Japanese Tonkatsu Pork Chops (とんかつ)

Once a French influence in modern Japanese cuisine, 'tonkatsu' is now a hard-hitting weeknight dinner for many Japanese urban-dwellers.

‘Tonkatsu’ was originally introduced to Japan as the French ‘côtelette de veau’, along with many other Western culinary influences during the 20th century. This breadcrumbed cutlet features boneless pork chops, an economical cut of pork that can go a long way. Breaded in a mixture of cornflour, egg and panko breadcrumbs, they’re shallow-fried - very friendly for the home cook - and served with an assortment of refreshing salads and sauces. One such sauce is a ‘tonkatsu’ sauce, a fruity, tangy, brown ketchup that expertly cuts the richness of the fried tonkatsu cutlet. Nowadays you’ll find tonkatsu gracing all sorts of dishes, such as katsu curry, rice bowls, sandwiches (or ‘sandos’) and noodle dishes. It’s great Japanese icon to keep in your culinary repertoire, because almost everybody loves it, anytime and anywhere! Let’s go!