Japanese pork tonkatsu is a traditional dish made up of breaded and fried pork cutlet. The juicy pork on the inside and the crispy, breaded outer coating creates a delicious meal that is hard to pass up!
Before Jacob and I leave on any adventure, I scour the web in search of all of the new foods I have to try while we’re abroad. And being the foodie that I am, I always end up leaving with a mile-long list of foods I need to get my hands on. Unfortunately, I don’t always get to try all of the food on my list. I mean, you can only eat so much food in less than a week! But, I guess I can finally try them when I make them for the blog, right? It’s sort of the same thing…
When we left for Japan, there were obviously several foods I knew I needed to try like true, authentic Japanese ramen and steamed beef buns. But, there was one dish on the list that I knew I absolutely could not pass up while I was there: tonkatsu.
Tonkatsu is a traditional Japanese dish made up of juicy pork cutlet that is breaded and fried and served with shredded cabbage, rice, miso soup, and tsukemono (preserved veggies). And of course, you can’t forget the tonkatsu sauce! Now, doesn’t that sound amazing? Seriously, how could you pass something up like this?! There’s a reason that dish was at the top of my list.
So, I’m going to be honest with you now…I actually never had the chance to try true the tonkatsu that I had my heart set on while we were in Japan. Sad day. BUT, I did get to try katsudon (fried pork cutlet served with egg, rice, and veggies) on our last day, which was close enough in my opinion.
Want to know the best part? We found the dish in the airport of all places! And, crazy enough, it was the BEST airport food I have ever had! Seriously. We loved it. And Jacob loved it so much that he’s been asking me to make the dish ever since we got home a year ago! So I guess it’s about time I kick it into gear and get this recipe up on the blog. I hope you like it as much as we do!
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Japanese pork tonkatsu is a traditional dish made up of breaded and fried pork cutlet. The juicy pork on the inside, and the crispy, breaded outer coating creates a delicious meal that is hard to pass up!
- vegetable oil for frying
- 4 boneless pork chops
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp mirin
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp ginger powder
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Heat about 1/2 inch of oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Pour cornstarch and Panko bread crumbs in gallon-sized bags. Set aside.
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Lightly season both sides of pork chops with salt and pepper. Place one pork chop in the cornstarch bag and shake until evenly coated. Dip the coated pork chop into the egg and then place in the Panko bag, shaking and pressing in bread crumbs until coated. Set aside. Continue coating pork chops with the mixture.
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Once pork chops have been coated, add each pork chop to the frying pan. Cook each side for 5-7 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Place on a paper-towel lined plate and cut pork into bite-sized strips. Serve immediately with rice, shredded cabbage and tonkatsu sauce, if desired.
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Combine all ingredients together. Serve with tonkatsu.
Adapted from Serious Eats and Damn Delicious.
- Since I couldn't find tonkatsu sauce at the grocery store, I decided to make my own instead.
- Feel free to use additional ingredients as necessary. You may need to use extra cornstarch, egg or Panko depending on the size of your pork chops.
- If you prefer, tonkatsu can also be baked in the oven. Bake coated pork chops on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper at 400F for 20 minutes, or until no longer pink.
Try my Japanese Ramen with Chicken next!
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