Crispy Donkatsu Recipe: Delicious Korean Pork Cutlet at Home

INTRODUCTION

A popular comfort meal with crispy outside and soft, juicy pork within is tonkatsu, the Korean take on Japanese tonkatsu. Usually presented alongside rice, salad, and a thick brown sauce, it is quite simple to prepare at home. The great taste and gratifying experience of this meal are much sought for. Making it at home is easy and simple if you so want.

Though its taste is great, Donkatsu is beautiful as you just need a few components to create it. To provide the ideal crispness, the pork is first chopped thinly and then covered with flour, egg, and bread crumbs. After this, it is cooked till it turns golden in color; so, its inner stays soft and juicy while its exterior half stays crispy.

A classic dish, serving it with rice and fresh salad balances and nourishes the meal experience even more. The brown sauce put on top tastes even more deeply and sensibly. Therefore, tonkatsu is a terrific choice you may quickly prepare at home if you want to savor a rich and flavourful dinner.

What is Donkatsu?

Considered the Korean variant of the well-known Japanese meal tonkatsu, tonkatsu—also known as tonkatsu (돈까스)—in Korean is This dish gets its name from “katsu,” meaning cutlet, and “tonne,” meaning pork. Panko bread crumbs cover pork cutlets, which turns them crispy and subsequently deep-fried to produce a golden-brown outside. Fascinatingly, the French cuisine “Coutlet de Vo” is allegedly an inspiration for Japanese Tonkatsu.

Tips for Perfect Donkatsu:

• Pork Selection: Pork loin chops is a great cut because it is relatively soft and is easy to cook evenly. Or instead, use pork tenderloin if you prefer less fat on your meat.
• Panko Breadcrumbs: Panko will give a nice crispy crust to it. Avoid using regular breadcrumbs as they would not do justice to the texture.
• Sauce Adjustment: Adjust the sweetness and tanginess of the sauce using more sugar or Worcestershire, as you like best.
• Spicy Tonkatsu: You could, of course, add a pinch of cayenne pepper or Korean chili flakes to the mix for some spice.

Variations

• Cheese Donkatsu – Add a slice of cheese between two thin pork cutlets before coating and frying for a delicious melted cheese center.
• Chicken Donkatsu – Replace with breast chicken to make it a lean version.
• Spicy Donkatsu – Add in a small pinch of cayenne pepper or Korean chili flakes to give some heat to your seasoning.

Ingredients

TONKATSU SAUCE

• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup tonkatsu sauce, bulldog brand preferred
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup milk
• 30 g salted butter (1 ounce)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp plain flour
• 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1 Tbsp water

PORK CUTLET

• 600 g (1.3 pounds) pork chops, thinly sliced ​​for pork chops, about 1. cm / 0.4 inch thick
• milk, enough to soak the meat
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup plain flour
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

SIDES (OPTIONAL)

• 250 g cabbage (9 ounces), thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• non-spicy chili 
• ssamjang
• macaroni salad
• cooked rice
• pickled cucumber
• danmuji (yellow pickled radish)
• kimchi

Instructions

TONKATSU SAUCE

1. In a big bowl or measuring cup, combine ketchup, tonkatsu sauce, brown sugar, water, and milk. Stir thoroughly and set aside.
2. Now heat a skillet over the medium flame, place butter inside it, and add the flour once it melts down. Remember that the butter and flour need to be thoroughly combined.
3. Cook over medium to slightly over medium heat until the mixture darkens to a dark brown color. It will take roughly five to seven minutes to complete; stir occasionally during that time. The flame should then be turned down to low.
4. Now pour the first step’s brown sauce into the pan and give it a good swirl. After that, lower the heat to medium-low or medium and continue cooking for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Continue to whisk the sauce constantly during this period.
5. In another bowl, combine the cornflour and water; whisk vigorously until the cornflour dissolves completely. Add this cornflour mixture (slurry) to the sauce in the pan after it begins to slightly thicken. Now, keep stirring the sauce for a further five minutes, or until the consistency you like is achieved.
6. Once the sauce is ready, turn down the heat to very low and cover to keep it warm until the pork cutlets are done.

PORK CUTLET

1. Season the meat lightly with a diamond etching pattern on your knife or pound it using a mallet. Then put the meat on a plate and pour milk over it. Give the meat ten minutes to soak in the milk. This will lessen any strong smells and help tenderize the meat. After that, reserve the meat and drain the milk.
2. Now have two plates ready. You will have one with flour, onion powder, and garlic powder mixed on it; you’ll have another with panko bread crumbs on it. Crack your eggs into a medium bowl and beat them up real well.
3. Prepare your workstation like this: a plate with the meat on it, a plate with your flour mixture on it, a bowl with your eggs beat up, and on another plate your panko bread crumbs in order of preference.
4. Then the flour must coat the meat on all sides and then it has to be dipped in the beaten eggs. Next, coat the meat entirely with panko bread crumbs by rolling it in them. Continue doing this until the meat is well coated.
   
5. To fry, heat up a large deep pan or fryer by adding enough oil to it. Make sure there is enough room in the saucepan for at least one pork cutlet to be submerged thoroughly. When the oil hits 175°C (350°F), it’s done; if you’re heating it over medium-high heat, this will take around five minutes.
6. Gently place the pork cutlets into the heated oil, flipping them every one to two minutes to ensure equal cooking. Fry for approximately four minutes.
   
7. Since the cutlet has now cooked through and its color is changed to golden brown, remove the cutlet from the oil and place it on a paper towel so that the excess oil may get absorbed. Fry crumbs that have clung to the surface of the oil between the batches, and eliminate them with a fine sieve.
8. Continue doing this until all of the cutlets are prepared and cooked.
   
9. Arrange your preferred sides around the perimeter of a sizable platter to serve. If using cabbage, mix the mayonnaise and ketchup together in a small bowl and spoon it over the top of the cabbage. Spread the sauce over the cutlet in the middle of the platter. Now enjoy it!

CONCLUSION

Crispy and tasty, tonkatsu is surprisingly easy to make at home with very little effort. You can make wonderful meals that rival restaurant cuisine by following a few easy steps. This might be a fantastic choice for supper or a special weekend treat. For a true Korean experience at home, serve it with rice, homemade sauce, and fresh cabbage salad.

FAQ’s