Japanese-style Pork Chops Tonkatsu

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Tonkatsu is an easy-to-do breaded, deep-fried pork chop that is a popular entrée in Japanese restaurants. It is one of  Japan’s most traditional dishes. ‘Ton’ means pork, and ‘katsu’ is the Japanese pronunciation of cutlet.  It is served with a bowl of boiled white rice, crisp shredded cabbage, a warm bowl of miso soup, a cup of green tea.

“Tonkatsu was the very first thing I ordered at a restaurant on my first trip to Japan,” my husband excitedly told me, as he hungrily ate the Japanese breaded pork chop I made for dinner. “It was the most familiar-looking dish and I was just so hungry,” he said. We were reminiscing about his months of training at a technical management company in Tokyo years ago.

It was easy to make Tonkatsu. I marinated the pork chops in Japanese soy sauce, and then dipped it in flour, egg and breadcrumbs. Once the oil was hot enough, I fried the breaded pork chops. When done, the Tonkatsu was crisp on the outside, soft and flavorful on the inside.

It didn’t take long for the hearty pork chops aroma to overpower the evening. It was a quick, wholesome, healthy meal to put together. The crunchy and juicy chops were perfect with the sides I served it with inspired by Japanese restaurant fare I’ve had:  steamed rice, crunchy cabbage, miso soup and the tangy, zesty sauce.

“Oishii” (pronounced “oy-shee”) my husband said happily, as he complimented the Tonkatsu. In Nippongo I knew that meant ‘delicious’!

Indeed…”Itadakimasu…oishii !”

Print Recipe

Japanese-style Pork Chops Tonkatsu

Japanese-style Pork Chops Tonkatsu (say 'ton-kat'su') are easy-to-cook breaded pork chops which are popular in Japan where it originated. It is best to use boneless, thin-sliced pork chops for this recipe so they can cook faster on the inside. Crunchy Panko bread crumbs coat the tender, moist pork slice and when served with a spicy sauce on the side, it's a terrific, wholesome meal on weekends or any day. This is an Asian In America recipe. Serves 2 to 4.

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: American, Asian, Filipino, Japanese

Keyword: Japanese Pork Chop Tonkatsu

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 291kcal

Author: Asian in America

Ingredients

• 4 pieces boneless Pork Chops about 1.5 pounds
• 6 Tablespoons Japanese soy sauce
• 3 Tablespoon mirin or dry sherry
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 whole egg beaten
• 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil divided, use 1 Tablespoon for cooking sauce
• 1 Tablespoon tomato paste for sauce
• 1 Tablespoon tomato sauce for sauce
• 1/4 cup tomato catsup for sauce
• 1/2 cup Seltzer water for sauce
• 1/8 teaspoon Tabasco sauce for sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt for sauce
• 2 stalks scallions use white for sauce, green parts for garnish
• for serving: boiled rice
• 1/2 cup shredded cabbage blanched, for serving
• 2 to 4 cups organic miso soup broth for serving

Instructions

• Marinate pork chops in soy, mirin (or dry sherry), garlic, pepper for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
• Get the pork chop cutlets ready by dipping in individual containers of flour, egg, Panko bread crumbs.
• In a skillet of medium to high heat, place the vegetable oil. Pan fry the pork chops until golden brown. Each side will brown quickly in about 5 minutes. Lower heat and continue cooking the pork chops, uncovered for 15 to 18 minutes more till pork is completely cooked inside. When cooked, drain on paper towels or parchment paper to remove excess oil.
• Slice each pork chop in large strips. But assemble it together to make a whole piece when serving.Garnish with green slices of scallions. Serve together with boiled rice, shredded cabbage and clear miso soup.
• To make the sauce: in a small saucepan, over medium heat, pour 1 tablespoon oil. Saute white parts of scallions. Add the tomato paste, sauce, ketchup, Tabasco and seltzer water. Season with salt. Boil and serve on the side.
• COOK'S COMMENTS: For the Tonkatsu sauce, traditionally a curry-like zesty sauce is served with this Japanese pork dish.But my family prefers a spicy tomato sauce-based dipping sauce on the side and that’s what I made.
• Hello, Friends! All the images and content on this blog are COPYRIGHT PROTECTED and owned by my media company Besa-Quirino LLC. This means BY LAW you are NOT allowed to copy, scrape, lift, frame, plagiarize or use my photos and  recipe content I wrote, on your website, films or videos  without my permission. If you want to republish this recipe or content on another website, video or news article, please ASK my permission, re-write it in your own words and simply link back to this blog to give proper attribution. It’s the legal thing to do. Thank you. Email me at [email protected]

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 291kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 858mg | Potassium: 124mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 137IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 2mg

Notes on Nutrition: The nutrition data for this recipe includes the full amount of the marinade ingredients. The actual amount of the marinade consumed will vary. The nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.

Did you like this recipe? I have more classic recipes inspired by my late mother’s cooking in my popular cookbook: My Mother’s Philippine Recipes. If you’re learning how to cook Filipino food or a fan of Philippine cuisine, buy my cookbooks and books on Amazon.com sold worldwide in paperback and Kindle format.

Hello, Friends! Please DO NOT LIFT OR PLAGIARIZE my original recipe, stories, photos or videos. All the images and content on this blog are COPYRIGHT PROTECTED and owned by my media company Besa-Quirino LLC. This means BY LAW you are NOT allowed to copy, scrape, lift, frame, plagiarize or use my photos, essays, stories and recipe content on your websites, books, films, television shows, videos, without my permission. If you wish to republish this recipe or content on media outlets mentioned above, please ASK MY PERMISSION, or re-write it in your own words and link back to my blog AsianInAmericaMag.com to give proper attribution. It is the legal thing to do. Thank you. Email me at [email protected]