Tonkatsu Recipe (Japanese Pork Cutlet)
This tonkatsu recipe highlights everything that makes the dish so satisfying—juicy pork, a light panko crust, and a perfectly crisp fry.
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Cook Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
Dry Brine12 hours hrs
Total Time13 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Course: lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: Japanese
Keyword: crispy, fried, japanese, pork, tonkatsu
Servings: 1 serving
- 1 lb pork shoulder
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tsp MSG
- 3 slices japanese milk bread (for breadcrumbs)
- ¼ cup flour
- 2 eggs
Sweet bonito soy
- 3 tbsp sugar
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 tbsp bonito flakes
Katsu sauce
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 3 tbsp worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
Cut yourself a pork shoulder steak about 1.5 inches thick. Make sure it is as even as possible.
1 lb pork shoulder
Season with salt and MSG. Place in the fridge on a wire rack to dry brine overnight uncovered.
1 tbsp salt, 1 tsp MSG
After done dry brining, wrap it up in tin foil and place into the oven at 200F until it reaches 150F internal.
Cut off the crust from your milk bread and pulse in a food processor until breadcrumbs are formed. Note: it will be easier to cut and pulse if you freeze your bread beforehand. 3 slices japanese milk bread
Coat your cooked pork steak in flour.
¼ cup flour
Place into the eggwash. (2 beaten eggs)
2 eggs
Then coat completely in the breadcrumbs made in the previous step. Pres in firmly to make sure its completely coated.
3 slices japanese milk bread
Fry at 350f for 2 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Set aside to rest while you make the sauces.
Cut into the katsu and serve with the sauces.
Sweet bonito soy
Into a pan mix together soy sauce, sugar, and water. Heat this up over medium heat until the sugar is completely melted.
3 tbsp sugar, ¼ cup soy sauce, ⅓ cup water
Place bonito flakes into the soy sauce mixture, cover with a lid for 10 minutes, and strain.
1 tbsp bonito flakes
Katsu sauce
Into a bowl mix together all the katsu sauce ingredients. Adjust to your desired sweetness.
¼ cup ketchup, 3 tbsp worcestershire sauce, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 2 tbsp oyster sauce