Katsu sando

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Helen Graves serves up a stunning katsu sando recipe, the glorious Japanese invention that sees crumbed and fried pork chops served in soft white bread with a tasty tonkatsu sauce and shredded white cabbage. A must-try for those who are serious about sandwiches.

First published in 2019
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The katsu sando is the good-looking Japanese sandwich that’s been all over your Instagram feed. It’s basically a crispy fried pork chop sandwich with some essential condiments including sweet, fruity tonkatsu sauce and kewpie mayonnaise. After experimenting with bread I’ve found that the very soft, processed white kind sold in supermarkets works best.

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

  • 4 slices of white bread, thick and soft
  • 2 boneless pork chops, large
  • 100g of Panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbsp of plain flour
  • vegetable oil, for frying
  • Kewpie mayonnaise, or regular mayonnaise
  • Japanese mustard, or Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 small white cabbage, finely shredded

Tonkatsu sauce

Equipment

  • Temperature probe

Method

1
Mix together all the ingredients for the tonkatsu sauce and set aside
2
Finely shred the white cabbage and place in a bowl of iced water to crisp up. After 10 minutes, drain and dry in a salad spinner or on kitchen paper
3
Season the pork chops with salt and pepper then coat them in the flour. Beat the egg in a shallow bowl and spread the Panko breadcrumbs out on a plate. Dip the chops first into the egg, then into the breadcrumbs, making sure they are well-coated
4
In a deep fat fryer or deep, cast iron pan, heat an inch of oil to 160°C
5
Fry the chops one at a time, flipping every few minutes to ensure even browning. Thick 4cm chops like these will take 10–12 minutes to cook through, so adjust cooking time accordingly. The chops should be 63°C in the centre when measured with a temperature probe. Let the chops rest on a wire rack for 5 minutes
6
Spread 2 pieces of the bread with a thin layer of mustard, followed by a generous layer of mayonnaise. Place a chop on top of each and top with tonkatsu sauce followed by some cabbage. Top with the remaining slices of bread, cut each sandwich in half and serve
First published in 2019
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Helen Graves is Head of Content at Great British Chefs. She's also the author of the cookbook LIVE FIRE: Seasonal Barbecue Recipes and Stories of Live Fire Traditions, Old and New, and the editor of Pit, an independent magazine with roots in live fire cooking.

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