Pork Tonkatsu with homemade Bulldog sauce
Re-up your normal schnitty night with our rare breed pork scotch Tonkatsu. This is the Japanese style pork schnitzel we all know and love. One bite of this crispy number can transport you to Japan in the blink of an eye, especially when paired with one of our favourite condiments, a tangy bulldog sauce. To create our favourite sandwich, butter two slices of soft white bread then stuff with the pork Tonkatsu, Bulldog sauce and cabbage - cut in half and serve with extra sauce on the side.
Ingredients
For the Bulldog sauce
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 apples, grated
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
300ml tomato ketchup
240ml Worcestershire sauce
260ml rice vinegar
170ml mirin
1 tsp ground allspice
Pinch of ground cinnamon
Pinch of ground cloves
220g brown sugar
1 tbsp finely grated ginger
2 tsp hot English mustard
For the pork Tonkatsu
1 x 170g Rare breed pork scotch steak
100g Panko breadcrumbs
2 eggs
50g plain flour
Salt
Pepper
Vegetable oil
Method
BULLDOG SAUCE METHOD
For bulldog sauce, combine all ingredients in a saucepan with 400ml of water. Bring to the boil then simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Purée with a blender or in a blender and pass through a fine sieve.
TONKATSU METHOD
Using a meat mallet, tenderise your pork scotch steak - bashing it out until it is an even 2cm in thickness (you can also ask our butchers to do this for you).
Set up a breading station by placing the plain flour seasoned with salt & pepper into one bowl, beaten eggs into another and the panko breadcrumbs into the third.
Dip your pork scotch into the flour, making sure it is evenly coated. Then dip the pork into the beaten eggs before gently pressing it into the Panko breadcrumbs. It is essential that the pork is completely covered in the breadcrumbs.
Set the crumbed pork scotch aside while you heat up your oil. Heat 1.5cm of vegetable oil in a heavy frying pan until it reaches 180C. Shallow fry the Tonkatsu for approximately 4 minutes per side or until the internal temperature reaches 65C. Leave to rest for approximately 4 minutes.
TO SERVE
This Japanese style schnitzel is traditionally served with a finely shaved cabbage salad, rice, soup and Bulldog sauce in a set meal. Other tasty ways to eat the pork cutlet include in a tonkatsu curry, which is a subtle and sweet Japanese style curry. Perhaps our most favourite way though, is the katsu sandwich. To create our favourite sandwich, butter two slices of soft white bread then stuff with the pork Tonkatsu, Bulldog sauce and cabbage. Cut in half and serve with extra sauce on the side.
What is tonkatsu?
Tonkatsu is the Japanese word for a crumbed and deep fried piece of pork. The pork is coated with panko breadcrumbs and then cooked in hot oil until golden and crisp. Whilst the dish is traditionally made with pork, it is also delicious made with brined and butterflied chicken thighs. A Japanese style BBQ sauce is the signature rich condiment often spooned over the crisped meat or inside a tonkatsu sandwich. Known as Bulldog sauce (a popular brand that sells Tonkatsu sauce), it is sweet and tangy all-at-once.
How to make tonkatsu sauce?
It is very easy to make this tasty barbeque-style sauce at home. To make the bulldog sauce, apples, onions and carrots are combined with ketchup, worcestershire sauce, rice vinegar, mirin, mustard, herbs and spices.
Choose from our range of rare breed pork for your next cooking adventure. Recipes like roast pork shoulder with cabbage and gochujang as well as pork cutlets with a lemon-garlic sauce are bound to be a delightful addition to your repertoire.