Tonkatsu is a Japanese pork cutlet for those of you who are wondering how that made it through spell check. Don't ask me how to pronounce it... Just come in and get the recipe!
Has anyone else noticed that Facebook can make you hate people you would have otherwise not had an opinion of? It seems that no matter what age you are, there is always some sort of drama circulating that you can tap into via one of your 4,792 friends and by God, they want you to know about it.
I'm also shocked when someone's feelings are hurt when someone drops them on Facebook. I only have like 100 friends and I can't figure out who's missing from day to day when the number of friends I have goes up and down, but I've seen people who really get offended over it. Personally, if I did notice I wasn't someones BFF on the World Wide Web anymore, I may take it as a polite hint and move on with my life. A toddler I knew once said, "Build a bridge and get over it", except when she said it, it was in that adorable toddler talk - awesome.
From a business and blogging perspective though, I love me some Facebook! My shop uses it to communicate with our customers quickly, get friendly chatter going and announce events and sales! For Pass the Sushi I love it because I feel like I get quick comments and great feedback from my "likers" (since its no longer fans...). And we all know how comments are the crack of the blogging world. 😀
Tonkatsu
From Beyond Kimchee
Ingredients:
For the pork:
- ¾ lb pork cutlet slices, ⅜" thick each, gently pounded
- salt and pepper to season
- 8 slices of white bread, or 2 cups Panko crumbs
- ½ cup flour
- 3 eggs
- Oil for frying
For the Tonkatsu sauce:
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup steak sauce, I use Heinz 57
- ½ apple, chopped
- ½ small onion, chopped
- ½ can of 8 oz canned crushed pineapple and their juice
- 1T Worcestershire sauce
- 3T brown sugar
- 2T corn syrup
Preparation:
For the sauce:
Combine all the ingredients in a sauce pan over medium heat. Boil and simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes until it gets thickened and syrupy. Strain the sauce in the strainer pressing with spoon to get all the juice. Discard the filling and keep the sauce in the fridge until ready to use.
For the pork:
Season the pork slices with salt and pepper, set aside.
Cut off the crusts of white bread slices. Place them in the food processor and pulse a few times to get the coarse crumbs. Transfer the crumbs into shallow bowl.
Beat eggs in the shallow bowl and pour some flour into a plate as well.
Coat the pork slices with flour, egg, and bread crumbs. Stack them together on a plate and cover them with plastic wrap. Chill them for at least 1 hr.
For frying, Heat oil over medium heat, about 170 C. Test with a piece of bread crumbs to see if it bubbles up right away. Drop the pork slices and fry for 1-2 minutes each side. Transfer the meat on to wire rack. Fry again for the second time, only 30 seconds to 1- minutes on each side until they get nicely browned all over. Rest them on the rack.
Drizzle with Tonkatsu sauce over and serve immediately.
If you're wondering why I put this post in the Quick Dinner Fixins category, it's because it really does come together quickly. There is a little thinking ahead and prep work that you will need to do, like making the sauce and breading the pork ahead of time, but it comes together in less then 5 minutes once you are actually ready for supper.
I served this Tonkatsu with rice and an Asian slaw and the kicker, the BF liked it! I totally wouldn't tell him what was in the sauce because he would have never tried it, but without knowing, he loved it. Win!
the constant hunger says
I love that you made homemade breadcrumbs. It crisps up waaay better than the powdery kind they sell at the grocery store. What a great sauce. Lovely combination of sweet and salty.
Blog is the New Black says
Having trouble seeing this post... sad face!
Kate @ Diethood.com says
I've never had tonkatsu sauce and I don't know why because that sounds amazing... This meal would also be a winner around here. Thank you for sharing, Kita....I love it!
P.S. FB is great to get some feedback or catch up with an old friend, but just as you, I can't believe all the stuff that people share on there... do they do it for attention?
briarrose says
This looks like heaven. I love the sauce with the mix of apple and pineapple.
Roxan says
Hmmm... Maybe I should get a facebook page. I've hesitated though, for a few reasons. Even my twitter doesn't really have anything to do with my blog. I've never even considered it before but after reading this I'm semi-maybe-considering it now!
Anyways, I LOVE tonkatsu. I haven't had it in a while. If i didn't already have dinner made for tonight (leftovers from yesterday) i'd go and get some tonight.
Lauren at KeepItSweet says
This is a delicious looking meal! I had to laugh at your facebook commentary:-)
melissa @IWasBornToCook says
this looks delicious, and easy to make! thanks for sharing!
Christina says
I try to ignore and not get involved in the FB drama. I'd rather spend my time in the kitchen. If I have to be on the computer then I'd rather troll food blogs! Your pork dish looks so tasty! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Corned Beef and Kimchi says
Love Tonkatsu! I have to confess that I buy my sauce from the Asian market - they usually contain apples to give it the sweetness.
When I was in Korea, I went to a Tonkatsu place, and they gave everyone little mortar and pestles to crush up their spices before adding the sauce. Fun!
vtkitchen says
truer fbook words couldn't be spoken. i am seriously annoyed by people's choice of things to post. it makes me second guess impressions built over years. and yes, i think some of these people must do forensic analysis to figure out when someone goes missing. they will get over it. haha, who cares, we're cooking!!
fooddreamer says
Facebook is a weird, weird phenomenon, and I have less time and energy for it with each passing day. But I would love this pork cutlet!
Kim - Liv Life says
I also have never heard of this dish, but I have all the ingredients on hand and they are all tempting. I'm thinking that this will be a family pleaser!
I'm with you on facebook. I find it helpful to stay in touch with friends (especially those far away) and for blog reasons like you do... but I really don't want to be "friends" with every mom from my kid's class. I was dropped by a few people who I really don't know well, and I have to admit that it was somewhat of a relief not to have their personal info passing across my page.
Medeja says
Beautiful pork dish 🙂 I'm not big pork lover but Im sure I would like this dish, it looks tasty
alely lee says
my family loves tonkatsu! it's our favorite!
Hyosun Ro says
Your tonkatsu looks delicious! Great job. I found you through Chef Dennis and really like your blog. Will visit often.
Lisa says
Cooked this meal today! I have always looked for a different way to get creative with pork chop, this is definitely a plate that will be added to our dinner dish!! Delish! I skipped the pineapples cause I had nine but still equally tasty. Thank you for sharing 🙂
Zack says
Great recipe, tonkatsu was a big staple for me in the time I spent in Japan. If you really want to cut down on cooking time even more, just buy the pre-made tonkatsu sauce made by bulldog from your local asian foods grocery store. It may not be homemade and I'm sure it's full of all kinds of additives but it still tastes great, and is what you'll find served with your tonkatsu 9 out of 10 times in cheap japanese eateries. Here's a pic with the correct hiragana characters in case the current label doesn't have English on it https://www.asianfoodgrocer.com/img/prods/food/sauces/165286-bulldog-tonkatsu-sauce.jpg