3-Ingredient Tonkatsu (Katsu) Sauce (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.

Can you substitute tonkatsu sauce? Yes. If you don't have all the ingredients to make your own, you can substitute with tomato, Worcestershire or barbecue sauce. Otherwise, you could also shake things up by using other Japanese sauces such as takoyaki, okonomiyaki or yakisoba sauce instead.

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.

Cornstarch Vs Flour

If you don't have cornstarch, use flour. Both will work! I have made tonkatsu with both, and I prefer cornstarch because I feel that it clings to the pork better and yields a crispier crunch.

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.

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?

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.

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What is tonkatsu sauce supposed to taste like? ›

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.

If it's placed in an airtight container, homemade tonkatsu sauce can be stored in the fridge for between two to three weeks. It will also freeze relatively well for up to 3-4 months. Store-bought and bottled tonkatsu sauce will have plenty of preservatives that should ensure a long shelf life though.

Cooking this too hot will char your delicate breadcrumbs, and cooking it too cold will give you soggy, oily katsu. Hitting that temperature on the head really helps!

Pork – There are two cuts of meat we typically use for this dish: pork loin (ロース rōsu) or tenderloin/fillet (ヒレ hire). Both cuts are fairly lean, but pork loin has a layer of fat that gives the Tonkatsu an extra tender bite when cooked properly.

There are two main cuts of pork used for tonkatsu: hire-katsu meaning “pork fillet”, and rosu-katsu, meaning “pork roast”. Hire-katsu is made with a lean pork tenderloin, while rosu-katsu uses a richer cut of pork that comes with a strip of fat along the side.

Tonkatsu sauce has a complex flavor of sweetness, sourness, and pungency. Its sweet taste majorly comes from fruits and vegetables; sour taste from vinegar; and its spicy punch based on spices.

A very healthy, nutrient-dense sauce! Our sauce contains an abundance of vegetables and fruits like tomatoes, onions, carrots, apples, lemon, and prunes.

The word tonkatsu is a combination of the Japanese word ton (豚) meaning “pig” and katsu (カツ), which is a shortened form of katsuretsu (カツレツ), the Japanese version of the English word cutlet.

Korean don-gaseu is different from Japanese tonkatsu in that it is thinner and often served unsliced, thus eaten with a knife and fork, not chopsticks, and is served with demi-glace on top of the fried meat (or in case of fish cutlet, tartar sauce on the fried fish).