What do Italy, Germany, and Japan have in common? They all serve a family favorite: crispy, breadcrumb-coated, fried pork cutlets. In Italy, it's called Milanese and is made with chicken, pork, or veal. Germans call it schnitzel. In Japan, it’s called katsu, which roughly translates to "cutlet." Unlike other cutlets coated with fine-textured breadcrumbs, katsu is prepared with Panko, a coarser textured crumb, resulting in maximum crispiness.
Aside from the panko coating, what also sets katsu apart from fried cutlets in other countries is the sauce. Tonkatsu refers to deep-fried pork cutlets and is where the popular sauce derives its name.
Tonkatsu sauce is super easy to make at home, especially if you can't find the popular Bull-Dog brand at your local supermarket. All you need are four basic pantry ingredients—ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and Dijon mustard. Another bonus: no cooking is required to make this recipe.
Tonkatsu Japanese Fried Pork
What Does Tonkatsu Sauce Taste Like?
Often referred to as Japanese-style barbecue sauce or katsu sauce. tonkatsu sauce is savory and sweet, with a slight tang. In this recipe, ketchup adds the sugary tartness, while soy sauce and Worcestershire lend some umami power.
Adapt Tonkatsu Sauce to Your Diet
Making tonkatsu sauce at home also means you can customize it to fit your dietary needs.
If you’re keto, then choose sugar-free ketchup.
For a gluten-free version, be sure to buy Worcestershire sauce that’s wheat-free and use tamari instead of the soy sauce (or find a gluten-free soy sauce).
Worcestershire sauce usually contains anchovies or fish sauce, but vegan versions are available, which means you can even make a vegan tonkatsu sauce.
How to Use Tonkatsu Sauce
While tonkatsu refers to pork cutlets, tonkatsu sauce is used on all kinds of fried fare—chicken, beef, and even tofu. It's also the perfect dipping sauce for anything you'd normally pair with ketchup or barbecue sauce.
Looking to boost your burger game? Tonkatsu sauce is the answer. Next time you're serving pulled pork, swap in this sauce for a Japanese twist on an American classic.Here are more ideas:
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Barbecue
Kaki Fry (Japanese Fried Oysters)
Ebi Fry (Japanese Fried Shrimp)
Bison Burger
Breaded Fried Tofu Sticks
Okonomiyaki
"This recipe is so easy. I had all four ingredients in my fridge and it took minutes to mix up. It truly tastes just like the tonkatsu sauce you get at the store and the sweet-tart flavor goes so perfectly with fried tonkatsu cutlets." —Patty Lee
We love the ease of this 4-ingredient tonkatsu sauce recipe, but you can put your own spin on it.
Butter adds a creamy texture and mellows the acidity a little. If you want to try this variation, add all the ingredients to a small pot and cook it over medium-low heat until the butter melts.
Want to punch up the flavor? Add mirin, a Japanese rice wine, and a few splashes of hot sauce for a spicy tonkatsu sauce.
How to Store
Tonkatsu sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 month.
Teriyaki Sauce
Japanese Food
Japanese Cooking Basics
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
12
Calories
0g
Fat
3g
Carbs
0g
Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 16
Amount per serving
Calories
12
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g
0%
Saturated Fat 0g
0%
Cholesterol 0mg
0%
Sodium 201mg
9%
Total Carbohydrate 3g
1%
Dietary Fiber 0g
0%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 1mg
4%
Calcium 6mg
0%
Iron 0mg
2%
Potassium 62mg
1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
Recipe Tags:
sauce
tonkatsu sauce
japanese
family dinner
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Short for tonkatsu, katsu sauce is essentially the Japanese equivalent of Western barbecue sauce. It's sweet and tangy with an umami undertone that packs a flavorful punch.
The most popular tonkatsu sauce is the Bull-Dog Vegetable & Fruit Sauce (Tonkatsu Sauce). It's easy to recognize the signature bulldog logo on the bottle.
Tonkatsu (Katsu) Sauce goes amazingly with fried foods; I love eating it with other fried Japanese food, such as Japanese Fried Chicken – Chicken Karaage or Air Fryer Chicken Karaage. In Hawaii, I've had Mochiko Chicken served with Tonkatsu (Katsu) Sauce on the side with Hawaiian Mac Salad and a bowl of white rice.
Another advantage of tonkatsu sauce in terms of taste is it's resistant to quality deterioration and oxidization thanks to vinegar, salt, and spices. However, for best quality and longer expiration date, it's recommended to refrigerate tonkatsu sauce once opened.
Tonkatsu could be a dangerous food if you eat batter-fat one with lots of rice and dipping sauce. It's a carb and fat bomb. Curry contains flour and lots of sodium, so the combo of katsu and curry is even more dangerous even though it's really addictive.
In brief, tonkatsu is a fried pork cutlet dish.Tonkotsu is the name for the rich pork-bone broth used in ramen. Sound similar, very different. Should one order tonkatsu ramen outside of Japan, however, you will probably get tonkotsu soup and not noodles topped with pork cutlet, though that would probably be great.
It involves coating slices of pork with panko (bread crumbs), and then frying them in oil. The two main types are fillet and loin. Tonkatsu is also the basis of other dishes such as katsukarē and katsudon.
Though Korean donkatsu sprung from Japanese tonkatsu, it has become entirely its own dish over the years. The Japanese version is often served with a thick curry-based sauce or tonkatsu sauce, while the Korean-style cutlet served at Lasung is much thinner, with a slightly sweet tomato-based sauce on top.
Tonkatsu sauce or katsu sauce is a Japanese sauce served with tonkatsu (pork cutlet). It is a thick (viscosity over 2.0 pascal-second, per JAS Standard) Japanese Worcestershire-type sauce.
Tonkatsu are usually served as a set meal (teishoku) with shredded cabbage, rice, miso soup and pickles. Diners can usually choose which cut they want (hire or rosu) when ordering.
executing a great tonkatsu at home is very simple. or sometimes known as a pork butt. from the pork loin or tenderloin. because it is a lot tastier piece of meat.
Tonkatsu sauce is super easy to make at home, especially if you can't find the popular Bull-Dog brand at your local supermarket. All you need are four basic pantry ingredients—ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and Dijon mustard. Another bonus: no cooking is required to make this recipe.
Oil - I recommend using a neutral oil with a high smoke point. Rice bran oil, grapeseed oil, or avocado oil are ideal, but canola or sunflower oil will work as well. Tonkatsu Sauce - This sweet, tangy sauce is a perfect complement to the savory pork cutlet, bringing a balance of flavors that is distinctly Japanese.
Tonkatsu (豚カツ, とんかつ or トンカツ, pronounced [toŋkatsɯ]; "pork cutlet") is a Japanese dish that consists of a breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet. It involves coating slices of pork with panko (bread crumbs), and then frying them in oil.
What Does Tonkatsu Sauce Taste Like? Often referred to as Japanese-style barbecue sauce or katsu sauce. tonkatsu sauce is savory and sweet, with a slight tang. In this recipe, ketchup adds the sugary tartness, while soy sauce and Worcestershire lend some umami power.
It is a thick (viscosity over 2.0 pascal-second, per JAS Standard) Japanese Worcestershire-type sauce. It is similar to a brown sauce (British Isles), and can include a fish sauce, tomatoes, prunes, dates, apples, lemon juice, carrots, onions, and celery among its ingredients.
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