Tonkatsu Curry

If we’re talking about the ultimate Japanese comfort food then hot plate of Tonkatsu Curry will always be my choice. I love Japanese food, from an inspired sushi omakase to a home style donabe, it’s one of the few cuisines I never tire from. Yet this simple curry and cutlet dish is my favorite thing to get on a cold, rainy day after walking around kappabashi on the hunt for new cooking tools.

I always talk about how I take a cooking class in every city I visit, but Japan is one of the few places I don’t. Why? Because I usually stay with family and end up cooking all those delicious recipes with my aunt. And it was through her I learned some wonderful recipes I make to this day.

Now I didn’t learn how to make a tonkatsu through her, but I do use box curry mix just like most Japanese families. Yes you can make it from scratch, but the box is so, so much easier. All in all this dish is four separate recipes: Japanese curry, Tonkatsu, White Rice, and Bulldog Sauce. I’ll get the the last entry later down.

How To Make Tonkatsu Curry At Home

This recipe is separated into four parts. But the first two are the most important; The Japanese curry and the tonkatsu. I already have a guide showing how to make Kokumaro Japanese curry but you can use any brand you like. However Kokumaro is my favorite easily accessible brand and you can even buy it online here.

Japanese Curry Ingredients

For this instructional guide I am going to follow the instructions on the box exactly. Ok, I make one substitution in ingredients, but it is an acceptable one in my opinion.

Kokumaro Japanese Curry Ingredients

• 1 box Kokumaro Curry Sauce Mix – you can usually find this at a Japanese grocery store or online.
• 300 grams Beef – the original recipe just states ‘MEAT’ but that just means you can use any meat you want. I prefer to use beef when making Japanese curry.
• 400 grams Onions – as you can see I am using shallots instead. I would say I have a culinary reason for making the substitution, but to be honest I just didn’t feel like walking to the market. (about 1 pound)
• 300 grams Potatoes – I suggest using starchy yellow potatoes. (about 2/3 pound)
• 200 grams Carrot – this is about 1-2 carrots depending on size, but what is more important is finding straight, non-tapered carrots as they are more uniform in the final dish.
• 2 tbsp Oil – I use sunflower oil, but you can use any neutral oil with a high smoke point.
• 1 liter Water – 4 and 1/5 cups

Directions For Kokumaro Japanese Curry

The first step to making this Japanese curry is to prepare all your ingredients. Start by cubing your beef (or meat of your choice) into bite size pieces.

After the beef you can slice the shallot. I cut them into thick half rings, but they will nearly dissolve in the final dish so you can go smaller if you like.

In a thick pot add the oil and turn the heat up to medium-high. When hot add the beef and onion/shallot and allow the meat to brown on all sides. While this is happening you can peel and cube the potatoes, and peel and slice the carrots into bite size pieces.

Once the meat is browned add in the potato and carrot and give the pot a good mix. I like to use a sturdy wooden spoon here to make sure none of the meat is sticking to the bottom of the pot and burning.

Lower the heat to low-medium and add the water. I am using a 3 liter Dutch oven and with all of the ingredients plus the liter of water it is almost full. I suggest using a pot no smaller than 3 liters. Let the pot simmer for about 15 minutes.

Take the brick of curry roux and break it along the scores. Just drop them into the water and give the pot a few good stirs. The boxed mix dissolves quite quickly so don’t worry about having chunks of powder in your final Japanese curry. Simmer for another 10 minutes stirring occasionally.

Making A Quick Tonkatsu (Panko Fried Pork Cutlet)

With the amount of curry made you can make four tonkatsu cutlets. And since most of the flavor is coming from the curry and sauce, you only need four ingredients total to make this quick and easy tonkatsu.

Ingredients

• 4 Pork Cutlets – I like to do a gentle pounding with a meat tenderizer on these. Not enough to seriously distort their shape and get them super thin like a chicken fried steak or a schnitzel, but enough to reduce thickness by about 1/3.
• 2 large Eggs
• 100 grams Panko (about 2 cups) – This is Japanese style breadcrumbs which are lighter and crispier than Western style breadcrumbs. I always have a large bag on hand for anything from katsu dishes to shellfish. If you cannot find them at your local grocery you can buy them online here.
• Neutral Oil – As needed. I use sunflower oil but you can use soybean, rapeseed/CANOLA, or any other neutral flavor oil you prefer.

Instructions

To make this tonkatsu recipe just dip your pork cutlet in the egg, then into the panko, then into the egg, then back into the panko. Finally gently lay it in a pool of hot oil (I recommend 175c or 350f) until golden. I find that one and a half to two minutes a side works well for me since I get apprehensive about overcooking my pork.

Homemade Bulldog Sauce

In Japan you will always see a bottle of bulldog sauce on the table at tonkatsu joints. Well, some of the really nice places make their own, but it is one of my favorite parts of the dish.

In truth, Bulldog is just the brand name of a Japanese manufacturer or Worcester sauce (in Japan they don’t call it Worcestershire sauce) but they are extremely well known for their katsu sauce which is more similar to HP brown sauce or A.1. Steak Sauce.

For this recipe I clearly didn’t invent my own, so I recommend the one by Sudachi Recipes:

• 4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 pinches light brown sugar
• 2 tbsp white sesame seeds, optional

Just combine all ingredients in a bowl and spoon or squeeze over your tonkatsu after plating. I love using these restaurant style squeeze bottles to get that perfect looking drizzle over my homemade tonkatsu curry!

White Rice

Make the white rice how you normally would. If you use a rice maker let it do its thing, otherwise do it in a regular pot.

Plate your dish by spooning some rice on a plate. Then ladle over a heaping amount of Japanese curry. For the tonkatsu it is customarily sliced into strips and then laid right on top of the curry/rice before being drizzled with the katsu sauce. Garnish with a few chopped spring onions and enjoy!!