The old Japanese favorite takes Bangkok by storm.  By Mim Koletschka, photography by Sonia Boonchanasukit.

Whether it’s the kitschy Hello Kitty, the cheesy J-Pop or the soupy delights of ramen it seems we can’t get enough of the land of the Rising Sun. Tonkatsu has been around since the fi rst Japanese
restaurant opened its doors in Bangkok. But with new standalone restaurants popping up at an almost daily rate, the breaded, deep-fried pork is currently taking Bangkok by storm.

Would we be so keen if we realized that Tonkatsu is actually rumored to have been introduced to Japan by Western travelers in the late 1800’s? Though it might not have started as a traditional Japanese dish, it quickly became a  popular home cooked meal thanks to its simplicity and versatile taste. It’s now proved so popular in Japan that you can even fi nd tonkatsu sandwiches ( katsu-sando).

In simple terms, tonkatsu is a pork cutlet deep fried in flour, egg and  breadcrumbs. The real deal sees the pork fried in Japanese breadcrumbs called panko. This crispy pork treat is usually served with rice, miso soup, cabbage and tonkatsu sauce, a Japanese Worcestershire-like sauce (often served with sesame seeds) and a dollop of Japanese mustard ( karashi).  There are two main choices when it comes to the cuts of pork, hire-kastu and rosu-katsu. Rosukatsu is pork loin—the cut is more aromatic with a lot of fat in each piece. Hirekatsu is just a fillet cut without the fat. But with its growing popularity you can now find variations of the dish such as tonkatsu served with Japanese curry and rice (katsu curry), katsudon served with egg over a bowl of rice, even chicken katsu, ham katsu, and tonkatsu with cheese, garlic or rice
cakes ( mochi) stuffed inside.

According to Fumitaka Uchiyama, co-founder of Katsu King, Thais are only just beginning to appreciate the taste of realtonkatsu, “Most places will opt for regular panko in fl our form due to its long shelf life. Nama (fresh) panko is much more difficult to prepare and has to be used that same day but it does give fi llets a softer yet crispier texture. Tonkatsu using nama panko remains crisp and airy for up to 15 minutes after it is cooked.” Nama panko uses real bread instead of flour and as a result preparation is a long process of steaming then crumbling the bread, before it is dried and cooled. With fresh panko, the bread doesn’t absorb the oil, which is vital Fumitaka explains, “Good tonkatsu must not be oily and has to remain crispy for quite some time after it is cooked. The texture must not be too crispy and the panko should be airy enough for the sauce to be fully absorbed.”