Crispy Tonkatsu Recipe (Japanese Pork Cutlet)
This tonkatsu recipe makes extra crispy Japanese pork cutlet. Lean pork loin is coated with lightly moistened panko breadcrumbs and double deep fried to perfection. Don’t miss out the quick homemade tonkatsu sauce to completes the dish.
This Western-inspired Japanese pork cutlet dish, called tonkatsu, is one of our household favorites.
My kids love tonkatsu and I’ve been making this crispy and crunchy pork with savory tonkatsu sauce as long as I can remember.
You will easily find this pork cutlet on the menu at Japanese restaurants. It is also a common item for bento (Japanese boxed lunch) and a popular base ingredient for a Japanese pork rice bowl dish called Katsu donburi or Katsudon.
What is Tonkatsu?
Ton (豚) = pork
Katsu (カツ)= cutlet (Katsu is an abbreviation of Katsuretu, カツレツ)
Tonkatsu is a Japanese version of European pan-fried meat, similar to a British cutlet (where the name came after), German schnitzel, or Italian piccata.
The Japanese pork cutlet version uses lean pork loin. Slices of pork are first pounded (to tenderize), then breaded with flour, egg, and Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs). Then, it is deep-fried in oil instead of pan-fried.
Tonkatsu must be accompanied by the savory tonkatsu sauce (either homemade or store-bought), along with a bed of shredded green cabbage, and of course steamed rice. The sauce is a Worcestershire sauce base with ketchup and other flavoring added. It has a thick consistency and is great for drizzling or dipping.
Tips for Making Perfect Tonkatsu
Pork: Use lean pork loin, about 1/2-inch thickness.
Pounding: Pounding helps tenderize the pork and stretch it out to a thin layer.
Panko crumbs: Moistened panko crumbs makes a crispier coating. Spray panko with water several times to moisten the crumbs, but not overly. Do not use western-style fine breadcrumbs.
Deep-frying: Double deep-frying makes the cutlet more crispy and ensures thorough cooking. Use enough oil to cover the cutlet so that it fries evenly.
Clean the oil in between batches: It’s important to remove the breadcrumb particles to keep the oil clean, so the oil does not turn dark and disrupt the results of the coating. Skim off the fried crumbs between batches with a fine-mesh strainer.
Shredded green cabbage: Soak them in cold water (or ice water) for 10 minutes. Soaking makes the cabbage come alive and really crisps up the texture.
Tonkatsu sauce: You can’t have tonkatsu without the savory tonkatsu sauce. Making homemade tonkatsu sauce is super easy with just a few ingredients. All you need is to mix them together. I recommend adding crushed toasted sesame seeds. It adds a toasty nutty flavor to the sauce.
How to make Japanese Pork Cutlet at Home
Ingredients you will need:
For cutlet:
- pork loin (1/2-inch thick)
- salt and pepper
- flour
- egg
- panko
- oil for deep- frying ( I use peanut oil)
For quick homemade tonkatsu sauce:
- ketchup
- worcestershire sauce
- soy sauce
- brown sugar
- dry mustard
- onion powder
- toasted sesame seeds – crushed
Step 1: Make homemade tonkatsu sauce
- Grind toasted sesame seeds roughly in a Japanese mortar and pestle. Do not grind them too fine. You will want to leave some unground.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine all the tonkatsu sauce ingredients and add a desired amount of ground sesame seeds; mix well and set aside. You can also add more sesame seeds just before you serve.
Step 2: Pound the pork.
- Place pork on a working surface. Using a pair of scissor, make several slits on the connective tissue (white area) between the meat and fat. This will help prevent the pork from curling up during deep-frying.
- Cover the pork with a piece of plastic wrap and pound both sides with meat hammer. (You can also use a rolling pin). The pork should become thinner and stretched out.
Step 3: Season the pork.
- Season pounded pork pieces with salt and pepper lightly on both sides.
