If you’re like me who loves deep-fried foods, precisely panko coated crispy foods, you will love Japanese pork cutlet called Tonkatsu (豚カツ). And I’m here to help you make the best possible Tonkatsu (ever!) in your own kitchen!
What is Tonkatsu?
For those of you who are new to this dish, Tonkatsu is a Japanese food which consists of a breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet. Pork loin (ロース rōsu) or fillet (ヒレ hire) are typically used for this dish. The word Ton (豚) comes from “pork” and Katsu (カツ) is an abbreviation of Katsuretu (カツレツ) derived from the English word “cutlet”.
While researching for this post, I found out that Katsuretu was usually made with beef! What a surprise. The dish was originally considered a type of Yoshoku (Japanese western meal) back in early the 20th century. The pork version was introduced in 1899 at a restaurant called Rengatei (煉瓦亭) in Ginza, Tokyo.
What’s the difference between Japanese pork cutlets from other versions you might ask? The biggest difference is that Tonkatsu is breaded with panko (パン粉), a Japanese style breadcrumb made from white bread without crusts. The crisp and crunchy panko flakes are larger than breadcrumbs and gives it a light and airy texture. Since it absorbs less oil than breadcrumbs, it turns crispy after being fried.
Another difference is that Tonkatsu is always deep-fried (or you can use a little bit of oil and shallow fry) instead of “pan fried” with some oil.
If you’re worried about eating deep fried foods, I have two advices for you. Don’t eat it often, but when you eat it, enjoy it to the fullest! And eat lots of vegetables with the deep fried food. My mom often says we need to eat double amount of vegetables compared to meat for a meal. Tonkatsu and other Japanese panko-breaded deep fried foods are almost always served with a mountain of raw shredded cabbage.
3 Tips to Make Best Tonkatsu at Home
Tonkatsu is actually one of the quickest and simplest meals you can make at home. You just need to know a few tricks to make the perfect Tonkatsu, juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside.
Tip #1: Moisten Panko
This is a trick I learned a while ago. In Japan we can purchase a type of panko called Nama Panko (生パン粉). It’s basically panko that’s not crusty but more moist just like how we shred the white fluffy parts of bread. To re-create the same panko, we “spray” some water (not pour!) to moisten the panko first.
Tip #2: Pound pound pound
Getting really good ingredients for a recipe that only requires a few ingredients is very important. For this recipe, you can also improve the meat texture by pounding it first, making it extra tender. If you don’t own a meat pounder, just use a back of your knife to pound. That’s what I did in college days.
Tip #3: Double Fry
Finally, the key to great Tonkatsu is to double fry the pork. You deep fry once and let the pork sit for a bit to cook inside with remaining heat, and then deep fry again to get the ultimate crispiness.
How to Dispose the Cooking Oil
If one of the reasons you don’t like deep frying is dealing with used cooking oil, I have a few solutions.
First of all, NEVER pour it down the sink. It’s not environmentally friendly and it will solidify and cause blockage in the pipes.
The easy and quick solution is to buy the oil solidifying powder (waste oil hardener) at a Japanese grocery stores, Asian grocery stores, or Amazon. The powder allows you to dispose of the used oil easily in the trash.
If you can’t get those, then pour the cooled oil into an empty milk carton and toss it in the trash.
But be sure to check out and follow your local trash disposal and recycling procedures before disposing the cooking oil.
The Last Option: Baked Tonkatsu
For those of you who still prefer a lighter version of Tonkatsu and don’t want to deep fry in your kitchen, you can check out my Baked Tonkatsu recipe. It’s wildly popular and JOC fans simply love it!
I hope you enjoy making this Tonkatsu recipe! If you try it, don’t forget to share your picture on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter with #JustOneCookbook. Thank you so much for reading, and till next time!
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- 2 ½"-thick lean boneless pork loin chops (at least ½ inch thickness)
- salt (kosher or sea salt; use half if using table salt)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- all-purpose flour
- 1 large Egg
- ½ Tbsp neutral flavor oil (vegetable, canola, etc)
- Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) (or fresh panko)
- neutral flavor oil (vegetable, canola, etc) (for deep frying)
- Tonkatsu Sauce (See Notes for homemade recipe)
- For Tonkatsu, I highly recommend to use fresh panko (we call it "Nama Panko"). It's fresh bread crumbs not dried one. You can use food processor to make fresh panko from white bread (use only soft part of bread). Or you can spray regular panko with water and leave for 15 minutes. Also, when you select panko, look for packages with bigger crumbs as they are suitable for Tonkatsu.
- Remove the extra fat and make a couple of slits on the connective tissue between the meat and fat. The reason why you do this is that red meat and fat have different elasticity, and when they are cooked they will shrink and expand at different rates. This will allow Tonkatsu to stay nice and flat when deep frying and prevent it from curling up.
- Pound the meat with a meat pounder, or if you don’t have one then just use the back of knife to pound. When using knife, crisscross by first pounding top to bottom then left to right.
- Mold the extended meat back into original shape with your hands.
- Season the meat with salt and pepper.
- In a large bowl or plate, add ½ Tbsp. of oil for each egg you use and whisk them up. By adding oil, the meat and breaded coating won’t detach from each other while deep frying.
- Dredge in flour and remove excess flour.
- Dip in egg mixture.
