Main · Japan
Tonkatsu
A breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet, served with shredded cabbage.
About the dish
Tonkatsu, a breaded and deep-fried pork cutlet, is one of the Western-influenced dishes that Japanese cooks developed from the late 1800s on. Ton means pork, and katsu comes from the word cutlet.
A thick slice of pork loin or tenderloin is seasoned, and the connective tissue at the edges of a loin cut is scored so the cutlet stays flat in the oil. It is dredged in flour, dipped in beaten egg and pressed into panko, coarse Japanese breadcrumbs whose large, airy flakes fry up lighter and crunchier than fine crumbs. Frying at a moderate temperature, often around 340°F to 350°F (170°C to 175°C), browns the crust while the pork cooks through, and the cutlet rests on a rack so the crust stays crisp.
It is sliced into strips and served with a mound of finely shredded raw cabbage, rice, miso soup and tonkatsu sauce, a thick, fruity, sweet and tangy brown sauce. The cabbage gives a fresh crunch against the rich, salty fried pork.
Written from general cooking knowledge, as background on a dish from the game’s recipe book. It is not a tested recipe.
The flavors it leans on
Tonkatsu in Night Kitchen
In the game, Tonkatsu is a main in the recipe book. A plate is named Tonkatsu when it holds these cards and is cooked with exactly this technique, with at most one extra ingredient.
Ingredients
- Pork shoulder
- Flour
- Eggs
Technique
- Fry
How those cards taste
Cooked from just these cards, it is a long way from every regular’s palate on an average night: it needs a card or two that bring it closer to the guest on the ticket. The closest is Odile.
“A pork cutlet in crumbs, fried crisp, with a pile of cabbage. The Japanese place by the station does it right.”
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