Step 4: Breading
- Prepare breading, flour, egg, and panko. Spray panko with water a few times to moisten. Bread the pork slices with flour lightly, then coat with egg.
- Cover the pork in panko by pressing the panko down gently on the meat. Remove excess panko. Set the pork aside for 5-10 minutes.
Make ahead tip: You can prepare the breading step ahead of time and keep the breaded pork in the refrigerator for up to 4 hours.
Step 5: First deep fry
- Heat a batch of oil in your pot or pan to reach to 330ºF (170ºC) over medium heat. You can also test by dropping one piece of panko into the oil: if it sinks down but immediately comes right up and bubbly, then the oil is ready.
- Deep fry once slice of pork at a time so that you don’t drastically lower the oil temperature. Gently put one pork cutlet into the oil and cook – without flipping it – for 1-2 minutes. Then, turn the pork to the other side and deep-fry another 1-2 minute (again without flipping it). The coating should be lightly golden.
- Using tongs, take the pork out and remove excess oil by holding the cutlet vertically and slightly shaking it off. Place on a wire rack or paper towel and let it sit until the rest of the batch is deep-fried.
Step 6: Remove any floating crumbs in between batches.
- Make sure to scoop up any floating fried crumbs from the oil with a fine mesh strainer in between batches. You can lower the heat while doing this.
- It’s very important to keep the oil clean so the oil does not get darker with burnt crumbs. Return the heat to medium and bring the oil back to 330ºF (160ºC).
Step 7: Second deep-fry
- Prepare for the second deep-frying. Raise the oil temperature to 350˚F (175˚C). Fry the pork again for 1-2 minutes on both sides until deep golden brown. If the coating darkens too quickly, reduce the heat slightly.
Serving suggestion
Slice tonkatsu into wide strips. Serve immediately with homemade tonkatsu sauce, crisped shredded green cabbage, and rice.
Drizzle tonkatsu sauce directly over the cutlet, or dip the cutlet pieces into the sauce. You can also drizzle the sauce over the cabbage and serve together.
More Japanese Recipes
If you love Japanese dishes, Here are a few of my favorites that I recommend you to try:
- No Bake Teriyaki Chicken Drumsticks
- Beef Steak Sushi with Teriyaki Sauce
- Japanese Hamburger Steak Recipe (Hambagu)
This recipe was originally posted in September 2010. I’ve updated the recipe with a few changes, new photos, and more information.
Crispy Tonkatsu Recipe (Japanese Pork Cutlet)
Ingredients
For pork cutlet
- 1 1/4 lb pork loin, 3/8-1/2 inch thick slices
- salt and pepper , to season
- flour, to coat
- 2 eggs
- 2 cup panko
- water spray
- oil, for deep-frying
Quick homemade tonkatsu sauce
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp dry mustard
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
Instructions
To make tonkatsu sauce
- Grind toasted sesame seeds roughly in a Japanese mortar and pestle. Do not grind them too fine. You will want to leave some unground.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine all the tonkatsu sauce ingredients and add a desired amount of ground sesame seeds; mix well and set aside. You can also add the sesame seeds just before you serve.
For the breading of pork cutlet
- Place pork on a working surface. Using a pair of scissor, make several slits on the connective tissue (white area) between the meat and fat. This will help prevent the pork from curling up during deep-frying. Cover the pork with a piece of plastic wrap and pound both sides with meat hammer. (You can also use a rolling pin). The pork should become thinner and stretched out.
- Season with salt and pepper lightly on both sides.
- Prepare breading, flour, egg, and panko. Spray panko with water a few times to moisten. Bread the pork slices with flour lightly, then coat with egg. Cover the pork in panko by pressing the panko down gently on the meat. Remove excess panko. Set the pork aside for 5-10 minutes.