- Dredge in panko. After removing excess panko, press gently. While deep frying panko will “pop up” so at this moment they don’t have to be fluffy.
- Heat oil in a wok over medium high heat and wait till oil gets 350F (180C). If you don’t have a thermometer, stick a chopstick in the oil and see if tiny bubbles start to appear around the tip of the chopstick. Alternatively, you can drop one piece of panko into the oil, and if it sinks down to the middle of oil and comes right up, then that’s around 350F (180C) as well. When the oil reaches to that temperature, gently lower Tonkatsu into the oil. Keep watching the oil’s temperature and make sure it doesn’t go over 350F (180C) or else it’ll look burnt.
- Deep fry for 1 minute on one side and flip to cook the other side for 1 minute. If your pork chop is thinner than ¾ inch, then reduce to 45 seconds for each side.
- Now take the Tonkatsu out and get rid of the oil by holding Tonkatsu vertically for a few seconds. Place on top of wire rack (if wire rack is not available, substitute with paper towel) and let it sit for 4 minutes. The hot oil on exterior is slowly cooking the meat as it sits. Please do not cut to check whether the inside is cooked or not. We need to keep it closed to retain the heat. While waiting, you can scoop up fried crumbs in the oil with mesh strainer.
- After resting for 4 minutes, bring the oil back to 350F (180C) of oil again and deep fry Tonkatsu for 1 minute (about 30 seconds each side).
- Poke the meat with a chopstick and if clear liquid comes out then it’s done. Drain the oil by holding the Tonkatsu vertically again for a few seconds. Then leave it on top of rack/paper towel for 2 minutes. If you have to use paper towel, try to keep Tonkatsu in a vertical position so it does not get soggy on one side.
- Cut Tonkatsu into 3 large pieces (see below) by pressing the knife directly down instead of moving back and forth. This way the breading will not come off. Then cut again in between. Transfer to a plate and serve immediately.
Tonkatsu Sauce: Homemade recipe, click here.
Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe in your own words and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.
I love tonkatu, but love more Oyster Fried. Maybe you can post this one next time??? I also love katudon.
Have a great time with your mother! And DO NOT even think about checking your computer (hehehe!!!)
Nami, congratulations for your guest post!
I have been making tonkatsu for some time now, but it never looks as juicy and perfect! (There are several steps I must admit I omit… I am too lazy).
Do you mind if I take the bit from your last photo?
Have a great time with your mum! I will miss you, so don’t make your holidays too long 😉
Gorgeous guest post, Nami! I think it looks fantastic, and I really, really want that piece in the last picture…. Yummy… I look forward to visiting Rasa Malaysia too! 🙂 Sounds like a great blog! Great that you are taking time off to spend with your mom! That’s fabulous… While I will miss your yummy recipes, I am glad you’ll be doing something special with your family! Have fun! 🙂
I looove katsu! My best friends mom (from Japan) makes the best Chicken Katsu cheese. I forget if I told you this already? Sooo good with a squeeze of lemon and katsu sauce. Also in Hawaii we love fried food and we do a Beef Katsu. Marinated teri beef- katus’d!
I will have to try your tip of spraying the panko first- I have not tried that! It’s been a long time since I’ve made katsu. Darn diet!
Wow Nami! I am very proud of you for two reasons:
FIRST – for being a very good daughter setting aside a valuable time to spend with your mom.
SECOND – for being invited to guest post in Rasa Malaysia. Well Nami, with your hardwork, talent, and passion in what you do. . . I am not surprised.
Have fun with your mom!! 🙂
I learn so many new dishes from you every time. Bee’s blog is so gorgeous that I can spend hours drooling on the recipes.
I will miss you regular posts but everyone needs a break .. so go and enjoy dear and loads of fun with you Mom 🙂
Lovely, like the Italian cotoletta, but I think that panko has something special about it
🙂
Have a great time with your Mum!
ciao
A.
This looks amazing!!!! I’m not at all afraid of deep fried foods. 🙂 I’ve never tried double frying before but I would like to try it to see the difference it makes. I’ve never seen fresh panko anywhere. I had no idea there was such a thing. I have so much to learn! I sure do wish I could try this lovely meal. Do you realize I’ve only tasted a pork chop once in my entire life? Crazy isn’t it! I really need to buy some and try this! Have a great week with your Mom!! Cheers! sheila
As always this is such a great tutorial. Your instruction makes it so easy to follow.
That looks so good! I don’t often eat meat, but that looks delicious. What a great dish to do as a guest post! I remember when I first started reading blogs and I found Bee’s site I was so excited to see all those awesome Asian recipes and it’s only gotten better since then.
I have to say, I love your pictures, especially that last one. Mmm 🙂
Have a great time visiting with your mother 😀
Nami, I am totally drooling all over my keyboard! Seriously! This looks delicious 🙂
Wow that looks fantastic, Nami! Japanese food is always so expensive in NZ so I would love to give that a go at home! Great instructions
Usually rely on katsu to be made by restaurants but you make it look easy! Nice photos1
Beautiful! Your tonkatsu looks perfect. So nice to have a photographic assistant to help with the tutorial too! :o)
Very crispy cutlet and I’m drooling 🙂
Thanks for the step by step picture.
Yes, i want a piece too, this look super delicious. Congratulations on the guest post in Rasa Malaysia, you are deserved for this. Have a nice holiday with your mother, you must be very happy huh..
