Japanese Deep Fried Hamburger Cutlets Recipe (Menchi-Katsu)

Menchi-Katsu(メンチカツ) is a very popular, Japanese deep fried meat dish. It's called a deep fried meat cutlet, meat croquette, or fried meat cake. It's very similar to the Japanese korokke or croquette, but korokke are mainly mashed potatoes with some ground beef. Menchi katsu are basically a deep fried, breaded hamburger. They are served with Worcestershire sauce and cabbage. They can be eaten as a stand alone dish with rice, a "donburi" on top of a bowl of rice, with curry and rice(katsu-kare), or on a bun like a hamburger. Any way, they are delicious and satisfy any meat lover.

Serves 4     375 cal./serving

Ingredients:

• 11 oz.(300g) ground beef or pork
• 1/2 onion
• 1 bell pepper
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• fresh cabbage leaves
• vegetable oil
• flour
• 1 egg, beaten
• breadcrumbs
• mustard and/or Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

1. Finely chop onion, bell pepper and 2-3 cabbage leaves.
2. Saute onions in an oiled pan until clear.
3. Season meat with Worcestershire sauce and salt. mix in sauteed onions, bell pepper, and cabbage.
4. Use ground meat mixture to make about 8 oval/football shaped cutlets. Indent the middle a little.
5. Dip each cutlet first in flour, then beaten egg, and finally breadcrumbs. Deep fry over medium heat until breadcrumbs turn golden brown.
6. Remove from oil and drain on a rack or absorbent paper. Serve with a mound of diced cabbage and/or other greens,and Worcestershire sauce, and mustard if desired.

Variation:

• You can also serve on a bun, just like a hamburger.

Japanese Chicken and Egg on Rice(Oyako Donburi)

Oyakodon(親子丼) is a very popular Japanese "donburi" dish served on top of rice. Oyako literally means "parent-child", chicken and egg. It's lightly cooked in a broth and the consistency is much softer than an omelet, almost runny. A truly delectable Japanese dish.



Serves 4     433 cal./serving


Ingredients:

• 4 portions cooked short grain rice
• 1/2 lb.(225g) boneless chicken
• 1 onion
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups dashi bonito stock
• 3 Tbsp. mirin(or 3 Tbsp. sake + 1 Tbsp. sugar)
• 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
• watercress leaves, nori seaweed or other greens(optional)

Directions:

1. Cook rice.
2. Trim of excess fat from chicken and cut into bite sized pieces.
3. Cut onion in half and slice thinly.
4. In a shallow pan, combine dashi stock, mirin, and soy sauce and bring to a boil. Add chicken and bring to a boil again over high heat. Add onion and cook 3-4 minutes until onion is tender and chicken is cooked.
5. Beat 4 eggs and pour them in gently in a circular motion to cover all the chicken. Cover the pan and cook 1-2 minutes over low heat. When eggs are just set, but still runny, turn off heat and let pan sit, covered, a minute or so. 
6. Divide rice among 4 deep bowls and spread chicken and egg over the top of each and serve with shredded nori or other greens, if desired.

Japanese Deep-Fried Breaded Shrimp Recipe(Ebi-fry)

This deep-fried breaded shrimp or ebi-fry(エビフライ) is a favorite in Japan. It's served with rice on the side or on top of a bowl of rice, "donburi" style. This Japanese dish definitely suits a western palette.

Serves 4    216 cal./serving













Ingredients:

• 12 medium or 8 large shrimp(prawns)
• all-purpose flour
• 1 egg, beaten
• breadcrumbs
• cabbage
• tomatoes or cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 lemon cut into wedges
• mayonnaise, tartar sauce, or Worctershire sauce

Directions:

1. Shell shrimp with tails still attached and devein. Make 3- small incisions on the underside of each shrimp to prevent curling. Gently straighten shrimp by pulling until you feel a slight give.
2. Dip shrimp first in flour, then beaten egg, and finally breadcrumbs.
3. Heat oil in pan to medium(350°F/180ºC). Deep fry shrimp until golden brown. Remove and let drain on a rack.
4. Serve on individual plates with a mound of diced cabbage, sliced or cherry tomatoes, a lemon wedge, and choice of sauce. Or serve on top of a bowl of rice "donburi" style.

Japanese Ginger Pork Saute Recipe(Shoga-yaki)

Shoga-yaki (しょうが焼き)is simply one of the best meat dishes in Japan. The simple combination of pork and ginger, sauteed in a soy based sauce is a perfect harmony. This easy to prepare dish can be served on the side with rice or it's equally well "donburi" style, served on top of a bowl of rice.

Serves 4    462 cal./serving








Ingredients:

• 14 oz. (400g) pork, thinly sliced
• 1 onion
• 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. mirin(or..1 Tbsp. sake + 1 tsp. sugar)
• 1 knob freshly grated ginger
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• vegetable oil
• cabbage leaves, diced

Directions:

1. Spread out all the pork slices, one on top of another.(Marinating 2 slices of meat staked together makes for a more balanced flavoring)
2. In a bowl, make sauce by combining soy sauce, mirin, grated ginger and sesame oil. 
3. Marinate pork in sauce for about 10 minutes.
4. Cut onion into slivers.
5. Saute pork over medium heat on one side, add onions and saute together until pork separates and both sides are lightly browned. 
6. Serve with diced cabbage.

Japanese Pork Cutlet on Rice (Katsu-don) Recipe

In Japanese, don(丼) means something served on a bowl of rice, often meat dishes. One very popular "don" is katsu-don（カツ丼）, fried pork cutlet cooked with egg, almost like an omelet. Katsu-don is made at home or served in most restaurants.You can put a Japanese twist on the typical pork cutlet. The recipe below is for one serving.







Ingredients:

• Boneless pork:                    1
• onion:                               1/4
• egg:                                  1

Batter

• flour
• egg
• breadcrumbs

Sauce

• dashi (stock):                         1/2 cup
• soy sauce:                             1-1/2 Tbsp.
• mirin(sweet cooking sake):        1 Tbsp.
• sugar:                                   1/4 Tbsp.

Directions:

1. Pound the meat with a steak tenderizer and season with salt and pepper.
2. Dip the meat in 1 flour, 2 beaten egg, and 3 breadcrumbs and fry thoroughly in oil at about 160ºC (320ºF).
3. After frying, cut the pork cutlet into 2cm thick slices.
4. Slice the onion thinly.
5. Mix the sauce ingredients together in a saucepan until just boiling.
6. Pour the sauce into a frying pan and boil the onions.
7. Add the pork cutlet to the frying pan. Cover with a beaten egg and cook until the egg sets.
8. Fill a large bowl not quite full of rice and pork and egg on top.
9. Garnish with a bit of parsley, green peas, or thinly sliced nori seaweed.