Baked Tonkatsu (Japanese Pork Cutlet)

Tonkatsu, aka Japanese deep-fried pork cutlet, is one my ultimate and favourite food. Juicy and moist pork chop coated with a simple panko and deep-fried to perfection - it's extremely sinful but also extremely satisfying all at the same time. I found 2 pork chops at home when I was checking my freezer stock, but as I'm supposed to be dieting right now, having deep-fried food is a big no-no. So... baked tonkatsu it is!

I've made this baked tonkatsu a few times already and all the attempts turned out really good, all thanks to the recipe by Nami from Just One Cookbook! Browning the panko before hand is a brilliant trick because it will ensure a beautiful golden crust on the tonkatsu. I will definitely apply this trick to my baked chicken cutlets next time too. The only difference I made is to combine the flour and egg together so that I have one less bowl to clean. Mixing the flour and egg together results in a thicker batter, which allows the panko to stick to the pork chop better in my opinion.

Baked tonkatsu will not taste exactly the same as those deep-fried tonkatsu because they lack that slightly greasy satisfaction, but it's still extremely delicious! It's also a lot easier to cook them as the oven does all the work and you don't have to worry about oil temperature and other what-nots. I used a thermometer to check the temperature but you can also simply cut it in half to check if it's done.

If you don't have tonkatsu sauce on hand, you can make them from scratch at home easily using ketchup, worcestershire sauce, oyster sauce and sugar. Adding ground toasted sesame seeds will take this sauce further up a notch, so I highly recommend doing so!

Here are the step-by-step photos and recipe!

Step-by-Step Photos
1) Make the Tonkatsu Sauce: Combine ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, oyster sauce and sugar in a small pot over low heat. Stir until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat.	2) Transfer sauce to a serving bowl and let cool. Stir in as much ground sesame seeds as desired.
3) For the Tonkatsu: Place the panko in a small frying pan. Add in the oil and cook on medium heat.	4) Stir frequently until the panko is golden brown in colour. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
5) Measure egg, flour, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper (if using) in a separate, shallow bowl.	6) Whisk together until combined. Set aside
7) Rinse and pan-fry pork chops thoroughly with paper towels. Make very shallow slits on the edges of the pork chops to prevent them from curling up during baking.	8) Pound the pork chops with a mallet on both sides to tenderise the meat (how long to pound is up to you!) You can also place a parchment paper over the pork chops before pounding to prevent the bits of raw meat from flying all over.
9) Dip the pork chops into the eggs flour batter and let the excess drip off.	10) Dip the pork chops into panko, pressing the panko gently to adhere to the pork chops.
11) Bake in a 200C / 400F oven for 20 to 25 minutes.

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Baked Tonkatsu (Japanese Pork Cutlet)

Tonkatsu made healthier by baking instead of deep-frying, yet still delicious and satisfying.

Prep Time35 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr

Servings: 2 people

0.511.523

INGREDIENTS

 

Tonkatsu Sauce

• ▢ 2 tablespoons ketchup
• ▢ 1 ½ tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• ▢ 2 teaspoons sugar
• ▢ Freshly ground toasted sesame seeds

Tonkatsu

• ▢ ¾ cup panko / bread crumbs
• ▢ 1 tablespoon oil
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ Black pepper
• ▢ Cayenne pepper, optional
• ▢ 2 boneless pork chops, about ¾-inch thick

Serving

• ▢ Rice
• ▢ Finely shredded cabbage

INSTRUCTIONS

Tonkatsu Sauce

• Combine ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, oyster sauce and sugar in a small pot over low heat. Stir until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat.
• Transfer sauce to a serving bowl and let cool. Stir in as much ground sesame seeds as desired.

Tonkatsu

• Preheat oven to 200C / 400F (190C / 375F if fan-assisted). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• Place the panko in a small frying pan. Add in the oil and cook on medium heat, stirring frequently until the panko is golden brown in colour. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
• Whisk egg, flour, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper (if using) in a separate, shallow bowl. Set aside.
• Rinse and pat-dry pork chops thoroughly with paper towels. Make very shallow slits on the edges of the pork chops to prevent them from curling up during baking.
• Pound the pork chops with a mallet on both sides to tenderise the meat (how long to pound is up to you!) You can also place a parchment paper over the pork chops before pounding to prevent the bits of raw meat from flying all over.
• Dip the pork chops into the egg-flour batter and let the excess drip off. Dip the pork chops into panko, pressing the panko gently to adhere to the pork chops.
• Place the pork chops on the lined baking sheet and bake in the middle rack for 20 to 25 minutes, until the pork chop is cooked. Stick an instant thermometer to the thickest part of the meat and the temperature should register at least 62C / 145F.
• Cut the pork chop into thick chunks and serve with rice, freshly shredded cabbage and tonkatsu sauce. Enjoy!

NOTES

1. Recipe adapted from Just One Cookbook

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