Japanese Cuisine : とんかつ

Tonkatsu

Not many people are exposed to Japanese Cuisine besides Sushi, Terriyaki, and Ramen Noodles. Japanese meals are very different depending on location and what foods are available. There are staple foods that you can find almost any where in Japan though.  とんかつ (Tonkatsu) is a deep fried pork cutlet. There are two main types : Roast or Filet. Roast has a little more fat to it. The Filet is more tender without the fat. A lot of the time, Tonkatsu comes in a set. The regular set comes with Miso Soup, Steamed White Rice, Cabbage Salad, and Japanese pickles. These days there are more elaborate sets which can include fried vegetables or fish/shrimp. 

However, tonkatsu isn't only limited this kind of meal. You can have tonkatsu in many other meals. My personal favorite is Katsu-Curry. It is basically having Japanese curry (which is like a stew) and then placing the Tonkatsu on top of it. You eat it together and it is very delicious. Another way to eat tonkatsu is with eggs, green onions, and rice; its called Katsu-Don. Basically the top is a mix of the Tonkatsu with a soupy scrambled egg with green onions. All of this is put on top of rice. A-m-a-z-i-ng, I know Alpha loves it! Okay, a tie for my personal favorite, tonkatsu in a sandwich! This is known as a Katsu-Sando. It is basically bread, cabbage mixed with the tonkatsu sauce with mustard, and then the actually tonkatsu. There's still many other 
ways to eat tonkatsu and I'm excited to try the different ways!

Katsu-Curry (Left) Katsu-Don (Center) Katsu-Sando (Right)

The Way to Eat Tonkatsu.

Grind Sesame Seeds!

Ganko Restaurant in Japan

My favorite Tonkatsu restaurant is called "Ganko". There are many types of Ganko restaurants, you need to find the 'Tonkatsu Ganko' - seriously the best place ever to eat tonkatsu.  When you enter and are seated, you automatically receive a small little bowl of sesame seeds. You'll see you that the bowl is ribbed - its actually a grinding bowl - you'll notice there's a wooden grinder. So after you order your meal, pick of the wooden grinder and grind the sesame seeds! This is actually for the tonkatsu sauce you typically eat with. Feel free to grind as long as you like - it's all up to you! After that you have a choice of two sauces - one is sweeter and one is a little spicy. I like the spicy one! Once your meal comes that's basically it, eat away! Just dip your pork into the sauce and eat away - it's delicious trust me! Usually before eating anything in the meal, it is the Japanese custom to take a sip of the Miso Soup. And at most Tonkatsu places you can actually get refills on cabbage salad and rice. It really it quite a sweet deal (And the prices are always pretty reasonable). Seriously, this is at the top of my favorite foods (not only within Japanese cuisine but like out of all the world cuisine).

You must try it!

Love,

ALPHA