Japanese-style pork cutlet (tonkatsu)

Delicious tonkatsu is a popular Japanese-style crispy fried pork cutlet. This method of cooking pork cutlets keeps them tender and juicy inside with a crunchy panko crust outside.

Total carbs 15g

I’ve made this dish hundreds of times in a Japanese food court kitchen where I worked with my mother. I dredged pork cutlets in flour, dipped them in egg wash and coated them in panko crumbs and set them aside for the deep-fryer. The thinness of the pork cutlets allowed us to fry them up in a matter of minutes, quickly filling orders and pleasing crowds.

Where did tonkatsu come from?

Who dreamed up this tasty dish? Tonkatsu was created by Japanese chefs in the 19th century as a Japanese version of European cutlets and schnitzels. They were called “katsu-retsu”, which is a Japanese transliteration of the English word “cutlets”. “Ton” in “tonkatsu” just means pork. European versions of cutlet were sauced with brown gravy. Tonkatsu sauce, which is really a salty, sweet, and pungent brown sauce, mimics the look of gravy. Tonkatsu is often served with raw shredded cabbage in Japanese restaurants, which substituted sauerkraut as an accompaniment in European platings at the time. Panko crumbs cook up light and crispy and are what distinguishes tonkatsu from regular breaded cutlets.

Ingredients you'll need

pork cutlets

Use thin cuts of pork tenderloin. If you don't eat pork, chicken breast cutlets or chicken thigh cutlets are fantastic substitutes. If you don't eat meat, then very firm tofu cutlets work with this recipe. If you use tofu, press, drain and pat it dry first.

salt and black pepper for seasoning

flour, egg and panko crumbs for breading

It's got to be panko crumbs for the dish to be tonkatsu. No substitutions.

oil for frying

condiments

tonkatsu sauce

Try to get tonkatsu sauce, there's nothing quite as good. I love Bulldog ❣️ brand tonkatsu sauce. There is always a bottle in my fridge. However, if you can’t find tonkatsu sauce then mix together equal parts ketchup and Worcestershire sauce.

mustard

Use dry mustard powder mixed with water to make a paste.

Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise for the vegetables

Serving suggestions

Tonkatsu is usually served with a bowl of hot rice and a side of freshly shredded cabbage and drizzled with savory brown tonkatsu sauce. Skip the rice to keep this meal under 30 grams of carbs.

Plate with fresh vegetables such as cabbage, cucumber, tomato, steamed broccoli and a lemon wedge. Add a dollop of mayonnaise on the side for dipping the veggies. Slice and plate cutlets then drizzle with tonkatsu sauce. Place a dollop of mustard next to cutlets for dipping.

How to prepare shredded cabbage for serving with tonkatsu

1. Finely shred cabbage.
2. Soak cabbage in a bowl of cold water and keep refrigerated until ready to use.
3. When ready to eat, drain the cabbage and squeeze out water with hands.

How to get crispy fried food and not soggy fried food

If you want fried food to come out crispy, never crowd them in a fryer. Crowding traps steam (steam occurs naturally as food releases water during cooking) which makes fried food soggy. Make sure there is plenty of space between the cutlets to release steam as they fry. Four small cutlets can fit a large skillet, but if you are using larger cutlets, cook them in batches. It only takes a couple of extra minutes to cook.

How to get crispy fried food that isn't oily or greasy

Be patient and wait for the oil to get hot enough for frying. If the oil isn’t hot enough when you add the cutlets, they will turn out greasy. To test if the oil is hot enough, you can either:

1. Use a thermometer. The oil needs to be 360ºF.
2. Test fry a single panko crumb. If the crumb immediately bubbles and begins to turn golden, the oil is ready. Remove the test panko crumb so that it doesn't burn and give the oil a bitter flavor.
3. Look at the oil. Hot oil shimmers.
4. Drain cutlets on paper towels immediately. Do not let them sit in oil after they are done cooking.

Make ahead

You can bread the cutlets ahead of time and keep them covered under paper towels in the fridge up to a day ahead.

How to store

Store covered in the fridge to eat as leftovers for up to 3 days. Popular dishes made with leftover tonkatsu are katsu curry (tonkatsu with curry sauce over rice) and katsudon (tonkatsu rice bowl).

Frequently Asked Questions

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