Recipe Highlights
I first fell for menchi katsu at Japanese butcher retailers and delis. They fry the patties contemporary to order. The crisp panko shell and juicy middle gained me over. Nowadays I make this Menchi Katsu recipe at dwelling and serve it with my do-it-yourself tartar sauce.
Right here’s why I maintain coming again to this recipe:
- Crisp crust because of Japanese panko breadcrumbs
- Juicy, tender middle from combining floor beef and floor pork
- Less complicated to make at dwelling than it seems to be
Should you love Japanese fried meals, attempt my Tonkatsu, Baked Tonkatsu, and Katsu Curry subsequent!
What’s Menchi Katsu?
Menchi katsu (メンチカツ) is a Japanese floor meat cutlet—menchi from the English “minced” and katsu from “cutlet.”
A Tokyo restaurant created this yoshoku (洋食) dish throughout the Meiji period, over 100 years in the past. Yoshoku refers to Western-style cooking tailored by a Japanese lens.
The dish later unfold to the Kansai area, the place it’s generally known as minchi katsu. Right now, it’s a beloved staple at butcher retailers and delis throughout Japan.
Components for Menchi Katsu
- Floor beef and pork
- Onion
- Egg
- Panko
- Milk
- Nutmeg
- All-purpose flour, crushed eggs, and panko – for breading
- Salt and black pepper
- Additional virgin olive oil
- Impartial oil
- Sauce of your selection – Tartar Sauce, tonkatsu, Worcestershire, or ketchup + tonkatsu
Discover the printable recipe with measurements under.
Learn how to Make Menchi Katsu
- Sauté the onion. Mince the onion, then prepare dinner it in a frying pan with olive oil till golden. Let it cool to room temperature.
- Combine and form. Mix the meat, onion, egg, milk, panko, and seasonings. Knead till sticky. Divide into six parts, form into ovals, and chill 30–60 minutes.
- Bread the patties. Dredge every patty in flour, dip in crushed egg, then coat in panko breadcrumbs. Put aside on a tray.
- Deep-fry till golden. Warmth the oil to 320–340°F (160–170°C). Fry about 4–5 minutes per aspect, till golden brown.
- Drain and serve. Switch to a wire rack to empty, then serve sizzling with the sauce of your selection.
Make Forward Suggestions
- Prep the meat – Make the meat combination the night time earlier than and refrigerate in a single day—this really helps the flavors meld. Form, bread, and fry the subsequent night. Use inside 1 day.
- Fry and freeze – Fry the patties, cool utterly, and retailer correctly. Should you’re new to deep-frying, I like to recommend freezing the fried patties relatively than uncooked ones—uncooked frozen patties are laborious to prepare dinner by evenly.
Storage and Reheating Suggestions
To retailer: Let the menchi katsu cool utterly, then refrigerate in an hermetic container for as much as 3 days.
To freeze: Let the menchi katsu cool utterly, then freeze in a single layer till stable. Switch to a freezer bag and freeze for as much as 1 month.
To reheat: Place the menchi katsu on a wire rack or crumpled foil on a baking sheet. Bake at 325°F (160°C) for 20–half-hour till heated by and crispy. No must thaw—if reheating from frozen, bake longer.
Variations
Trying to change issues up? Listed here are a couple of concepts to attempt.
- Regulate the meat ratio. Extra beef offers a firmer, extra sturdy patty, whereas extra pork makes it softer and juicier. Or go all beef for a beefier, extra intense taste.
- Strive hen or turkey. Floor hen or turkey makes a leaner patty. Add somewhat further panko to assist it bind.
- Bake it. Pre-toast the panko, then bake the patties for a lighter model. See my Baked Rooster Katsu recipe for the method.
- Add cheese. Tuck a small dice of mozzarella or cheddar into the middle of every patty earlier than breading. It melts into the filling because it fries—so good!
- Go meatless. Use a agency plant-based floor instead of the meat and pork.
What to Serve with Menchi Katsu
Spherical out the meal with these easy sides.
FAQ
What’s the distinction between menchi katsu and tonkatsu?
Tonkatsu makes use of an entire pork cutlet, whereas menchi katsu makes use of floor meat—beef, pork, or a mix—formed right into a patty. Each get a panko coating and a deep fry, however menchi katsu has a softer, juicier inside.
Why did my patties collapse whereas frying?
A number of issues may cause this: not kneading the meat sufficient, an excessive amount of moisture from uncooked onion, or skipping the chilliness. Be certain that to knead till the combination is pale and sticky, sauté the onion first to drive off extra moisture, and refrigerate the formed patties for at the least half-hour earlier than frying. Tossing every patty between your arms earlier than shaping additionally helps push out air pockets.
Can I make menchi katsu forward of time?
Sure. Make the meat combination the night time earlier than and refrigerate in a single day—this really helps the flavors meld. Form and bread the patties simply earlier than frying. You too can freeze the cooked cutlets and reheat them within the oven straight from frozen.
What sauce goes finest with menchi katsu?
I like do-it-yourself Tartar Sauce for its creamy, tangy chunk. A tangy sauce balances wealthy, deep-fried meals. Tonkatsu and Worcestershire sauce work properly too. A mixture of tomato ketchup and tonkatsu sauce (or Worcestershire) is nice in a pinch. Don’t overlook to serve with shredded cabbage on the aspect.
