CHICKEN KATSU SANDO
Chicken Katsu Sando is a Japanese culinary gem with origins tracing back to post war Japan, where Western style sandwiches began blending with traditional Japanese flavours. The sandwich became popular in the mid 20th century when Japanese chefs adapted the European katsu cutlet originally pork into a quick, satisfying meal for the bustling urban crowd.
The classic Chicken Katsu Sando features a crispy, golden-brown panko-breaded chicken cutlet, juicy on the inside and crunchy outside, all sandwiched between soft, fluffy Japanese milk bread called shokupan. Essential elements include a smear of tangy tonkatsu sauce; a savoury, slightly sweet blend that seals the deal, plus just a touch of mayo for creaminess with slightly wilted cabbage for crunch and importantly, freshness.
As for the pork variation, the pork katsu is even more traditional and widely loved in Japan. The ideal cut for pork katsu is the pork loin (rosu), which strikes the perfect balance between lean and fatty, offering a tender bite with enough fat to keep it juicy after frying. Some prefer the pork fillet (hire), which is leaner but still tender, if you want a lighter option. Both are put together the exact same way, but just the protein changes.
CHICKEN KATSU SANDO
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CHICKEN KATSU SANDO 〰️
Time: 45 minutes
Makes four sandos
750 canola oil
1/2 cup plain flour
2 eggs
150gm panko crumbs
4 boneless maryland chicken fillets
1/4 white cabbage
1/2 lemon, juice
8 slices Tip Top
80gm Japanese mayonnaise
50-60gm tonkatsu bbq sauce (also known as bulldog bbq sauce)
Salt
Place oil into small pot and place on medium heat with a thermometer. Bring the oil up to 190 degrees Celsius.
Whilst oil come to temperature, prep the breading. Place flour into a small flat tray, whisk the two eggs in a bowl and then add the panko crumb onto a small tray. Using a sharp knife, remove any excess fat on the chicken. Then in this order add the chicken to the flour and pat the flour onto all surfaces and shake off excess, then dunk the chicken into the whisked eggs, cover completely and shake off any excess, before add it to the tray and panko crumb. Turn the chicken over and make sure to cover the tire filled in panko crumbs, pushing down on each side to make sure the panko is stuck, before placing on a plate to the side. Repeat this process with the remains chicken fillets.
Once oil is at 190 degrees, add in one crumbed chicken and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the crumbed chicken has a deep golden colour to it. Remove from oil and place on a plate lined with paper towel. Allow the oil to come back up to 190 degrees Celsius and repeat this process with all the crumbed chicken. Once all chickens are fried, finish with a pinch of salt.
For the cabbage, using a very sharp knife, thinly slice the cabbage and place in bowl with lemon juice and pinch of salt. Massage everything in together and pop to the side to wilt a little bit.
To build the sandwich smear 20gm worth of mayonnaise on 2 slices of bread. Top with the cabbage, the fried chicken and top with a drizzling of the tonkatsu bbq sauce. Close up with the top slice of bread and cut in half.