Tonkatsu Korean Style (Panko-Breaded Pork Cutlet with Sweet Sauce)
Quick answer
- Total time
- 35 min
- Level
- Easy
- Servings
- 2 servings
- Ingredients
- 7
About this dish
Donkatsu is Korean-style breaded pork cutlet, made by dredging pork loin through flour, egg, and panko breadcrumbs in sequence before deep-frying in hot oil.
Read more
Pounding the loin with a meat mallet to an even thickness ensures uniform heat transfer so the interior cooks through while staying moist, and the panko shell turns golden and audibly crunchy. Korean donkatsu sauce blends ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and sugar into a sweet-salty condiment that is noticeably sweeter than Japanese tonkatsu's demi-glace-based sauce. Shredded raw cabbage served alongside provides a crisp, refreshing contrast to the fried cutlet and cuts through the richness. In Korean bunsik restaurants, donkatsu typically arrives as a set with rice and soup.
Ingredients
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Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Season
Shred 100g cabbage as finely as possible and soak it in cold water for 5 minutes.
Drain it well before frying starts, so water does not dilute the sauce or soften the crisp cutlet later.
- 2Season
Pound 300g pork loin with the back of a knife or a meat mallet until it is an even 1.5cm thick.
Flatten thicker spots first, then season both sides with salt and pepper.
- 3Step
Set 60g flour, 1 beaten egg, and 100g panko in separate wide dishes.
Coat the pork lightly in flour, shake off excess, then dip in egg and press firmly into panko so the crust stays attached.
- 4Heat
Heat 800ml oil to 170C and lower in the cutlet carefully.
Keep the heat at medium and fry for 3 to 4 minutes, then remove it when the coating turns pale golden and rest for 1 minute.
- 5Heat
Raise the oil to 180C and fry the cutlet again for just 1 minute.
Remove it as soon as the crust deepens to golden brown, then drain well so trapped oil does not make it soggy.
- 6Finish
Slice the donkatsu diagonally and place it over the drained cabbage.
Drizzle 4 teaspoons tonkatsu sauce evenly over the top, then serve right away while the breading is still crisp.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Pounded pork loin is dredged in panko and fried for a uniform golden crust in this Korean tonkatsu.
- Finish cue
- Remove it as soon as the crust deepens to golden brown, then drain well so trapped oil does not make it soggy.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
35min, 7 ingredients
Category median
30min, 8 ingredients
Based on 109 recipes
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