Thanks for the guest post Nami. You’re an excellent and dedicated cook, have fun with your family.
Thank you Bee for inviting me to your website. I’m very honored and it was a memorable post for me and Just One Cookbook! Thank you for your kind words. 🙂
Congrats Nami! Great guest post!
I love Rasa Malaysia website, they post great Asian dishes there. Your pork tonkatsu looks so yummy
Ok, deep fried is bad bad bad for your healt… but it’s damn good 🙂
I love this kind of thing, once in while… you made me hungry (and it’s 10 AM) O__O
I never had Tonkatsu but really I want a piece….it looks irresistible !
Tonkatsu is delicious but we normally just eat it at the restaurant as I prefer to minimize deep frying at home. Thanks for all the great tips! Have fun with your mom!
I don’t want just a piece I want the whole thing! Nami you know how I love pork! The step my step pics are so good and I would have never thought to reshape the meat, great idea. Also, so happy that you get to visit with your mom, have lots of fun.
Looks really crunchy, I have never attempted tonkatsu. I did make schnitzel, the process is sort of similar. Now I want tonkatsu…
Great recipe! I love when food is crunchy 🙂 Have fun with your mom, I’ll be on the lookout for your next posts :)!!
Anything double fried is perfect in my book. Never heard of tonkatsu but I am loving it!
Mmm! This both sounds and looks incredible! Thanks for the easy to follow instructions!
Hi Nami, congratulations on your guest post! I love Rasa Malaysia’s recipes as well. Tonkatsu is a favorite of mine and it had never crossed my mind to make it at home! I think I will try it out with your step by step tutorial. I’ll be getting some tonkatsu sauce this weekend!
By the way, I am following your blog now =) Have a great trip!
I love to make Tonkatsu at home too especially for the little ones, they love this very much. Better not to let them see this… hahaa
Another new dish for me.I have found so much about Japanese cuisine from your blog..Keep it coming..Anything fried gets my attention :).Looks awesome..Congratulations on the wonderful guest post.
wow looks so tasty have fun with your mum
Wow that is so cool, never heard of this dish but now I want to try it, like NOW!
I just want one piece..do you ship:)) I mean looks amazing, perfectly crunchy and sooo delicious..one perfect meal on the plate!!! Fantastic photos as always!
I hope you enjoy and have great time with your mom..
Hi Nami! Congrats on your guest post at Rasa Malaysia! That’s really a great website full of yummy dishes! 😀
I’m always learning new cooking techniques here at your blog and I really love it! 😀
Now I know why my deep frying foods are always sloggy after some time-I just leave them flat down on the paper towels! lol
This is another recipe on my ‘next-dish-to-cook’! 🙂
After making Tonkatsu once, I never make it again…because of the frying I need to do, and because I seldom cook(and eat) pork now. Thanks for the great tip on double-frying.
Enjoy your time with your family.
This sounds like such a great tonkatsu recipe Nami!
Hope you’re enjoying time with your mother =)
I love tonkatsu! Is very similar to our cotoletta, just better!
Congrats on your guest post! I hope you’ll enjoy a wonderful time your mom! 😀
Beautiful, beautiful post! And this is one of my favourite Jap dishes!
Wow, Congrats for your guest post! As usual, your step-by-step pictures really make the recipe look much easier to do! 🙂 Have lots of fun with your mom!
This is mouthwateringly good! Thanks Nami, Have a great time with your Mum.
It’s only 9 am… I should be craving eggs, but after seeing this, I think I need to head to the freezer and whip out some pork!!
I read this recipe this noon & decide to make this tomorow, but when I go to supermarket I can’t find the Tonkatsu Sauce 🙁
what is the taste of tonkatsu sauce?
can I switch it with any other sauce? 😀
Hi Elies! I have never made Tonkatsu Sauce before as I get all kinds of Japanese brand Tonkatsu Sauce here…. but I found that one of my favorite blogger had Tonkatsu Sauce recipe. I tried cooking her food before and I liked them. So I think this is good. I’ll give it a try next time myself. 🙂
Wow, my mouth is watering. What an absolutely gorgeous photo, Nami!!
This is beautiful! Lovely guest post! Enjoy your time off with your mother. Precious time with loved ones is priceless.
I need to cook more Japanese food!!!! Everything just looks so delicious I can barely stand it! What did you put on top? Housin sauce?
Hi Nami
This looks amazing as all your dishes do. Many many years ago, I was in Nagoya for a school trip and these were all we could afford to eat while we were there. We ate them everyday till we were so so sick of it. It took many years after that before I started eating tonkatsu again. hahhaa. Now, I eat them and love them too, especially with raw cabbage and the tonkatsu sauce or with Jap curry. Have a wonderful time with your mum!
Hi Nami: I hope you’re enjoying time with your Mom! 🙂
I haven’t had breakfast yet, but I am so hungry for this Tonkatsu! My mom used to make something similar with regular bread crumbs (I think it’s called/spelled “milanesa”). But using panko has to be the golden ticket. Delicious!
Have a fantastic weekend!
Another awesome guest post, Nami! Ryan & I love tonkatsu!
Have a wonderful time with your mom!
