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
