How do you make tonkatsu? What must accompany it? We will analyze this food that represents Japan, tonkatsu, from various angles and teach you the secrets of its deliciousness.

Let's look at the basic components that make up tonkatsu plate. In tonkatsu, there are many indispensable parts, not only the meat but also the sauce and garnish.

Pork

Tonkatsu uses thickly sliced pork chops or fillets. The advantage of fillets is that they are tender and have almost no fat. Pork chops on the other hand, has fat distributed through the entirety of the meat, making it more savory compared with fillets. Now that we know the characteristics of each, we can choose our cut of meat.

Panko

On the outside we use coarse grain "panko" bread crumbs. At specialty tonkatsu restaurants, the kind of panko used is called "raw panko", which has more moisture content to give a light and crispy exterior. On the other hand, dry panko allows heat to pass through easily, making it possible to create a crunchy texture; thus it is often used for home-made tonkatsu.

Oil

Several kinds of oils are used to make the frying oil, such as vegetable oil, lard, sesame oil, and olive oil. The amount of oil must be sufficient to completely submerge the meat. This is one of the secrets of frying, as it is this amount of oil which makes the tonkatsu so crispy, yet juicy inside.

Chopped cabbage

When asked what goes with tonkatsu, the answer would have to be cabbage. Together with the meat, the crispy, crunchy, moderate sweetness makes tonkatsu even more delicious. Not only does this provide a nutritious balance of animal proteins from the pork and vegetable proteins from the cabbage, it also has the effect of clearing the aftertaste of fried food.