pork katsu

The best homemade Japanese deep fried pork cutlet (tonkatsu recipe) ever. Crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, a family favorite!

Tonkatsu

pork loin chops (½ inch thick)

salt (I use Diamond Crystal; Use half for table salt)

black pepper

Tbsp all-purpose flour (plain flour)

egg (50 g w/o shell)

½ Tbsp neutral-flavored oil (vegetable, canola, etc)

Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) ((30 g;

neutral-flavored oil (vegetable, canola, etc) ((720 ml;

Tonkatsu Sauce ((See Notes for homemade recipe))

For Tonkatsu, I highly recommend to use fresh panko (we call it "Nama Panko"). It's fresh bread crumbs not dried one. You can use food processor to make fresh panko from white bread (use only soft part of bread). Or you can spray regular panko with water and leave for 15 minutes. Also, when you select panko, look for packages with bigger crumbs as they are suitable for Tonkatsu.

Remove the extra fat and make a couple of slits on the connective tissue between the meat and fat. The reason why you do this is that red meat and fat have different elasticity, and when they are cooked they will shrink and expand at different rates. This will allow Tonkatsu to stay nice and flat when deep frying and prevent it from curling up.

Pound the meat with a meat pounder, or if you don’t have one then just use the back of knife to pound. When using knife, crisscross by first pounding top to bottom then left to right.

Mold the extended meat back into original shape with your hands.

Season the meat with salt and pepper.

In a large bowl or plate, add ½ Tbsp. of oil for each egg you use and whisk them up. By adding oil, the meat and breaded coating won’t detach from each other while deep frying.

Dredge in flour and remove excess flour.

Dip in egg mixture.

Dredge in panko. After removing excess panko, press gently. While deep frying panko will “pop up” so at this moment they don’t have to be fluffy.

Heat oil in a wok over medium high heat and wait till oil gets 350F (180C). If you don’t have a thermometer, stick a chopstick in the oil and see if tiny bubbles start to appear around the tip of the chopstick. Alternatively, you can drop one piece of panko into the oil, and if it sinks down to the middle of oil and comes right up, then that’s around 350F (180C) as well. When the oil reaches to that temperature, gently lower Tonkatsu into the oil. Keep watching the oil’s temperature and make sure it doesn’t go over 350F (180C) or else it’ll look burnt.

Deep fry for 1 minute on one side and flip to cook the other side for 1 minute. If your pork chop is thinner than ¾ inch, then reduce to 45 seconds for each side.

Now take the Tonkatsu out and get rid of the oil by holding Tonkatsu vertically for a few seconds. Place on top of wire rack (if wire rack is not available, substitute with paper towel) and let it sit for 4 minutes. The hot oil on exterior is slowly cooking the meat as it sits. Please do not cut to check whether the inside is cooked or not. We need to keep it closed to retain the heat. While waiting, you can scoop up fried crumbs in the oil with mesh strainer.

After resting for 4 minutes, bring the oil back to 350F (180C) of oil again and deep fry Tonkatsu for 1 minute (about 30 seconds each side).

Poke the meat with a chopstick and if clear liquid comes out then it’s done. Drain the oil by holding the Tonkatsu vertically again for a few seconds. Then leave it on top of rack/paper towel for 2 minutes. If you have to use paper towel, try to keep Tonkatsu in a vertical position so it does not get soggy on one side.

Cut Tonkatsu into 3 large pieces (see below) by pressing the knife directly down instead of moving back and forth. This way the breading will not come off. Then cut again in between. Transfer to a plate and serve immediately.

You can store the leftover in an airtight container and freeze up to a month. To reheat, put the defrosted or frozen tonkatsu on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Bake at 350 ºF (180 ºC) for 15-20 minutes for defrosted ones or 30-40 minutes for frozen ones. Check if the inside is warm before serving.

To Store

Tonkatsu is a delicious Japanese dish made of juicy, tender pork coated in crispy panko breadcrumbs and fried until golden brown. It&#39;s served with a sweet and tangy tonkatsu sauce that&#39;s the perfect complement to this pork katsu. Read my tips on how to make this the best tonkatsu with the crispiest breadcrumb coating you&#39;ll find!

Extra Crispy Tonkatsu (Japanese Pork Katsu)

pork

Japanese panko bread crumbs (See Note 1)

all-purpose flour

egg (beaten)

salt & pepper

vegetable oil

ketchup

Worcestershire sauce

soy sauce

garlic and onion powder

sugar ((optional))

Tonkatsu Sauce

Tonkatsu sauce: Combine the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and garlic &amp; onion powder in a small bowl. Taste and add sugar if desired (start with less if you want a Bull-dog sauce copycat). Set it aside.