For the deep-frying
- Heat a batch of oil in your pot or pan to reach to 330ºF (170ºC) over medium heat. You can also test by dropping one piece of panko into the oil: if it sinks down but immediately comes right up and bubbly, then the oil is ready.
- Deep fry once slice of pork at a time so that you don’t drastically lower the oil temperature. Gently put one pork cutlet into the oil and cook – without flipping it – for 1-2 minutes. Then, turn the pork to the other side and deep-fry another 1-2 minute (again without flipping it). The coating should be lightly golden.
- Using tongs, take the pork out and remove excess oil by holding the cutlet vertically and slightly shaking it off. Place on a wire rack or paper towel and let it sit until the rest of the batch is deep-fried.
- Make sure to scoop up any floating fried crumbs from the oil with a fine mesh strainer in between batches. You can lower the heat while doing this. It's very important to keep the oil clean so the oil does not get darker with burnt crumbs. Return the heat to medium and bring the oil back to 330ºF (160ºC).
- Prepare for the second deep-frying. Raise the oil temperature to 350˚F (175˚C). Fry the pork again for 1-2 minutes on both sides until deep golden brown. If the coating darkens too quickly, reduce the heat slightly.
- Slice tonkatsu into wide strips. Serve immediately with homemade tonkatsu sauce, crisped shredded green cabbage, and rice. Drizzle tonkatsu sauce directly over the cutlet, or dip the cutlet pieces into the sauce. You can also drizzle the sauce over the cabbage and serve together.
Very good, I used a teriyaki sauce I had on hand. Excellent for kids.
Glad that you like my tonktsu recipe. My kids love it, too. Thanks!
This looks great! I’ve been trying your recipes for some time. Thank you so much for them.
I remember you had a different a tong kat su recipe up before. My husband loved the sauce recipe, it involved crushed pineapples… I can’t seem to find it on your site anymore. Any chance you give me that recipe for tong kat su sauce? I would pay money for it!! It’s so good. Thanks again –
I sent you via email.
I know this post is older, but I’m hoping you can answer my question. I lived in Korea for a year and there was a donkas restaurant near my house in the small town I lived in. They made it with cheese in the center… omg!
Anyway, I’ve been searching ever since for the Korean donkas sauce recipe, the more gravy-like version (which tasted different than the Japanese and was a big part of why I loved it so much). Do you happen to have a recipe for the Korean donkas sauce you could share?
Thank you!
Korean donkas sauce is different than Japanese. I will try to post the recipe next time I make it. Thanks.
Ahhh Darling!
Your text is wonderfully didatic, with some simply funny drops and ohhhh makes me drooling to try this recipe – by the way, I have a very special place for pork-pig in my life: my stomach!
yummmmmie!!!
Have a beautiful weekend!
kisses from southern skies!
oink-oink!
Yumyumyum! I make a version of Wagamama's Chicken Katsu on a regular basis – I think I'll try it with your Tonkatsu sauce, it sounds delish!
@gearedtocook
It might be slightly sweeter but you can always adjust sweetness to your taste which I always do when I cook.
I found that tonkatsu sauce over the counter taste a little bland for me. This will add more zestiness due to the steak sauce, which has lots of flavor in it already that I don't have to add to myself. Makes my life easier.
Thanks for visiting my blog.
Wow, tonkatsu sauce from scratch! Got to try this. How would you say it differs from what you can buy — sweeter, perhaps?
@Rabbittrick
Yes!
I just played around with flavors and the combination of steak sauce, apple, and pineapple is what I like.
It might be a little different than the sauce from restaurant but I prefer mine better actually.
Thanks for visiting my blog.
what an ingenious way to make sauce! i'd never made this tonkatsu sauce before, is it an original recipe?
another tip to frying tonkatsu cutlets is to marinate the pork in rose water, to give it a deeper flavour, i believe.
aha! i was wondering what was in katsu sauce–yum! i will have to try this.
We just got a mini deep fryer and I've been wanting to make Katsu. Thanks for the recipe!