I love tonkatsu but as you mentioned too scared to try cooking it and don’t like the mess but your post makes me want to try the recipe. I might get the ingredients tomorrow. Beautiful post and pictures. Enjoy your time with your mom.
Congrats on the guest post, Nami! I’m not scared off by fried foods, and if it’s double fried like this recipe, that’s even better. LOL. Hope you have a great time taking your mom sightseeing. You deserve a good break because you always work soooo hard on this blog!
I love your step by step photos. This looks so crispy and delicious and I’m a vegetarian!! My other half is definitely going to try your prawn tempura recipe at the restaurant. He watched the video and was amazed! Hopefully he will be serving the most authentic tempura prawn in Andalucia thanks to you! Don’t you just love this foodblogging business it makes the world so small?!
Nami chan, 美味しそう！Our family all love tonkatsu. I didn’t know about adding oil in egg, that’s a great tip. Have a wonderful time with your mother. Thank you for your kind comment on my blog.
I usually don’t eat tonkatsu when I frequent Japanese restaurants because I can never go past the fresh sushi and sashimi. But your recipe looks pretty delicious and simple to make. I doubt if I would do it myself because of all the oil but you have renewed my interest next time I eat Japanese.
Not sure if I’m more excited about this delicious recipe or that your mother is visiting you from Japan! She must be thrilled to see you and the kids. Enjoy yourselves and make the best memories you can.
well well well what did i tell you… you are definitely the girl to watch… look at you a guest post at a famous blogger! wow amazing! keep it up nami! you are on your way up there!
tonokatsu? all time favorite hands down!
have a great weekend!
malou
Congratulations on your guest post at Rasa Malayasia. This dish is so authentic and I am sure if I was asked to make this dish, it would have turned out to be something else….
Great going, Nami!
Really great tips on deep frying you have shared, Nami. Have a fun time with your mother!
Love the preparation of the crispy pork tenderloin, Nami. The Tonkatsu sauce sounds, and looks awesome, as well!
Have a wonderful time with your mom, and when time permits. please pop into my blog to claim your AWARD!…Congratulations, well deserved!
Congrats on the featuring!! Great post with detailed step by step photos and useful tips!! Thanks for sharing!
I don’t eat pork, but this is beautiful Nami!
Beautiful looking tonkatsu. Thanks for the tip in step #1 – didn’t know that!
Enjoy the time with your mother!!! Anything that gorgeous that’s been double deep fried has got to be delicious~
Fantastic Nami and your illustrations are so helpful. The “Tonkatsu Sauce” that you refer to – what is in this? Did you make the sauce yourself or is there a decent brand you can get off the shelf?
I think most people use store-bought Tonkatsu Sauce like this just like we use Ketchup. It’s thick Worcestershire sauce that uses pureed apples and veggies as a main ingredient. It’s sweet (not too sweet) and this is by far my favorite Japanese condiments. 🙂
Hi! Nami how r u? This dish is looks fantastic, crunchy and ur step by step photos r very nice thanks for share this just buzzzzzzed:).
If ever there was an excuse to not eat diet friendly food this would have to be it. What a tasty looking dish!
I don’t eat pork but I wanted to congratulate you on the guest post on Rasa Malaysia! Bee is amazing isn’t she 😀
Who’s afraid of fried stuff?? This looks amazing! We double fried some shrimp once and it really did make the outside super crunchy. YUM!
ooh, that looks to be cooked to perfection. thanks for the wonderful tutorial!
I love Rasa Malaysia! Congrats on your gust post Nami! I will absolutely have to try and make tonkatsu! It was on my must try list for Japan! It is similar to cotolette I guess. It looks amazing, especially with the sauce on the top!!! Hope you are having a great time with your mum! <3
Enjoy the time with your mom!
that looks delicious! have a lovely break! Jennyx
Thanks for sharing this awesome dish. Congrats on the guest post at Rasa Malaysia. Have nice break and spend a wonderful time with you mum.
This looks delicious! Enjoy your mom’s company 🙂
Nami, tonkatsu is one of my son favorite Japanese dish along with the others one in your list, hehehe…and can you believe that I never made it at home? Shame on me…
Yours look perfect…better than the restaurant. Hope you are having a fantastic week 🙂 and enjoy your time with your mom!
Now I really want to try tonkatsu…sounds so good to be crispy outside and tender inside. YUM!
Hope you’re having a great time with your family!
Hello there,
This is my first time here and I must say that I totally in love with your blog. Oh man! such a beautiful blog with more beautiful pictures. Loving, loving and loving your space. I am sure I will come back often.
This looks so good I want it now 🙂 Hope you are having a nice time on your vacation with your mom and family 🙂
Great post! I just love all your photos. I also love tonkatsu, yours looks so good. Yes, I would like a bite right now.
Have a wonderful time with your family!
yummy guest post, congrats!! I am adding this to my dinner ideas.
have fun with your family!!
take care
it looks delicious . Have a wonderful time with your mum
lovely recipe Nami…and congrats for the post….will visit you some times for more such lovely recipes.
That tonkatsu looks so delicious! I keep hearing wonderful things about this dish, but have never actually tried it myself. I think that’s definitely going to have to change, because this looks amazing!
Nami enjoy your time with your mom! I hope you’ll have a blast! Will miss your fantastic recipes, but I am sure you get lots of inspiration with your mom around.