Make the Tonkatsu Sauce

Prep pork loins

Prep the pork loins: Cut slits into the white connective tissue on the outer edge of each pork loin or pork chop. This prevents it from curling up as it cooks. Flatten each pork loin to about ¾ inch thickness.

Dredge the pork

Dredge the pork loins: Add the egg, flour, and panko bread crumbs to separate bowls. For a crispier crust, mix a tablespoon of flour with the egg to create a thicker egg wash for more bread crumbs to adhere to.Salt and pepper the pork, then coat it in flour and shake off the excess. Next, dip it into the beaten egg and then firmly press it into the panko bread crumbs for a thick, generous layer of breading. See Note 2 for a crispier crust.

Bread the Pork

Heat oil for frying

Heat oil: In a large heavy-duty pot or fryer, add enough oil to deep fry the cutlets. Heat the oil to 340°F over medium heat to ensure the pork fully cooks without burning the bread crumbs.If you don&#39;t have a thermometer, drop some bread crumbs into the oil. It&#39;s ready when it begins to sizzle.

Fry the pork cutlets

Fry the pork cutlets: Gently place a pork cutlet into the oil and deep-fry for 5 to 6 minutes per side or until the pork is fully cooked and the panko coating is golden brown and crispy.Use a skimmer to clean up loose breadcrumbs and try to keep the oil temperature at 340°F. Repeat with the remaining cutlets and work in batches to avoid lowering the oil temperature. See Note 3.

Serve

Serve: Slice the tonkatsu and serve with tonkatsu sauce, shredded cabbage, and rice. Enjoy!

Deep-fry the Pork Cutlets

This Pork Katsu Sando, or Breaded Pork Sandwich, is one of my favourite sandwiches – pork katsu in between slices of bread, it&#39;s so delicious!

Pork Katsu Sando

Pork Tonkatsu

Make Pork Tonkatsu as per my recipe here and cut into slices for these sandwiches.

This juicy and crispy air fryer tonkatsu is simple, healthy, and delicious! The secret to the paleo and gluten-free crunchy crust is plantain chips!

Healthy Tonkatsu (Air Fryer or Oven Baked)

pork pork

Diamond Crystal kosher salt

green plantain chips

cassava flour (or tapioca or arrowroot powder)

eggs

Avocado oil spray

Tonkatsu Sauce (optional dipping sauce)

Pat the pork chops dry with a paper towel. Then, use a sharp paring knife to cut two small slits on the fatty edge of the pork chops—this will keep the pork chop edges from curling up when they cook in the air fryer or oven.

Use a meat pounder or meat mallet to smash the chops so they’re about ½-inch thick. If your pork chops are already ½-inch thick, you don’t need to pound them.

Sprinkle the pork cutlets on both sides with Diamond Crystal kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Place a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet and set aside.

Plop the plantain chips or plantain strips in a food processor and process until a coarse powder is formed. (No food processor? You can place the chips in a ziplock bag and bash them with something heavy until the chips are pulverized.) You should end up with 1 cup of crushed plantain crumbs.

Grab three shallow bowls for your breading station. In the first one, pour in the crushed plantain chips. You can reserve half of the plantain crumbs to ensure that you have enough for all four pork chops (pour in extra crumbs as needed). In the second one, add the cassava flour. In the last bowl, whisk together the eggs and ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt.

Lightly coat a pork chop in the cassava flour, shaking off the excess flour. Then, dip it in the egg mixture, making sure it is well coated but not super goopy. In the last step, coat the pork chop completely with crushed plantain chips and place the pork chop on the prepared wire rack in the rimmed baking sheet. Repeat the process with the rest of the pork chops.

Prepare the pork chops

Preheat the air fryer to 400°F. When the air fryer is ready, lightly spray the bottom of the air fryer with avocado oil spray and place the pork chops in a single layer.

Spray the tops of the pork chops with avocado oil.

Air fry the pork katsu at 400°F for 8 to 10 minutes or until the outside is golden brown and the center is barely pink and the internal temperature is 145°F.

Slice up the tonkatsu and serve it with tonkatsu sauce (a sweet Worcestershire sauce) and shredded cabbage dressed with sesame ginger dressing, if desired.

Air Fryer Tonkatsu Instructions

Heat the oven to 425°F conventional or 400°F convection bake with the rack in the middle. Place the pork cutlets on an oven-proof wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet. Spray the tops of the breaded chops with avocado oil spray.

Bake the tonkatsu until the outside is golden brown and the pork is barely pink and the internal temperature is 145°F, about 10 to 13 minutes.

Oven Baked Tonkatsu Instructions

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/3aJ0gkxt.mp4

Paleo Tonkatsu (Air Fryer or Oven Baked)

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Top 4 pork katsu recipes from across the web

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Top Tags

Tonkatsu

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The most viewed pork katsu recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine