Dig into... Some Tonkatsu

Modern Japan isn't merely a country where East meets West.  The Land of the Rising Sun's story is more a case where East thought West was chou kawaii but after running through a couple different Western suitors (Portugal and Holland), East gave up on all foreigners and went totally asexual for a couple hundred years before that Chandler guy made them start airing Friends episodes in English... Yeah, that sounds right*.

Anyway, East finally settled on a handsome Western suitor who had the traits of a myriad of Western states, including Amurrica and Germany, to make 126 million homogenous children.  Here's where I tell you how this all relates to tonkatsu.

Cutlets Before Frying

The point is, that as a result of all this, traditional Japanese language, food, and culture are all infused with varying degrees of Western influence.  Tonkatsu is no different.  Ton is Japanese for pork, and katsu, is a short form of a Japanicized English word: katsuretto (cutlet).

You see, tonkatsu is a Western dish in the sense that spaghetti and meatballs is an Italian dish.  Yes, the roots of spaghetti and meatballs lie in Italy, but it's really an American creation.  Tonkatsu's beginnings were a fried European cutlet, which was later suited to the Japanese pallet.  Instead of pounding veal paper-thin and covering the meat with fine breadcrumbs, the Japanese replaced veal for a thicker cutlet of pork with coarser breading (panko).  Fast forward 150 years or so, and katsu (cutlets) form their very own category of Japanese comfort food.

Tangy Tonkatsu Sauce

There's the dish tonkatsu, which is traditionally served with a Worcestershire sauce, shredded cabbage, rice, and miso soup (and detailed in this post), but then there's also katsu sando, katsu karee or curry, and katsudon. 

A katsu sando is simply the pork cutlet in this video made into a sandwich on white bread.  Katsu karee is again, a fried pork cutlet, smothered with the Japanese take on curry sauce**.  Katsudon is also easy to make from this recipe.  Throw your fried cutlet into a bowl atop a bunch of rice, add a fried or scrambled egg, scallions, and top with the tonkatsu sauce.  Voilà, you've just made one variety of katsudon.

Being the miracle worker that I am, you can see I haven't just taught you how to make one dish, but many.  Now that I've opened your eyes to all the variety that a Japanese-style cutlet beholds, you're free to go forth and make katsu galore.  Oh, and one more thing: Make your own panko bread crumbs and the cutlets will turn out a lot crunchier and tastier, guaranteed.

N.B.  Make sure to season your cutlets with salt after pounding them thin.  I do not mention it in the video, but it is listed in the Ingredients section.

* In 1853, Commodore Matthew C. Perry of England forcefully opened Japan's ports after a period of isolationism (No foreigners could enter, no Japanese could leave) that had lasted since 1635 (sakoku).  This resulted in the modernization of Japan and the subsequent arrival of Germans, Americans, and Tom Cruise.
** This British introduced the Japanese to Indian curry.



Ingredients:
4 pork chops (no thicker than one inch/2.5 cm)
1/2 C all purpose flour, for dredging
1 egg, beaten
1 C panko bread crumbs (This is an estimate.  Learn how to make your own breadcrumbs here!)
salt for seasoning chops

Tonkatsu Sauce

2 T soy sauce
2 T rice wine vinegar
1/4 C sugar (brown will work, too)
1/4 C ketchup
1 T mustard*
1/4 C + 2 T (6 T) of Worcestershire sauce
1 whole allspice berry, crushed
1/2 t garlic powder
dash of smoked paprika
dash of cayenne pepper (optional but recommended.  Traditional tonkatsu sauce would not include it)
add ground black pepper before serving if desired

*I used dijon.  Feel free to use whatever you want, like hot mustard or mustard powder.  However, I would think a tablespoon of powder or even hot Japanese mustard would be too much.  Therefore, add in small amounts until you achieve the taste you like. 

Optional Garnish

Julienne some carrot and thinly slice cabbage.  Soak the cabbage in water for an hour.  This mellows the cabbage's raw sulfur notes.   Arrange salad of cabbage and carrot beside pork cutlet.

Tonkatsu Sauce

-Stir sugar in soy sauce and vinegar until dissolved in an sauce pot.
-Crush one allspice berry, and add it to the sauce with the other ingredients.  Stir until combined.
-Heat the sauce mixture over medium to medium high heat while stirring with a whisk until reduced by one third.
-Serve sauce at room temperature.

For the Pork

-Pound your cutlets 3/4 inch thick, then season with salt and pepper.
-Set up a dredging station: plate with flower, plate with beaten egg, plate with panko.  Cover one cutlet in flour and shake off excess.  Dip same cutlet into beaten egg, shake off excess.  Cover cutlet with panko by dipping in the breadcrumb plate.  Once again, shake off any excess.
-Repeat for the rest of your cutlets, and let rest on a rack for 15 minutes before frying (this helps keep the breading on).
-Heat oil to 350°F and place cutlets in pan (working in batches if needed).  Fry until golden brown and crispy (about 4 or 5 minutes a side).
-Drain on paper towels and serve with the sauce. 

Need metric?

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