Nami, I made this last night for my family and it was delicious! Thank you for the recipe and instructions. I learned that, next time, I need to pound the pork pretty thin… I had to double-fry several times for the meat to get cooked all the way through. Or maybe I had the oil too hot. Anyway… I’ll be making this again!
Thanks for trying this recipe! 😀 I’m glad you enjoyed it. Mine is probably half inch or so. I personally like thin tonkatsu (I use Sukiyaki meat to make katsu, and that’s my favorite), but my husband likes Tonkatsu like 和幸 (Wako). So only thing I can think of is that your oil temp was high. You don’t want oil temp to be too low because Tonkatsu will suck up all the oil, but you need 350F when you drop the meat in oil. Then oil temp will automatically become lower (but won’t go too low). I wish deep frying process is easy. I use thermometer for deep frying this kind of Tonkatsu so I can make sure meat is cooked through (without cutting to check). 2nd time will be better and easier. Thank you for giving me the feedback! 🙂
Nami, I stumbled on this site through Rasa Malaysia, and I just had one question about the second frying step. After letting the pork rest for 4 minutes, do you fry just one side for 1 minute again, or both sides (1 or 2 minutes cumulatively)? Thanks for the clarification!
Hi bydh! Thank you for asking me the question! I wasn’t clear and that was a good catch. I already edited the recipe, but it should be about 30 seconds each, total of 1 minute. But remember it varies depending on how thick the meat is. Thank you for letting me know! 🙂
Hello, Nami! That tonkatsu looks so good! perfectly crisp on the outside and tender and juicy meat on the inside. yum! 🙂 I will definitely try this at home with some curry, sort of like Coco-Ichi’s kare chicken katsu. Thanks for sharing this easy step by step recipe! I also added Just One Cookbook to my favorite blogs (^-^) I hope you don’t mind.
Hello Nami. I have one question about the outcome of frying.
Mine is always look burnt on the panko, but yours is so nice. Any tips? How do you control the oil’s temperature when frying?
The pork itself is just nice, and juicy.
Thanks a lot.
Hi Liliana! From what you described, I think your oil temperature is too high especially when panko gets burnt. Do you use thermometer? If you are not sure about the oil temperature, thermometer definitely helps you to make sure to stay on the right temp. Once you get used to it, you will not need thermometer. When you add new tonkatsu in the oil, the temperature drops (because the meat is cold). So controlling oil temperature is the key. 🙂 Hope this helps.
Thanks, Nami. Shall get one first and try again..:-)
This looks great! I’m always looking for lunch ideas for my daughter! She tried Tonkatsu in a Japanese restaurant and liked it so I’m excited to make it at home.
Hi, I was wondering if you could switch the pork out and maybe change it for chicken.
Would that work too?
Hi Chriss! Yes, we do have chicken version and we call it “Chicken Katsu” 🙂 If you use breast, make sure you butterfly it so it will be thin and easy to deep fry (and cook faster). Enjoy! 🙂
Hi Nami, my daughter love the tonkatsu she had in Japan recently (May 2012) and I tried making tonkatsu with your recipe and it was great! The whole family love it.
Thanks for sharing your recipe, looking forward to try more of your recipes.
BTW, do you need to heat up the tonkatsu sauce?
Have a good week ahead.
Hi William! I’m glad your family enjoyed my tonkatsu recipe! It’s pretty straightforward as long as you are comfortable with deep frying. 🙂
About the tonkatsu sauce, nope. I’ve never seen heated tonkatsu sauce, even at Tonkatsu specialized restaurant. 🙂
Have a great week too!
I’ve tried a couple different ways to make tonkatsu and this is by FAR the best way to do it! Mine always come out like ones I buy in a restaurant! Thank you Nami!
Hi Jill! So happy to hear you like this recipe! Yay! 🙂 Thank you for your feedback!
If I am making cheese tonkatsu should I buy a thicker cut since I will be cutting a slit in it to insert cheese? I am thinking if the meat is cut in half it might cook differently.
Hi Amy! If you buy a thicker cut, it will take a longer time to cook (and it’s pork so you want to cook it fully too). What kind of cheese are you going to stuff in? If you can slice the cheese thinly, I think this size works too.
When I make cheese katsu, I use thinly sliced pork and make sandwich with two slices of pork. It works great too since I don’t have to cook pork for a long time (as the meat is thin), the inside cheese won’t come out. If you have a Japanese grocery store nearby, I recommend you to use sliced pork for Sukiyaki (thicker than Shabu Shabu).
Hope this helps…
Okay, I will take your advice then and try that. Thank you for the timely response :).
Hope you enjoy(ed) it! 🙂
Hi Nami,
Thanks for a great recipe. I have one question, I am going to make a dessert with only egg whites (leaving 4 yolks out) but not sure if I could only use the yolk when dipping the meat. What do you recommend?
Thank you for your time!
Regards, Josie
Hi Josie! You will need whole egg for dipping. Maybe you can use the egg yolk for dessert?
https://www.justonecookbook.com/tags/egg-yolk/
Hope that helps. 🙂
Namiko-san. Domo arigato go zai ma shi te for the #1 tonkatsu recipee ! It brought back memories of Japan. I loved it very much! I will try your katsudon recipee later. I can hardly wait! Itchibon Namiko-san!!
