Tonkatsu Sauce Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is tonkatsu sauce made of? ›

Tonkatsu sauce mainly consists of vegetables and fruits such as tomatoes, prunes, dates, apples, lemon juice, carrots, onions, and celery. It also includes more than 10 kinds of spices along with soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar.

Short for tonkatsu, katsu sauce is essentially the Japanese equivalent of Western barbecue sauce. It's sweet and tangy with an umami undertone that packs a flavorful punch. You'll usually find it served with pork tonkatsu, a popular dish of breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet with cabbage and rice.

Our sauce contains an abundance of vegetables and fruits like tomatoes, onions, carrots, apples, lemon, and prunes. The natural sweetness and sourness come primarily from the flavor of these vegetables and fruits.

Tonkatsu sauce or katsu sauce is a Japanese sauce served with tonkatsu (pork cutlet). It is a thick (viscosity over 2.0 pascal-second, per JAS Standard) Japanese Worcestershire-type sauce.

It involves coating slices of pork with panko (bread crumbs), and then frying them in oil. The two main types are fillet and loin. Tonkatsu is also the basis of other dishes such as katsukarē and katsudon.

What Does Tonkatsu Sauce Taste Like? Often referred to as Japanese-style barbecue sauce or katsu sauce. tonkatsu sauce is savory and sweet, with a slight tang. In this recipe, ketchup adds the sugary tartness, while soy sauce and Worcestershire lend some umami power.

Another advantage of tonkatsu sauce in terms of taste is it's resistant to quality deterioration and oxidization thanks to vinegar, salt, and spices. However, for best quality and longer expiration date, it's recommended to refrigerate tonkatsu sauce once opened.

Meaning of katsu in English

a Japanese dish consisting of a piece of meat, usually chicken, or vegetable, covered in bread crumbs, fried, then usually cut into strips and eaten with a sauce: One of my favorite dishes growing up, chicken katsu is basically the Japanese version of fried chicken.

It is a versatile sauce that pairs well with breaded and fried foods, particularly tonkatsu, a popular Japanese dish made with breaded and deep-fried pork cutlets. It is often served drizzled over tonkatsu or used as a dipping sauce for other fried foods like chicken katsu or korokke (croquettes).

Bull-Dog Sauce has a history spanning over 100 years and is considered one of Japan's representative condiments. Here we will introduce Bull-Dog Sauce's history, characteristics, and various products.

Does tonkatsu sauce have cinnamon? ›

Tonkatsu (Japanese pork cutlet) sauce made with twelve spices and Japanese-grown vegetables and fruits. Nutmeg, cinnamon and clove add rich and refined flavor.

In truth, tonkatsu and tonkotsu are very different. The main similarity is that they both feature pork: Ton translates to pig or pork. But the dishes differ: Tonkatsu refers to crispy fried pork cutlets, while tonkotsu is a type of ramen made from bone broth.

Tonkatsu (とんかつ, "pork cutlet") are thick slices of pork that are breaded and deep fried in a manner similar to German schnitzel. They are typically made from two cuts of pork: the lean and tender hire (ヒレ, tenderloin or filet) and the fattier rosu (ロース, loin).

Let's break-up this word to make things easier: “ton” and “katsu.” The word “ton” translates to “pig, or pork”, and the word “katsu” is a shortened version of “katsuretsu”, which means “cutlet”. The cutlet could be any piece of meat, or seafood, and is usually prepared to be breaded and fried.

The major difference between tonkatsu sauce and Worcestershire sauce is tonkatsu sauce is usually thicker in texture while Worcestershire sauce is spicier in taste, but both can be a great accompaniment to tonkatsu and other deep-fried dishes.

The simplest phonetic translation of "cutlet" to Japanese vocalizations is katsuretsu, which in turn is shortened to katsu. Add ton—the Sino-Japanese word for "pork"—to the front of that and you've got tonkatsu, or breaded fried pork cutlets (not to be confused with tonkotsu, which is pork-based ramen broth).* Got it?

Tonkatsu (Katsu) Sauce goes amazingly with fried foods; I love eating it with other fried Japanese food, such as Japanese Fried Chicken – Chicken Karaage or Air Fryer Chicken Karaage. In Hawaii, I've had Mochiko Chicken served with Tonkatsu (Katsu) Sauce on the side with Hawaiian Mac Salad and a bowl of white rice.

Serve this easy tonkatsu sauce with golden, crispy panko-crusted cutlets. Joshua Bousel is a Serious Eats old-timer, having started sharing his passion for grilling and barbecue recipes on the site back in 2008.