Katsu sando, recipe for making the most famous Japanese sandwich at home
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Total: 15 min Diners: 2
In Japan they do not only eat sushi, but until not long ago in Spain, talking about eating Japanese food was talking about makis, nigiris, temakis and sashimi, which is how they call raw fish cuts. But well, we got confused, today we have not come to talk about sushi, this day the protagonist is the katsu sando.
Ingredients
. Tenderloin ribbon fillets, 1.5 cm thick, 2 Wheat flour for breading Beaten egg Panko or coarse breadcrumbs Salt Pepper Brioche style sliced bread, 4 slices Tonkatsu sauce, 4 tablespoons Coleslaw, 4 heaping tablespoons
What is katsu sando that is becoming so fashionable? Simple, it is basically a breaded steak sandwich, I would say that it is more of a concept than a recipe, as each chef can prepare it in his own way. Thus we can find versions of katsu sando ranging from the most humble made with chicken breast or pork tenderloin steaks to the most luxurious and sophisticated made with the highly prized wagyu beef.
Apart from the bread – in Japan a milk bread known as Hokkaido bread is often used – and the meat, katsu sando usually comes with coleslaw and tonkatsu sauce, although this is also customizable.
And now in Spain, which is starting to become a popular dish, I think it is necessary to point out one thing, no matter how humble the ingredients used or how much the recipe is customized or merged with national products, as long as it is made with quality products and the result is tasty. I tell you all this, because just as there are places in Spain where they prepare a tasty katsu sando, I have also tried some that were a real horror.
With the recipe and tips that I’m going to tell you today you will be able to make at home a katsu sando that will thrill you and everyone who tries it.
How to make katsu sando at home
Step 1
Start by toasting the bread. As I was telling you, in Japan they use Hokkaido bread, a dairy bread with a very fluffy crumb. Here, if we don’t want to complicate our life too much by making the bread ourselves, we can use a brioche that comes cut into thick slices for toast or, better yet, one that we can cut ourselves. Believe me, the difference between using a rich sliced bread and a poor quality one is noticeable.
To toast the bread we will grease a griddle with a little butter and cook the bread over low heat, so that we get a golden and crispy outer layer and the inside remains tender.
Step 2
While the bread is toasting, cook the fillets. Since they are thick fillets, it is important to take them out of the refrigerator a while beforehand so that they are tempered. Season the pork loin fillets with salt and pepper, dip them in flour, beaten egg and panko. If you do not have panko, a coarse breadcrumbs that leaves a very crunchy finish will be a good substitute. If you need the recipe to be gluten-free, with this trick you can get a very crispy and gluten-free breading. If you can’t use egg, you can also have your crispy batter without egg as we explained at the time.
For frying, we need the oil to be at a temperature of about 150 – 160 ºC, as we need the batter to brown without burning and that the inside is not raw, but not dry either.
Step 3
Once the fillets are fried and the bread is toasted, proceed to assemble the katsu sando. We spread the bread with the tonkatsu sauce, I have used a very popular commercial sauce in Japan, but if you do not find it or just do not want to buy it, you can make at home very similar sauces like okonomiyaki sauce or, if you want an even more powerful option, I advise you the version we made a few years ago of Sichuan sauce.
The important thing is that the sauce is dense, because it does not have to soak the bread, but to season the steak.
Step 4
On one of the slices we put a couple of spoonfuls of coleslaw. This time, I followed the Chinese style coleslaw recipe, but only with cabbage, I let it macerate for 24 hours and before preparing the katsu sando I mixed it with a couple of tablespoons of mayonnaise. So really, it was a hybrid between Chinese style coleslaw and American coleslaw.
Step 5
Lay the breaded steak on top of the coleslaw and close the sandwich.
Step 6
The katsu sando is usually cut in two halves lengthwise. For a clean cut it is best to use a serrated knife. However, if you are at home and you think it will be more comfortable to eat it whole you can save this step.
And this is all, if you make it at home and you want to show it to us, you can upload a photo to Instagram and tag Cocinillas.
