Tonkatsu
Tonkatsu (と ん か つ or ト ン カ ツ) is a Japanese cuisine dish represented by a pork cutlet breaded with panko and fried in abundant boiling oil. To make this dish, loin or pork fillet are used.
This dish was introduced into Japanese cuisine by the Portuguese and its very first version involved the use of beef (Gyū katsu, 牛 カ ツ). The pork version appeared in 1890 in a restaurant specializing in Western Ginza, Tokyo.
Today Tonkatsu is famous in Japan but also in the rest of the world. Just in Japan there are restaurants, some historical and very old, specialized in the preparation of this cutlet. It is common to serve it accompanied by a salad (of lettuce or cabbage), miso soup, rice and tsukemono, all on the side. There is never a lack of accompanying sauce, called "tonkatsu sauce" precisely.
There are several ways to present Tonkatsu: with curry, in a sandwich version or with egg.
If you find it difficult to find panko and tonkatsu sauce, I'll explain how to prepare these two ingredients at home.
INGREDIENTI
- 1 slice of pork loin or fillet, at least 2 cm thick
- 1 tablespoon of flour
- 2 tablespoons of panko
- 1 beaten egg
- fry oil
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- finely chopped salad or cabbage
- 1 bowl of steamed rice
PREPARATION
- Prepare the meat by making small diagonal cuts with a sharp knife, so that it cooks well inside.
- Salt and pepper the meat on both sides.
- Arrange the flour, panko and beaten egg in three separate bowls.
- Pass the meat in the bowl of flour, removing the excess. Then pass the meat into the beaten egg and finally into the panko, Gently press the meat so that the panko sets well.
- Heat the oil in a saucepan, so that there is at least 1.5 cm of oil height.
- Fry the cutlet for at least 3 minutes on each side: it must be well cooked and golden.
- Arrange the cutlet on a plate with absorbent kitchen paper to remove excess oil.
- Prepare the serving dish by arranging the cabbage or lettuce salad (very finely chopped). Garnish the dish with a lemon wedge, according to your taste.
- Arrange the cutlet on a cutting board and cut it into 2 cm strips. Serve and pour the tonkatsu sauce over the meat. Serve with a separate bowl of steamed rice.
PANKO INGREDIENTS
4 slices of white loaf or loaf bread
PANKO PREPARATION
- Remove the crust from the bread and cut the slices into large pieces.
- Lightly blend the bread in a blender, taking care that it does not become dust.
- Turn on the oven at 60 ° C, static mode. Place a sheet of parchment paper on the baking tray and arrange the fresh breadcrumbs.
- Bake for no more than 20 minutes: the bread must dry out and not change color.
TONKATSU SAUCE INGREDIENTS
- 4 tablespoons of ketchup
- 3 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
TONKATSU SAUCE PREPARATION
- Mix all the ingredients until a smooth and uniform sauce is formed.
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