Hi Ra ru fu! Thank you!!! You are too kind. 🙂 I hope you enjoy this reicpe! xoxo
Namiko-san. Domo arigato go zai ma shi te for the #1 tonkatsu recipee ! It brought back memories of Japan. I loved it very much! I will try your katsudon recipee later. I can hardly wait! Itchibon Namiko-san!! Also please Thank your husband for helping you find your way on the internet! You all have really brought back memories of Japan. Do you all have your own cookbook that I can purchase?
Thank you for your interest on cookbook. I hardly can catch up my work for the blog and now with YouTube video, I don’t have time to write a cookbook. 🙂 Maybe one day…
So silly question, I like the crispy-ness of panko but find that there is not a lot of flavor in the breading. Is it the brand or are they normally bland? Is there a trick to give it more flavor?
Hi Justin! Yeah we don’t really expect to taste flavor from panko (but more expensive panko (coming from good quality bread) tends to taste better) as we always put tonkatsu sauce. I live outside of Japan now and it’s very hard to find good quality panko… Hope this helps. If you don’t put tonkatsu sauce, you can always add herbs and garlic etc. 🙂
Hi Nami,
I tried making this and somehow they turned out… um… undercooked and mostly white. I followed the directions as close as possible; I assume my problem was the oil probably dropped below 350. I more paranoid of it being burnt and ended on the opposite spectrum… lol
However, I don’t have or even know of a thermometer that you can clip to a wok that would be able to monitor its temperature the entire time; do you have to just hold it, or, is there a thermometer out there that clips onto woks? Alternatively, what’s your method at keeping the temperature stable? Thanks!
Hi Dorothy! Thank you for trying this recipe! Deep frying needs practice, so I hope you don’t give up. 🙂
From what you wrote, it sounds like the oil temperature wasn’t there. While deep frying, you should see the active bubbling going on around the pork like you see in Step 9 and 10. I also worry about outer layer of tonkatsu get burnt / cooked too fast too. So the temperature is really the key for deep frying. If you use the chopstick (or if you have wooden chopstick), you can check the temperature by putting it in the oil. Or drop panko in it to see how it acts in the oil.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/how-to/how-to-deep-fry-food/
But if you’re not too sure, the thermometer would help. There’s one that has a clip:
http://www.amazon.com/MasterBuilt-23102009-Butterball-Stainless-Thermometer/dp/B002SG6HRY/ref=sr_1_15?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1414604132&sr=1-15&keywords=oil+thermometer+digital
But this never worked on my pot, so I used to stick that in to the oil when I need to check (but be careful with your hands).
Now I use a Japanese deep fryer that comes with a thermometer (can’t find the same model on Amazon…).
You don’t need to hold on to the thermometer all the time, but when you’re not sure it’s good to have a thermometer. When you deep fry several times, you kind of understand the look of oil if it’s good temperature or not. The oil definitely needs to actively bubbling, and the food should stay up instead of being sunk. When the oil is not hot enough, the food absorbs the oil too much. When the deep fried food is fried perfectly, the food absorbed least oil (it’s kind of hard to explain in English…sorry…).
Also, is your stove gas or electric? Gas is very easy to control the temperature. When the oil is “getting” too hot, you need to start turn down the heat (it’ll take time for oil to reduce the temperature, so you have to plan ahead to reduce the heat). OR you can add more food so the oil temperature will go down. This is all from experience when to add food and when to turn down/up the heat.
One last thing. Do not put too much food in the oil. It’s very hard to control the temperature. Hope this helps! Please feel free to ask me if you have any question. 🙂
Nami,
I must attain delicious perfected tonkatsu, so I do intend to try again. (That said, it was still actually pretty good, haha)
I think I’ll try out the chopstick method first, and if it’s no good I’ll order the fancy deep fry thermometer (or just try holding one I have… haha). I did actually see this when I first read it, but, I wasn’t sure if you could still use those methods during cooking so I wanted to double check. Yeah, hopefully I’ll get the hang of how it should look after doing it enough times, haha. No worries; I know what you mean about not wanting the food to absorb too much of the oil.
My stove is gas, so I’ll keep that in mind, as well as not putting too much in the pan. Thanks for all the tips! 🙂
Hi Dorothy! Thank you for your response! Try the wood chopstick trick. It should show lots of small bubbles. You don’t have to check the temperature with chopsticks when the food is in it… as food is the indicator. If it doesn’t give lots of bubbles, the temp is a little too low. Glad to hear your stove is gas! I had a hard time adjusting oil temperature with electric stove in my previous house! 🙂
p.s. I’m not sure if you have seen, but you can also try “Baked” Tonkatsu recipe too. It’s easy, and very close to deep fried version. 🙂
https://www.justonecookbook.com/recipes/baked-tonkatsu/
Good luck, Dorothy! 🙂
This is fantastic. I tried four different ways of cooking tonkatsu today, after deciding to make it for the family tonight. Most of the recipes I have seen had cooking times far too long, but even after adjusting for that the breadcrumbs were crisping up too quickly. They looked beautiful after a minute, but pretty ropey after five or six. The tweaks you have suggested here — not just the double-fry, but the sprinkling of water on the breadcrumbs — made all the difference in the world. I was starting to think that my rather thin pork chops could never achieve the moistness I desired, but not so. Great work!
