Crispy and tasty Japanese tonkatsu (豚カツ), deep fried pork cutlets, is hard to stop eating after you try one. This simple tonkatsu recipe shows you step by step how to make crispy pork katsu at home.
Love Japanese food? Also, check out these red bean mochi, gyudon beef bowl, chicken teriyaki rice bowl, crispy teriyaki tofu, teriyaki sauce, chicken udon stir fry and miso soup recipes.
What is tonkatsu (豚カツ)?
Tonkatsu (豚カツ) is originated from Japan which consists of a breaded deep fried pork cutlet. Ton (豚) means pig. Katsu (カツ) which is a short form of katsuretsu (カツレツ) means cutlet.
Deep fried pork chop is one of my family favorite dishes. Every time I make tonkatsu, deep fried pork chops, they will be all gone in a few minutes! Who doesn't really like deep fried food? Sometimes, it is hard to resist crunchy and tasty deep fried pork cutlets.
What are the ingredients for Japanese deep fried pork cutlets?
The main ingredients are pork cutlets, flour, eggs, Japanese bread crumbs, salt and five spice powder.
Cooking tips for how to make Japanese tonkatsu:
- To marinate the meat at least 15 minutes before cooking and it turns out fine as well.
- Personally I like to use Japanese style bread crumbs because it's more fluffy and crispy.
- We like thin tonkatsu, so I like to use thin cut pork chop or cutlet and pound it with meat mallet.
- If you want crispy tonkatsu, the trick is to double deep fried which means to deep fried pork chop again.
FAQs:
Normally, I use Japanese tonkatsu sauce which is like brown worcestershire sauce which is made from tomatoes, prunes, dates, apples, lemon juice, carrots, onions, and celery ingredients. You can also use regular American BBQ sauce or Japanese mayo.
To make this Japanese tonkatsu deep fried pork cutlet, I like to use Japanese style bread crumbs. Personally, I like to use the blue package in the picture below because it's fluffy and crispy.
Yes, you can use chicken to make chicken katsu. It is similar to this tonkatsu recipe.
Heat up oil around 350F and deep fry the pork slightly golden. Take out the pork, increase the temperature at 375F and deep fry the pork again until it’s golden brown.
Instructions for how to make tonkatsu:
Preparation:
1. Wash or rinse 4 pieces of pork cutlet then dry them with paper towels. Then, put them on a chopping board, cover with a plastic wrap and pound them with a meat mallet.
2. After that, put the pork chops on a plate. Sprinkle ⅛ teaspoon of salt and ⅛ teaspoon of five spice powder. Let it marinate for at least 15 minutes before cooking.
3. Pour ½ cup of flour on a plate, cover both sides of the pork cutlets with flour.
4. Beat 2 large eggs in a bowl.
5. Dip the pork cutlet into the egg mixture. Make sure both sides of the pork chop are covered with eggs.
6. Pour 1.5 cups of Japanese style bread crumbs on a plate. Then, make sure both sides of the pork chop are covered with bread crumbs.
Cooking:
7. Heat up 1 cup of oil in a wok or pan, turn on fire to medium high and wait until oil gets around 350F (180C). If you don’t have a thermometer, use a wooden chopstick and dip into the oil. When you see tiny bubbles start to appear around the tip of the chopstick, it means the oil is hot enough for deep fry.
8. Gently put the breaded pork chop into the oil and turn the fire to medium low. Deep fry both sides until it turns a little brown.
9. Take out tonkatsu and put it on a plate. Turn the fire to medium and increase the temperature around 375F. Double deep fry cutlets which means deep fry them again until it turns golden brown.
10. After that, put the tonkatsu deep fried pork chops on a plate with a paper towel to absorb excess oil. Sprinkle ⅛ teaspoon of salt on the deep fried cutlets and let it wait for a few minutes before cutting them.
Enjoy this crispy Japanese pork tonkatsu recipe! Also, check out these kimbap, curry fishball and hot and sour soup recipes.
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Japanese Tonkatsu Deep Fried Pork Cutlet
Video
Ingredients
- 4 pieces Pork cutlets (Pork chop/loin)
- 2 Large Eggs
- ½ cup All purpose flour
- 1.5 cup Japanese style bread crumbs
- 1 cup Vegetable oil
- ⅛ teaspoon Salt Sprinkle on the deep fried pork chop before cutting
Marinate pork:
- ⅛ teaspoon Salt
- ⅛ teaspoon Five spices
Instructions
- Wash or rinse 4 pieces of pork cutlet then dry them with paper towels. Then, put them on a chopping board, cover with a plastic wrap and pound them with a meat mallet.
- After that, put the pork chops on a plate. Sprinkle ⅛ teaspoon of salt and ⅛ teaspoon of five spice powder. Let it marinate for at least 15 minutes before cooking.
- Beat 2 large eggs in a bowl.
- Dip the pork cutlet into the egg mixture. Make sure both sides of the pork chop are covered with eggs.
- Pour 1.5 cups of Japanese style bread crumbs on a plate. Then, make sure both sides of the pork chop are covered with bread crumbs.
- Heat up 1 cup of oil in a wok or pan, turn on fire to medium high and wait until oil gets around 350F (180C). If you don’t have a thermometer, use a wooden chopstick and dip into the oil. When you see tiny bubbles start to appear around the tip of the chopstick, it means the oil is hot enough for deep fry.
- Gently put the breaded pork chop into the oil and turn the fire to medium low. Deep fry both sides until it turns a little brown.
- Take out tonkatsu and put it on a plate. Turn the fire to medium and increase the temperature around 375F. Double deep fry cutlets which means deep fry them again until it turns golden brown.
- After that, put the tonkatsu deep fried pork chops on a plate with a paper towel to absorb excess oil. Sprinkle ⅛ teaspoon of salt on the deep fried cutlets and let it wait for a few minutes before cutting them.
Notes
Cooking tips for how to make Japanese tonkatsu:
- To marinate the meat at least 15 minutes before cooking and it turns out fine as well.
- Personally I like to use Japanese style bread crumbs because it's more fluffy and crispy.
- We like thin tonkatsu, so I like to use thin cut pork chop or cutlet and pound it with meat mallet.
- If you want crispy tonkatsu, the trick is to double deep fried which means to deep fried pork chop again.
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