Tonkatsu (Japanese Pork Cutlet) Recipe

Tonkatsu is made by coating thick slices of pork with flour, egg, and panko (breadcrumbs), then deep-frying them until crispy and golden. It's typically served with a rich sauce called “Tonkatsu sauce”.

Cooking time

25min

Calories

770kcal

Sodium

1303mg

Nutrition facts are for one serving.

Ingredients(Servings: 2)

Directions

1

Make the tonkatsu sauce. Place the ingredients of (A) in a fry pan and heat over medium. Stir continuously, and once hte mixture starts gently bubbling, turn off the heat.
2

Soak the cabbage in water to make it crisp, then drain well. For the pork, score the connective tissue and then pound the pork lightly with the back of the knife. Season with salt and pepper.
3

In a bowl, beat the egg with water. Coat the pork with flour, dip it in the egg mixture, then coat with panko. Let it rest for about 10 minutes so the coating sets.
4

Heat the oil (for deep frying) to medium (170°C / 338°F) and fry the pork for 3 minutes. Flip each piece over and fry for another 2 minutes. Cut into bite-sized pieces, serve on a plate with the cabbage, and drizzle with Tonkatsu sauce. If desired, serve with mustard on the side. Enjoy!

Cooking Basics

Cabbage - julienned

Separate the leaves and remove the core. Cut the leaves in half lengthwise to make it easier to julienne, then stack, roll up, and slice very thinly from end to end.

Pork loin - removing sinew / silver skin

There is a tough connective tissue (sinew also called silver skin) between the fat and pink meat of the loin. This portion will not melt away (as fat does) but rather will harden and twist when cooked. Making several cuts into the sinew with the tip of a knife will prevent this and also improve the texture of the meat.

To support your cooking

Recipe Yuko Ihara
Styling Akiko Yoshioka
Photo Taku Kimura
Production Rie Okamura

Washoku Lesson

Tonkatsu (Japanese Pork Cutlet)

The breading is crunchy and flaky! When you take a bite, you’ll be surprised by how tender and juicy the thick pork is, allowing you to enjoy its rich flavor fully. Tonkatsu is typically served with a thick, flavorful sauce known simply as “Tonkatsu sauce”— we’ve included a simple recipe for that as well!