Hi Matthew! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! In Japan we have several kinds of panko including “nama panko” (very soft and fresh breadcrumbs, not dried ones we normally use). It tastes so good!! Since we don’t have those, spraying water helps it fluff up a bit. 🙂 I’m glad you like the method! Your kind comment and feedback made my day! Thank you! 🙂
Love your site and I believe you are from the Bay Area as well. I frequent Japan every 2-3 months and love it there. So much so, I’ll be relocating there in January. However, prior to that, I purchased a Konro for grilling yakitori, etc. A great Tonkatsu restaurant is imakatsu in Roppongi. Also, how do you regulate your oil temperature? It’s quite difficult on a stovetop?
Hi Spencer! Thank you so much for reading my blog! Yes, I’m from the Bay Area (peninsula). 🙂 That’s so wonderful that you will be relocating! It’s always my dream to live in Japan for at least a few years… 🙂
Regarding how to control the oil – thermometer will help to make sure what temp the oil is at, but I kind of knows by how the food is being fried… I had difficult time to control the temp when I had an electric stove top. I had to remove the pot from the heat etc, but with gas, it’s much easier and I can control better. Always need to think ahead – like when you are about to put food inside the oil, I usually increase the heat to maintain the temp, and when the oil looks getting hot, I reduce a bit… etc etc… Hope I’m answering your question…?! Sorry I wasn’t….
Nami-chan,
I have a question. For the shredded cabbage to go with tonkatsu, how do you make it taste crisp and juicy? Mine isn’t crispy.
Thank you,
Judy
Hi Judy! First of all, the quality of ingredients do matter. I think that’s the one and only key point to get good shredded cabbage. The cutting/slicing the cabbage helps too as you want to cut the right angle, but without having good cabbage the salad won’t taste good. When I make shredded cabbage, I pick organic one (tastes VERY different!) and make sure they look fresh not staying at the store for a long time… as we don’t mix with other ingredients, the cabbage must taste good. I’m sorry I can’t give you any other advice besides the quality is the key…
Oh, and make sure to use a very sharp knife! 🙂
Hello,
Your explanations and the methods are very clear, you do a fantastic service for the people to achieve real Japanese taste.
Hi Lalani! Thank you so much for your kind words about my blog and recipe! 🙂
Please tell me, what is that fluffy white shred in the back of the plate? It looks delightful. Do you have a recipe for it? Please share if you do. Thank you for this beautiful recipe.
Hi J’Marinde! It’s actually thinly shredded cabbage. 🙂 We usually serve deep fried foods with shredded cabbage. I’m glad you liked it. 🙂
Hi;
Thank you for your quick reply about the cabbage. Is it raw? Do you buy the angel hair cabbage in the market or do you make your own? It looks so delightful. I must try this! Can you give me a hint on how to achiever it? Thank you.
Hi J’Marinde! It’s raw – just shred very very thinly.
https://www.google.com/search?q=%E3%82%AD%E3%83%A3%E3%83%99%E3%83%84%E3%81%AE%E5%8D%83%E5%88%87%E3%82%8A&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjfwbfp5MbKAhVFyWMKHdqQDl0Q_AUIBygB&biw=1604&bih=830
We cut regular cabbage very thinly. Good sharp knife helps!
Found a YouTube video…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UI3XRVdNQ30
Hope this helps!
yummy now i’m hungry
Thanks for your kind words! 🙂
Clicking on Baked Tonkatsu Recipe sends you to the recipe for Crispy Tonkatsu Donburi instead of the baked tonkatsu 🙁
Hi Andy! Thank you for letting me now. It’s been fixed. 🙂
Hi Nami!
Thanks a lot for your great recipes! They always turn out delicious!
What kind of sauce do you make for the shredded cabbage?
Hi Sarina! I like soy sauce base dressing like this or sesame dressing. 🙂
https://www.justonecookbook.com/wafu-dressing-japanese-salad-dressing/
https://www.justonecookbook.com/sesame-dressing/
At Tonkatsu restaurants, they offer Yuzu Dressing or Sesame Dressing, and they are pretty common. 🙂
Best tips for great tonkatsu…the oil added to the egg, the moistening of panko crumbs first…the best! Thankyou so much for sharing!
Hi Claudia! You’re very welcome. I hope you enjoy my Tonkatsu recipe! 🙂
Oh my god, this is the BEST and simplest tonkatsu recipe I’ve ever tried. It turned our super crispy in the outside and super tender on the inside and it took me half the time I normally take. I had never tried mixing oil with the egg either. Thank you for sharing your wonderful knowledge and creations!!
Hi Yuko! I’m so happy to hear that you liked this recipe. Thank you for your kind feedback! 🙂
how the heck do i get the cabbage rly thin?
I hand cut for this recipe back then but now I own this cabbage slicer (see under “Japanese Cooking” section). This is amazing. Cabbage is super thin threads and taste so good and fluffy!
https://www.justonecookbook.com/shop/
Love this recipe but what is the sauce that’s served w/yakatori?
Thank you! No, Tonkatsu is served with Tonkatsu Sauce (base is Worcestershire sauce).
https://www.justonecookbook.com/how_to/tonkatsu-sauce-recipe/
Yakitori is served with Yakitori Sauce (base is soy sauce).
https://www.justonecookbook.com/yakitori/
Hi Nami! I love your website! I was wondering if you have heard of black pepper tonkatsu. I guess it was served at Kimikatsu in Waikiki but it’s now closed. People have raved over it and I wondered if you know a recipe for it.