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Menchi Katsu
Earlier than You Begin
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This recipe requires half-hour of resting time. Collect all of the elements.
To Make the Meat Combination
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Mince ½ onion (known as mijingiri in Japanese). Place it cut-side down and make ¼-inch horizontal cuts towards the basis, then vertical cuts, and eventually slice crosswise for a good cube.
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Warmth 1 Tbsp further virgin olive oil in a frying pan over medium warmth. Add the onion and sauté till translucent and golden brown. Switch the onion to a big bowl and let cool to room temperature.
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Add 1 lb floor beef and pork mixture, 2 Tbsp panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), 1 Tbsp milk, and 1 massive egg (50 g every w/o shell) to the onions. Season with ½ tsp nutmeg, ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and freshly floor black pepper.
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Knead the combination by hand till it turns into pale and sticky. Divide it into 6 parts.Nami’s Tip: To prep forward, make the meat combination the night time earlier than and chill it in a single day—this really helps the flavors meld. Form, bread, and fry the subsequent day. See Notes for extra make-ahead suggestions.
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Roll every portion right into a ball, then toss it between your arms about 5 occasions.Nami’s Tip: Tossing releases trapped air from the meat, so the balls will not break aside whereas deep-frying.
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Form into oval patties and prepare on a plate. Cowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30–60 minutes to solidify the fats.
To Bread the Patties
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Put together 3 separate bowls for ½ cup all-purpose flour (plain flour), 2 massive eggs (50 g every w/o shell) (crushed), and 1½ cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs). Dredge every patty within the flour, then coat within the crushed egg.
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Coat with panko, repair the oval form, and set on a tray.
To Deep-Fry
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Warmth 3 cups impartial oil to 340ºF (170ºC). Test the oil temperature with an instant-read thermometer or picket chopsticks dipped within the oil—if small bubbles kind across the suggestions, the oil is prepared. Add 2–3 patties at a time and deep-fry in batches (I cooked 2 at a time).Nami’s Tip: Don’t crowd the pot, or the oil temperature will drop shortly. Your elements ought to take up not more than half the oil’s floor space at any time. For extra suggestions, learn my Learn how to Deep-Fry Meals information.
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Depart the patties undisturbed for the first 2 minutes so they do not break aside. Cook dinner for 3 minutes, flip, and prepare dinner one other 3 minutes, till golden brown. Drain on a wire rack for 1–2 minutes, then proceed frying the remaining patties.Nami’s Tip: Residual warmth will end cooking the within. Earlier than frying the subsequent batch, scoop out any crumbs within the oil with a fine-mesh skimmer—in any other case they’re going to burn, follow your new patties, and darken the oil.
To Serve
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Serve instantly, topped with the sauce of your selection. You too can tuck it right into a Menchi Katsu Sandwich.Nami’s Tip: If you do not have tonkatsu sauce, attempt my Tonkatsu Sauce recipe. I wish to serve this with Japanese-style Tartar Sauce. Different choices embody Worcestershire sauce, or a mixture of ketchup and tonkatsu sauce.
To Retailer
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Cool utterly, then retailer in an hermetic container. Refrigerate for as much as 3 days or freeze for as much as 1 month.To reheat, no must thaw first—bake straight from frozen (or refrigerated) at 325ºF (160ºC) till warmed by and crispy, about 20–half-hour.Nami’s Tip: Crumple your aluminum foil first, then unfold it out. This enables the grease to empty away and makes your meals crispier.
- Prep the meat – Make the meat combination the night time earlier than and chill—this really helps meld the flavors. Form, bread, and fry for dinner the subsequent night.
- Fry and freeze – Cook dinner the patties, cool utterly, and flash-freeze in a single layer. Switch to a freezer bag and freeze for as much as 1 month. To reheat, bake from frozen in an oven at 325°F (160°C) for 20–half-hour, till warmed by.
- Don’t freeze uncooked –Frying frozen uncooked patties browns the surface earlier than the middle cooks. Frying first, then freezing preserves high quality higher too.
Variations
- Regulate the meat ratio. Extra beef makes a firmer patty, whereas extra pork makes it softer.
- Strive hen. Floor hen or turkey makes a leaner patty. Add somewhat further panko to bind it.
- Bake it. Pre-toast the panko, then bake the patties for a lighter cutlet. See my Baked Rooster Katsu recipe for the method.
- Go meatless. Swap in a agency plant-based floor meat for the meat and pork.
- Make it a sando. Tuck a cutlet into toasted milk bread with shredded cabbage and sauce for my Menchi Katsu Sandwich.
Energy: 477kcal, Carbohydrates: 25g, Protein: 32g, Fats: 27g, Saturated Fats: 15g, Polyunsaturated Fats: 2g, Monounsaturated Fats: 8g, Trans Fats: 1g, Ldl cholesterol: 182mg, Sodium: 425mg, Potassium: 506mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 169IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 74mg, Iron: 5mg
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Editor’s Observe: This publish was initially printed on January 14, 2011, up to date with new pictures and revised recipe on August 17, 2018, and republished with extra useful content material on July 12, 2026.
