Tonkatsu
A thick pork cutlet in flour, egg and coarse panko, deep-fried until crisp, sliced, and served with shredded cabbage and a thick, fruity sauce.
What makes it tonkatsu
- A thick cut of loin or fillet, not beaten thin.
- Coarse panko, fried until deep gold.
- Finely shredded raw cabbage and tonkatsu sauce alongside.
Where it comes from
Tonkatsu is yōshoku — Western food, as Japan cooked it after opening up in the Meiji era. It began as a version of the European cutlet, pan-fried in butter; Tokyo restaurants made it thicker and deep-fried, and served it already sliced so it could be eaten with chopsticks.
Katsu sounds like the word for winning, so students eat it — often as katsudon — the night before an exam.
How it varies
- Rōsu katsu
- Loin, with its rim of fat.
- Hire katsu
- Fillet — leaner and tender.
- Katsu sando
- In soft white bread, with sauce.
Be the first here
Start your own tonkatsuNo one here has made tonkatsu yet. Start it as v1, and every version after is an experiment the next cook can learn from.
