Tonkatsu with White Rice

I am a working chef, yes.  But by no means am I a Japanese chef.  The other night I had a class where I had to make Maki’s, Yakitori chicken wings, and Tonkatsu pork.  It was so much fun and incredibly tasty and simple.  My daughter is obsessed with everything Japanese, so I thought I would treat her to something that isn’t Ramen or Sushi, which she already gobbles like a true Japano-phile.

So, I made my way to our local Japanese market, and picked up the ingredients my friend Miki (who is Japanese) instructed that I needed to make the Tonkatsu.  And a few more things since I got excited!

In my class I made the sauce myself, so I will give you the recipe for it so you can make it at home if you don’t want to purchase it.  And I made it with chicken instead of pork, to be a little healthier……just a little.  It’s still fried you know.  By no stretch of the imagination is this a authentically perfect version of Tonkatsu, it is mine with a few tweaks of things that I love.  (You’ll notice leeks.)

So, here is what you are going to need:

Serves 4

4 thin cut chicken breast

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

1/4 cup flour

1 tbsp shichimi spice mix

2 eggs, beaten

1/8 cup milk

1/4 leeks, julienned

1/4 cup chinese cabbage, sliced

For the vinaigrette:

1/8 cup rice wine vinegar

1/2 tsp shichimi

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup water

For the Tonkatsu sauce:

1 cup ketchup

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup sake

1/8 cup mirin

2 tbsp sugar

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp ginger, grated

For the white rice:

3/4 cup white jasmine rice

1.5 cups water

Julienne your leeks, and place in a bowl of water to let the dirt out.

Then you will need to slice the cabbage.  And let the dirt out too.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix the panko, flour and shichimi.

Then beat the eggs with the milk in another bowl with a dash of shichimi.

Dredge your chicken cutlets in the egg mix, and then the panko mix.  Set on a baking sheet.

Now, combine your ingredients for the vinaigrette, and mix with the cabbage, set

aside.

In a large skillet or frying pan, heat 1/4 cup of olive oil.  When hot, but not smoking, add the chicken cutlets and fry until golden brown.

Place on a tray with paper towels to soak up the oil.  In the meantime, on a plate, place your cabbage salad on one side, your julienned leeks in the middle, and a dollop of the of the tonkatsu sauce.  Place your chicken on top of the leeks.  Enjoy!

To make the tonkatsu sauce:

Mix all the ingredients in a heavy bottomed saucepan, and heat until ingredients have melded and are slightly thickened.

For the rice:

In a saucepan, place your rice and water, cover and cook over medium low heat until the water has evaporated, about 20 minutes.

From my kitchen to yours,

Carla