Thank you!
Hi Yuko! Thank you so much!! Black pepper tonkatsu (黒胡椒とんかつ)… I know some tonkatsu restaurant serves rolled up katsu with black pepper (Shinjuku Saboten). I just googled and saw the picture of Kimukatsu. Yeah it’s similar. I don’t have the recipe for it, but they use the thin sliced pork loin instead of one big chunk of pork loin. You should sprinkle black pepper in between layers. 🙂 Maybe I’ll share this type of katsu one day!
Hello!
First, thank you for posting so many great Japanese recipes all in one place! Whenever I am looking for a recipe, I come here first and you almost always have it.
I am hoping to make katsu soon, but when I was in Japan, the katsu-ya had a sauce that they would serve with the cabbage. It seemed like it had lemon in it or had a lemony flavor at least. It was a clear or yellow-colored sauce that’s difference from the tonkatsu sauce. I was wondering if you know what the sauce is or if you have a recipe for it?
Have a nice day!
Nykoel
Hi Nykoel! Thank you for your kind words. I’m glad my blog is helpful. 🙂
It seems like it’s Yuzu dressing? It’s pretty popular. The problem is… fresh yuzu or yuzu products can be hard to find.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/pantry_items/yuzu/
If you can find yuzu extract/juice, you can make the dressing at home. I’ll add yuzu dressing on my list. 🙂
Thank you. Easy tonkatsu recipe to follow came out delicious.
Hi Misato! Thank you so much for your kind feedback! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe! 🙂
So crispy! SOOOOO delish! Thank you for sharing your method of cooking up the best Tonkatsu ever. Just tried this for my husband’s birthday dinner. On the side shredded fresh cabbage, Bulldog sauce, spicy yellow mustard, miso soup with tofu. and steamed rice, of course. YUMMMMM!!! 🙂
Hi Linda! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback. I’m really happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Happy Birthday to your husband! He’s really lucky you made delicious homemade food for his birthday! 🙂
Outstanding tonkatsu receipe. Crispy and juicy inside. Very delicious. Your sauce was also excellent. Thanks
Hi Ryan! Thank you so much for your kind feedback. I’m really happy to hear you enjoyed it! Thank you for your kind feedback. xo
I really miss the tonkatsu I had in Tokyo – it was so delicious! I will use your recipe and make it for my family now that we are back in Canada. How do you make the dressing for the raw cabbage that is served with tonkatsu?
Hi Ellie! What was the dressing? Each Tonkatsu restaurant has different dressings. Most Japanese use tonkatsu sauce (I have homemade recipe on the blog) or whatever the dressing the restaurant serves at the table.
Here’s sesame dressing:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/sesame-dressing/
And wafu dressing:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/wafu-dressing-japanese-salad-dressing/
Carrot ginger dressing:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/carrot-ginger-dressing/
Hope you enjoy!
レシピはめちゃ美味しいでした！私たちはアメリカ人から、はじめて食べる。My picky Hispanic-American family loved the meal! Super yummy and easy. ありがとうございます！
こんにちは、Nat! コメントどうもありがとう！So happy your family enjoyed this recipe!
Hello
I just wondering, can I use beef instead of pork for this recipe?
Thank you
Hi Vee! We do have Gyu-katsu which is beef katsu. I have never made it at home, but you can. I have to study the trick and oil temperature so that beef won’t be overcooked. It should be cooked till medium rare to medium to be tender, since you don’ t have to cook all the way like pork.
I’ve made this twice, and it’s turned out great! Thanks for the detailed post!
The only thing I did to make it more to my liking was to brine the pork cutlet first and leave out the recipe salt because of the brine. Also, the restaurants (around here anyway) tend to use fairly thin slices of pork and then cut the finished tonkatsu in narrower slices. The thin slices of pork cook quicker, which allows the breading to stay on the lighter side of color. This is how we seem to prefer it. Thanks again!
Hi Ernie! I’m so glad to hear yours came out well too! The brining is a great idea, although somehow it’s not very common when making Tonkatsu in Japan. It’s funny, the thicker the Tonkatsu is, the better it is in Tonkatsu specialized restaurants in Japan. I went for the same/similar thickness that I could make. 😀 On the contrary, at a regular household, thin tonkatsu is quite popular for easy deep frying with less oil (I also have the recipe). 🙂
Thank you again for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback. xoxo
This was my first time making tonkatasu and it was delicious. So fast and easy and easy to make. Your tips were really helpful. I made sure to keep the oil at 350 degrees and it did not burn. Will keep this recipe for future meals.
Hi Chris! I’m so happy to hear you give this recipe a try and it came out well. Thank you for your kind feedback, Chris! 🙂
Great step-by-step. My Husband got tired of hearing me pound the pork and bought a little tenderizer that looks kind of like a meat grinder and clamps to my counter-top. And don’t worry if your cutlet is a little pink in the center. Trichinosis is no longer an issue with pork produced in the US and government guidelines now say to cook pork chops and roasts to 145 F (medium) instead of the higher well done temps common a few decades ago
Thank you Janet! Haha, your husband is nice to get you a cool meat tenderizer! And thanks for the information on doneness for the pork! 🙂