Tonkatsu Sauce Recipe (2024)

Tonkatsu Sauce Recipe

We're cooking up a batch of Homemade Tonkatsu Sauce today in the Chili Pepper Madness kitchen. Would you care for some?

Tonkatsu sauce is a sweet and tangy sauce from Japan that is traditionally served with "tonkatsu", which are panko breaded and deep fried pork cutlets or other deep fried dishes. It was created over a century ago by a chef named Kida Motojiro and is a Japanese take on Worcestershire sauce.

It is a sort of a Japanese style barbecue sauce.

The sauce recipe has changed over the years, with chefs adding ingredients like tomatoes and fruit purees to make it more palatable to local consumers.

What follows here are two different ways to make it. The first is more of a restaurant style tonkatsu sauce with more ingredients, which will take a bit longer to make.

The second version is a homemade, easy tonkatsu sauce that you can whip together in 5 minutes from simple ingredients.

This version is more like popular Bulldog Sauce so loved by Japanese diners that you can find in grocery stores.

Let's talk about how to make tonkatsu sauce, shall we?

Tonkatsu Sauce Ingredients

• FOR AUTHENTIC TONKATSU SAUCE - More Restaurant Style
• Vegetable Oil. For cooking.
• Fruit and Vegetables. Onion, apple, tomatoes, garlic, tomato paste.
• Liquids. Water, sake, vinegar, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce.
• Seasonings. Salt, sugar, cayenne, white pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, bay leaf.
• FOR EASY TONKATSU SAUCE (Homemade Bulldog Sauce)
• Ketchup.
• Worcestershire Sauce.
• Sugar. Or use honey or brown sugar.
• Soy Sauce.

How to Make Tonkatsu Sauce - the Recipe Method

FOR AUTHENTIC TONKATSU SAUCE - Restaurant Style

Cook the Onion. Heat the oil in a large saucepan to medium heat.Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes to soften.

Simmer Most of the Ingredients. Add the apple, tomatoes, garlic, sake, water, salt, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, tomato paste and bay leaf. Simmer about 30 minutes, then cool.

Process and Strain. Next you'll process then strain the ingredients.

Seasonings and Second Simmer. Add the seasonings and Worcestershire sauce. Heat and simmer for 10 minutes.Cool and serve.

Your homemade katsu sauce is ready to enjoy.

FOR EASY TONKATSU SAUCE (Homemade Bulldog Sauce)

Whisk the Ingredients. Whisk together the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, sugar and soy sauce in a small bowl.

Serve it Up. Serve as desired with Japanese breaded tonkatsu like pork or chicken katsu or as a dipping sauce.

Recipe Tips & Notes

• Amounts. The classic tonkatsu sauce recipe makes about 3.5 cups of sauce. The easy tonkatsu sauce recipe makes about 1/2 cup.
• Additional Ingredients. Other popular ingredients to include in your recipe include celery, carrots or other vegetables, oyster sauce, mirin, sweet vinegar, mustard, and other seasonings like garlic, ginger, clove, and toasted sesame seeds.

Storage Information

Homemade tonkatsu sauce will last for 1 week or longer in the refrigerator in a sealed container. The easy version will last even longer, as it is really a mix of prepared condiments.

You can freeze tonkatsu sauce for up to 6 months.

Cookbook Recommendation

If you loveJapanese cuisine, check out the following cookbook. I'm learning a lot from it and used it to develop this recipe. Great book!

• Japanese Soul Cooking: Ramen, Tonkatsu, Tempura, and More from the Streets and Kitchens of Tokyo and Beyond, by Tadashi Ono & Harris Salat (affiliate link, my friends!)
• Buy Bull Dog Sauce (affiliate link, my friends!)

Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes

• Tonkatsu (Japanese Fried Pork Cutlet)
• Spicy Ramen Noodles
• Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao)
• Yakisoba Noodles
• Spicy Shrimp Stir Fry
• Pork Stir Fry
• Spicy Stir Fry Sauce
• Homemade Bulgogi Sauce
• Homemade Szechuan Sauce
• Homemade Hoisin Sauce
• Homemade Ponzu Sauce
• Togarashi - Japanese Spice Blend