Beginner Friendly Tonkatsu - Helping Hands Kitchen

“To err is human…” is a famous quote attributed to famous poet Alexander Pope, but I would also say “To fry is human.” Humanity across the globe has fried foods as an easy, quick, and effective way to cook food for millennia. It is one of the constants in cuisine between cultures, ranging from Africa to Europe to the Americas to Asia, which is where we find the humble and delicious tonkatsu in Japanese cuisine.

Tonkatsu is a fried pork cutlet that has been breaded in panko breadcrumbs. While this recipe focuses and celebrates the tonkatsu in its humble and delicious original form, it’s also used in a variety of other manners as well from sandwiches, curries, and more.

This recipe is simple one but it’s as beginner friendly to frying food as you can ask for, with a sweet and zingy sauce to compliment it on a bed of rice, and a bright, crunchy, creamy cabbage salad on the side. It’s also a simple recipe to scale up in size as well, depending if you are making tonkatsu for yourself or for a family.

Kitchen Tools & Equipment

Meat tenderizer, rolling pin, or flat-bottomed pan
3 wide plates or wide shallow bowls (must be wide and deep enough to dip the cutlet)
Deep pot – stock pot or Dutch oven
Frying or candy thermometer
Tongs
Wire rack
Cookie or baking sheet

For the Tonkatsu

1- 8oz pork cutlet (preferably pork loin for fattiness but boneless pork chops will work)
salt and pepper
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 medium egg
1 tsp. vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. milk
1 cup panko
cooking oil

For the Sauce

For the Salad

Tonkatsu Instructions

Prepare the Pork

Step 1

Flatten pork to approximately 1 inch thickness. If you don’t have meat tenderizer, use rolling pin or flat-bottomed pan (preferably heavy). This helps ensure a quick and even fry.

Note: If the pork cutlet is already approximately 1 inch thick, it does not need to be flattened.

Step 2

Cut small incisions into the fatty parts at the edge of the pork to prevent the cutlet from curling when frying.

Step 3

Lightly salt and pepper both sides of the pork cutlet.

Prepare the Dredge

Step 4

Line up 3 wide plates or bowls side by side. In the first add the all-purpose flour. In the second, mix egg, milk and 1 teaspoon of cooking oil. In the third, add panko breadcrumbs.

Heat up the Fryer

Step 7

In a deep pot, fill with oil, at least 2 inches more than the pork cutlet thickness. Heat the oil until the thermometer reaches 170°C (338°F).

Dredge the Pork

Step 8

Dip pork cutlet in flour and then shake excess flour off.

Step 9

Dip coated pork cutlet into egg mixture and then let the excess mixture drip off.

Step 13

Slice the fried cutlet into approximate 1 inch strips and place on plated rice.

Optional

Drizzle the tonkatsu sauce over the top of the tonkatsu.

Step 10

Coat in panko breadcrumbs, pressing them into the coated pork cutlet to ensure they stick.

Time to Fry

Step 11

Carefully place the panko encrusted pork cutlet into the hot oil. After approximately 4 minutes, flip the cutlet with your tongs. Usually the frying is much quieter near the end of the cooking period.

Note: If your pork cutlet is lean, it may take a little less time to finish cooking. If that is the case, do 3:30 seconds on each side. Also, if you are making more than one cutlet for a meal, do not overcrowd the pan as it will cause the oil temperature to drop.

Step 12

Remove the cutlet from the oil and place on the wire cooling rack to rest.

Note: If you are making more than one cutlet for the meal, please remember to remove the crumbs in the oil with a slotted spoon or mesh spoon to ensure that nothing burns in the oil.