Tonkatsu is a Western-style Japanese dish that was devised about 100 years ago.
It is made by adding flour, eggs, and bread crumbs in that order around thick sliced meat of pork loin and fillet, and fried in cooking oil.
Because it uses rough-cut bread crumbs, it is difficult for oil to be absorbed into the batter, so it has a crispy texture. It is cut into bite-sized pieces in advance and is often served with chopped raw cabbage. Add sauce and mustard and eat with chopsticks.
There are also sandwiches and curry made with Tonkatsu.
What is Tonkatsu and can I eat it?
Materials of Tonkatsu
Pork, egg, wheat flour, potato starch, vegetable oil, salt, and pepper
| Low FODMAPs | ||||
| with Pork | with Egg |
| Restaurant |
How to make Tonkatsu and how to serve Tonkatsu
The general way to make Tonkatsu is as follows. First, season the pork tenderloin and loin with salt and pepper, and then add flour or potato starch to the surface of the meat. Then, after soaking the meat in the melted egg, rough-cut bread crumbs are attached to the surface of the meat. Put this in a relatively low temperature vegetable oil of 150-160 ℃ and fry it for about 10 minutes. Rough-cut bread crumbs do not easily absorb oil, so the batter will have a crisp finish.
Tonkatsu is fried in vegetable oil like tempura, but while tempura batter is made of flour and eggs, Tonkatsu batter is made of bread crumbs and eggs.
In addition, there is Italian cutlet, which is a dish close to Tonkatsu. Italian cutlet is baked in animal oil such as lard and butter, while Tonkatsu is fried in vegetable oil. The difference is that Italian cutlet is eaten while being cut with a knife and fork, while Tonkatsu is cut into bite-sized pieces immediately after being fried and eaten with chopsticks.
Tonkatsu can be eaten at any general restaurant, but there are also tonkatsu specialty restaurants. When served at the restaurant, Tonkatsu is placed on a plate with raw chopped cabbage. Also, miso soup, rice, and pickled radish are included. When you eat it, you eat it with sauce, but in Japan there is a special sauce for Tonkatsu called “Tonkatsu sauce”. We also often add mustard with the sauce.
Tonkatsu is also sold as a lunch box. Tonkatsu, raw cabbage, rice, pickled radish, sauce, and mustard are often sold at food supermarkets and convenience stores.
There are many ways to eat tonkatsu. “Katsudon” explained in another article, “Katsusando” with Tonkatsu sandwiched between breads, and “Katsu curry” with Tobkatsu on curry are popular.
Try to eat Tonkatsu!
How much ?
- $ 7～12, for Tonkatsu set menu (Tonkatsu, raw cabbage, miso soup, rice, and radish pickles)
- $ 3～7, for Tonkatsu bento (Tonkatsu, raw cabbage, rice, and radish pickles)
Where can I eat Tonkatsu?
Tonkatsu is delicious freshly made, so it is recommended to eat it at a restaurant or a tonkatsu specialty restaurant.
Precautions when eating Tonkatsu
For people who are gluten-free except for celiac disease
Tonkatsu uses wheat flour and bread crumbs but not in large quantities. If you are gluten-free for your health, don’t overeat.
Japanese writer’s comment for menu using Tonkatsu
Introducing a popular menu using Tonkatsu.
Katsu-sand (Tonkatsu sandwich)
A sandwich made by sandwiching Tonkatsu seasoned with sauce with bread and cutting it so that the cross section can be seen. Some contain raw cabbage along with Tonkatsu. Convenient to carry. It’s bigger than other sandwiches, so you’ll be full.
Katsu curry (Curry with Tonkatsu)
Japanese curry has a thick curry sauce on top of the rice, but Tonkatsu is on top of the rice and the curry sauce is sprinkled on top of it. Katsu curry is a popular menu among curry shops.
