Tonkatsu Pork
Tonkatsu means pork cutlet in Japanese. They are traditionally deep fried, coated with panko breadcrumbs, and served with a tonkatsu sauce. The main ingredients of the sauce are worcestershire sauce and tomato ketchup.
You can buy pre-prepared tonkatsu sauce, but it is so simple to make and you can adjust the amount of ketchup, to adjust the sweetness of the sauce.
We use pork fillet for our pork cutlet, and ideally you want to cook it so it is slightly pink, and lovely an moist. I may have slightly overcooked it on the live cook!
Cooking surfaces
BBQ Temperature
Ingredients
For the pork cutlets
- 1 pork fillet (or tenderloin if you’re American)
- 2 or 3 Eggs
- 100g flour
- Panko breadcrumbs
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
For the sauce
- 60 ml Worcestershire sauce
- 100 ml Tomato ketchup
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp sake
- 1 tsp English mustard
Method
For the Tonkatsu sauce
- Place all of the ingredients into a pan and stir and heat together over a medium heat.
For the pork cutlets
- Trim the fat and sinew from your pork fillet.
- Place your pork fillet between two sheets of cling film, and use a rolling pin, beat your fillet until it is about 1.5cm thick.
- I portioned my fillet into two pieces.
- Using three bowls, one each for the flour, beaten eggs, and panko breadcrumbs, dip your fillet first into the flour, then the egg and then the breadcrumbs. If you want a thick coating, repeat the egg and breadcrumbs.
- Setup your Egg for a direct cook with a cast iron skillet at 200°C.
- Pour your oil into the pan and allow to warm.
- Add your cutlets and fry for 3 to 4 minutes a side until the breadcrumbs have become golden brown.
- Your pork will be cooked when it reaches 57°C. Use your Thermapen to test this.
- Serve your pork, sliced with your sauce poured over the top.
We like to serve our tonkatsu pork with rice, but you could serve this on a bed of coleslaw with a light dressing.