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Menchi katsu on a tan plate with salad and tonkatsu sauce

Menchi Katsu

Breaded in panko and deep fried, this tender menchi katsu recipe uses a combination of beef and pork and is super crunchy on the outside.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Rest in fridge time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 6 cutlets
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • neutral oil such as canola, for deep frying
For the cutlets
  • ½ onion minced
  • 1½ tbsp butter unsalted
  • ½ lb ground beef
  • ½ lb ground pork
  • ¼ cup panko
  • 2 tbsp whole milk
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tsp ketchup
  • 1 tsp worcestershire
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper
For the breading
  • ¾ cup flour
  • 2 eggs beaten
  • 1½ cup panko
For serving
  • tonkatsu sauce, Kewpie mayo, and/or karashi for dipping the katsu

Method
 

Make the cutlets
  1. Heat the butter in a saute pan on medium heat. Once the butter is hot, add the onions, and cook them for 3-5 minutes until just starting to brown, stirring frequently. Once the onions are finished, remove them from the heat and let them come to room temperature.
    Onions in pan
  2. Add ¼ cup panko and 2 tbsp milk to a small bowl and mix thoroughly. Let the panko sit for five minutes to absorb the milk.
  3. Add the cooked onions, the soaked panko, the beef, pork, one egg, ketchup, worcestershire sauce, nutmeg, salt, and black pepper to a medium bowl.
    Ingredients in a bowl
  4. Mix thoroughly with your hands until the mixture becomes sticky and turns to a lighter pink color.
    Ingredients mixed
  5. Now form the cutlets. First oil your hands with about ½ tbsp of oil to prevent the mixture from sticking and separate the mixture into six equal portions.
  6. Take a single portion of the meat in one of your hands and gently toss it to your other hand.  And then toss it back to your first hand, and then the other.  Repeat this process about 15-20 times until you form an oval-shaped cutlet.  Now place the cutlet on a plate that’s been lined with slightly oiled parchment paper.  Repeat for the other five cutlets. 
    This process removes air bubbles from the meat to prevent the katsus from breaking apart while deep frying.  Rest the cutlets in the refrigerator for 30 minutes so that they meld together.
    Ingredients formed into patties
Bread the cutlets and deep fry them
  1. Once the cutlets have finished resting, begin the breading process.  Place the flour in one plate, the beaten eggs in a medium bowl, and the panko in another plate. 
    Dip each cutlet in the flour first and coat the outside of the cutlet with the flour.  Tap off the excess flour. 
    Now dip the cutlet in the egg and let the excess egg drain off. 
    Finally, dip the cutlet in the panko.  Gently press the panko into the cutlet and get a good amount of the breadcrumbs to stick.  Don’t worry if you break or crush some of the panko while you’re pressing it into the cutlet.  Repeat for all cutlets.
    Cutlets being breaded
  2. Heat 3 inches of oil in a pan to 350°.
  3. Once the oil is hot, place the cutlets in the oil and fry for three minutes on each side, for a total of six minutes. You should fry the cutlets in batches of 2 to 3 at a time.
    When the katsu are finished frying, place them on a paper towel-lined plate to drain some of the oil.  Let them rest for 3-5 minutes.
    Deep frying the menchi katsu
Serve
  1. Serve the menchi katsu while they're still hot with tonkatsu sauce, Kewpie mayo, and/or karashi mustard for dipping.