Tonkatsu is a Japanese pork dish.
Cooks coat the pork with flour, egg, and breadcrumbs, then fry it in hot oil.
The outside feels crispy, and the meat stays juicy and warm inside.
In Japan, people usually eat tonkatsu as a set meal with rice, miso soup, and shredded cabbage.
How Tonkatsu Is Made
Tonkatsu follows a simple cooking process.
First, cooks coat the pork with flour.
Next, they dip it in egg.
Then, they add breadcrumbs.
Finally, they fry the pork in hot oil.
This method comes from Japanese tempura cooking.
Types of Tonkatsu
There are two common types of tonkatsu.
Rosu Katsu (pork loin)
This cut has more fat and tastes richer and juicier.
Hire Katsu (pork fillet)
This cut is leaner, softer, and lighter to eat.
Many first-time visitors choose hire katsu because it feels less heavy.
Where Tonkatsu Comes From
Tonkatsu comes from a Western dish called a cutlet.
It was introduced to Japan during the Meiji period.
Japanese cooks changed it to fit local tastes.
They used pork instead of veal and deep-fried it in oil.
They also used coarse breadcrumbs to keep it light and crisp.
This is how tonkatsu became a Japanese dish.
Why Tonkatsu Became Popular in Japan
Tonkatsu became popular because it is filling and easy to enjoy.
It goes well with rice and sauce, and it is simple to serve as a meal.
Shredded cabbage helps the dish feel lighter and easier to eat.
Tonkatsu-Based Dishes
People use this cutlet in many other Japanese dishes.
Katsudon: a cutlet with egg served on rice
Katsu curry: curry rice topped with a crispy cutlet
Katsu sandwich: a cutlet placed inside bread
You can find these dishes almost everywhere in Japan.
Japanese “Yoshoku”
Although this dish came from Western cooking, it developed in Japan.
For this reason, people call it yoshoku, which means Western-style Japanese food.
Today, many people in Japan eat it as a familiar, everyday meal.
It is a Japanese pork cutlet fried in oil.
When cooks fry it, you hear a dry crunch, and the meat feels hot and juicy inside.
Therefore, your mouth feels warm, not greasy.
Cooks use pork loin or pork fillet.
Loin feels richer and warmer because of fat, however fillet feels lighter on the stomach.
As a result, your body feels full in different ways.
The sauce uses ketchup and Worcestershire sauce as a base.
It smells sweet and savory, and the thick texture stays on the tongue longer.
Therefore, the flavor feels strong even with plain rice.
