54 goodthingsmagazine.com
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T U R N I N G
J A P A N E S E
Tonkatsu is a popular dish amongst Japanese
and Western people. However, at its heart, is just
deep-fried crumbed pork. As much as I love it, I
hesitate...so I’ve created this chicken and vegetable
katsu as a much lighter, less calorific version.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
For the tonkatsu sauce
- 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 5 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 1 tbsp sake
- 1 tsp English mustard
For the katsu - 2 x 200g boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into
4 on a slant - 1 carrot, very thinly sliced on a mandoline
- 1 courgette, very thinly sliced on a mandoline
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 130g buckwheat flour
- 150g panko breadcrumbs
- 1 litre vegetable or sunflower oil, for deep-frying
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve - thinly sliced cabbage or crisp salad leaves
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
METHOD
- For the tonkatsu sauce, put all the ingredients except the
mustard in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil, then reduce
the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 7 minutes, or until the
mixture is thickened to the consistency of tomato ketchup.
Remove from the heat, cool, then stir in the mustard to
taste. Refrigerate until required. - For the katsu, pound each of the chicken slices evenly
with a meat tenderiser or rolling pin until they are the
thickness of a slice of sandwich bread. - Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil with a
pinch of salt, then add the carrot and courgette slices.
Cook for 1 minute over high heat, drain, then leave in the
colander to steam-dry. - Lay a chicken slice on a chopping board, season with
salt and pepper, and put a few carrot and courgette slices
on top. Place another chicken slice on top to sandwich
the vegetables together, then sprinkle over a little salt and
pepper. Secure the edges closed with toothpicks. Repeat
with the remaining chicken to make 4 ‘sandwiches’. - In a small bowl, beat the eggs with the mustard. Scatter
the flour and breadcrumbs on separate plates. - Dredge the entire chicken and vegetable sandwich
with flour, and dip into the egg mixture followed by the
breadcrumbs, pressing down lightly to ensure they stick
and the chicken is completely covered with crumbs.
Repeat for the remaining pieces. - Heat the oil in a deep frying pan or wok to 160°C.
Carefully place the chicken into the hot oil and deep-fry
for about 2 minutes. Turn over and cook for a further
2 minutes, or until lightly golden. Use a slotted spoon
to remove the chicken from the oil and drain on kitchen
paper. When cool enough to handle, carefully remove the
cocktail sticks. - Serve the katsu with the sliced cabbage or salad leaves
and lemon wedges, with the tonkatsu sauce on the side.
CHICKEN & VEGETABLE KATSU
Japan_MATT ZPCathyZP.indd 54 03/04/2017 20:37