Jump to:📋 What do we need for the Tonkatsu? Tonkatsu Sauce Ingredients 🔪 How to make it 🍽️ What to serve it with 📺 Watch how to make it 🍲 More recipes with Pork Tonkatsu Pork Recipe 💬 Reviews
Tonkatsu (Ton meaning ‘pork’ and Katsu being a shortened version of ‘katsuretsu’ meaning ‘cutlet’) originated in Japan in the 19th century.
Usually the pork is deep-fried (I shallow-fry mine and finish it in the oven), then served with rice, cabbage and a thick, spicy sauce.
There are many variations of Tonkatsu sauce. Namiko - creator of Just One Cookbook (a fantastic site that focuses on authentic and modern Japanese recipes) describes the from scratch sauce as being made from vegetables and fruits such as tomatoes, prunes, dates, apples, lemon juice, carrots, onions, and celery, plus more than 10 kinds of spices along with soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar.
Mine is definately a shortcut sauce which is strong, tangy and sweet, but delicious. Taste it straight from the pan and you may pucker your lips a little and think it’ll be too strong. However, once it’s drizzled on the pork it tastes fabulous.
The whole lot is always polished off in minutes by me, Chris and the kids (even the sauce-drizzled raw cabbage is consumed without argument!).
A really tasty meal that’s a little bit different (but in a really good way!) ready in under 30 minutes.
We start by dredging pork loin steaks through flour, then egg and then panko breadcrumbs.Fry in oil for a few minutes each side until golden, then place in the oven to finish cooking whilst you make the sauce.An unusual-sounding combination of ketchup, white wine, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, curry powder, mirin and sugar! It all gets placed in a pan, mixed together, then simmered for 5 minutes.Slice up the crispy-coated pork and place on top of a waiting pile of boiled rice and finely sliced raw white cabbage.
Then pour on that tangy sauce…… Sprinkle with a few spring onions and you’re ready to eat.
Crispy oven-baked friesFried riceOn top of a noodle salad (I’d skip the mustard dressing and use the curry sauce in this recipe for the dressing).
Stay updated with new recipes!Subscribe to the newsletter to hear when I post a new recipe. I’m also on YouTube (new videos every week) and Instagram (behind-the-scenes stories & beautiful food photos). This recipe was first published in October 2015. Updated January 2019 and April 2021 with new photos, step-by-step images, video and tips. Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.
