wire rack and rest it for 4 to 5 minutes.
    Freshly deep fried gyukatsu (Japanese beef cutlet) on a wire rack
  • Cut it against the grain into strips about 1.5 cm wide, letting the knife pass through the panko first in a gentle sawing motion. Fan the slices rosy-side up with a pile of shredded cabbage. Set the dip alongside and dab wasabi paste onto each slice just before eating. Enjoy!
    Gyukatsu (Japanese beef cutlet) cooked rare and served on a wire rack with shredded cabbage and wasabi

Notes

Do not over-soften the beef with kiwi: The enzyme keeps working the whole time it sits. Stop too soon and it stays tough to chew. Go past an hour and the surface turns to ragged mush that frying cannot fix. Check it on the early side.
Let the beef lose its chill before frying: The fry lasts barely a minute or 2, too short to warm a fridge-cold center, and a cold steak lands raw inside. The 15 to 20 minutes at room temperature is what brings the center up to a warm medium-rare.
Pull it early and trust the rest: The whole fry is over in about 1 1/2 minute a side, and the real risk is waiting for more color and cooking the pink out. Let 4 to 5 minutes of carryover heat bring the center up the last few degrees.