When making Menchi-Katsu just imagine a breaded hamburger. To be more accurate breaded Japanese hamburger. What is the different between Japanese hamburger to others ? The patties for the Japanese hamburger are made with a mixture of beef & pork. The ratio are usually 1 : 1. The ratio can be changed as you wish. If you got a really good beef, it can be 100 % beef or vice versa. Also we don’t just salt & pepper the buns. We add some onions, eggs, soften bread crumbs, soy sauce and other to spice it up.

I don’t usually measure the ingredients but I will try to jot it down for whom who want to make it.

for the patties:

• 250 gram Minced pork
• 50 grams dried bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoon of milk (can substitute with water)
• large pinch of salt
• 2 teaspoon of Lea and Perrins Worcester sauce
• 2 teaspoon of soy sauce
• 1 small egg
• 1/4 minced onion

for the outer crumb:

• Flour
• egg
• dried bread crumb (Called [Panko] in Japan)

How to make Menchi-katsu:

1. In a small bowl put in bread crumb and pour milk to soak the bread crumb. The overall texture of the breadcrumb with milk is soft but not too mushy. If it is too dry adjust accordingly. Set the bowl aside.
2. Chop the onion and set aside.
3. In a larger bowl add the minced pork, salt, Worcester sauce, soy sauce and mix well.
4. Add egg to the mixture and mix it well. Mix it with your finger and mix it well until you feel that the meat had soaked the egg.
5. Add the breadcrumb to the meat. Again, mix the mixture well. The texture of the meat is rather soft so the more you mix it, the more it well combined. (Hint: if you feel that the patty is too soft add a teaspoon of flour and mix it well.)
6. Add the minced onion into the meat mixture.
7. Divide the meat mixture into 8 and make them into small patties, set them in a tray and chill them to harden the patties. (The shape of the patties can be either round or oval.)
8. While the patties are chilling in the fridge, place flour, eggs and bread crumbs each in a small bowl ready for dipping the patties in.
9. Dip the patties in this order, 1) Flour 2) eggs and 3) bread crumbs, pat the patties and set them back on the tray ready for deep frying it. ( If you are frying it later, put it back into the fridge.)
10. Heat the frying oil 170c, slowly dip the breaded patties into the oil. Check the patties and if it’s burning too fast, reduce the temp of the oil and fry it until done. Remove the patties when done, set it on a tray with a paper towel to soak up extra oil.

This is pretty much of how to cook the Menchi-katsu. I used pork (good quality pork) because the taste seems to be lighter than the beef version. The patties are small so it cooks faster plus it’s perfect size for bento filler but you can make bigger version too. Prepare some shredded cabbage like I said in my previous post and arrange it as I mentioned. This recipe is just one option, you can go wild and improvise anyway you want. Experiment with it and make it your own version. Share you version in the comment section to give insight to others !