Menchi katsu

A minced patty chilled hard before crumbing so it survives the oil, and fried from cold.

Pork, Beef, Egg. Not vegetarian — contains beef, pork.

Ingredients

the patties

• 300 g minced beef
• 200 g minced pork
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 60 g panko, soaked in 4 tablespoons milk
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 0.5 teaspoon black pepper
• 0.5 teaspoon nutmeg

the coating

• 80 g plain flour
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 200 g panko
• oil, for deep frying

Method

1. CHILLED HARD BEFORE CRUMBING, which is the one thing the tonkatsu page never needs. A pork cutlet is a solid piece of meat and holds its shape; a minced patty at room temperature slumps, splits in the oil and empties itself into the fryer. An hour in the fridge, and the freezer for fifteen minutes is better.
2. COOK THE ONION FIRST AND COOL IT. Raw onion releases water inside the patty as it fries and that water is what bursts the seam. Soften it in a little oil 8 minutes, then cool it completely before it goes anywhere near the meat.
3. Panko soaked in milk, not dry. It holds the juice that would otherwise escape.
4. KNEAD THE MIXTURE UNTIL IT IS GENUINELY STICKY, 2 to 3 minutes, slapping it against the bowl. Lightly mixed, it has no structure and falls apart.
5. THEN THROW EACH PATTY BETWEEN YOUR HANDS a dozen times to drive the air out. An air pocket inside expands in the oil and that is the other way they burst.
6. Shape flat ovals about 2 cm thick, press a slight dip into the centre, and chill.
7. Flour, egg, panko, pressed on firmly, and back into the fridge if they have softened at all.
8. FRIED FROM COLD AT 170C, which is lower than the oysters in the last batch and for the opposite reason: this has to cook through, so it needs 6 to 7 minutes and would burn at a higher heat.
9. Two at a time. Do not prod or turn them for the first two minutes -- the crust needs to set before anything touches it.
10. Rest on a rack 5 minutes. Cut immediately and the juice runs out, which is the whole thing you spent the chilling and the kneading to keep in.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Japan · All recipes