Martha Stewart's tonkatsu
Recently I was struck by how
many inappropriate combinations of flavors you see when you browse recipes
online. Specifically, it seemed to me that in an effort to dress up
ingredients, “inventive” cooks were smothering the basic flavor of the dish.
Specifically I thought this when I found a recipe for lamb barbacoa. I know
some people don’t eat lamb, but I do. I love it, but for economy’s sake most of
the lamb my family gets is ground—in burgers, meatloaf, ragu sauce, etc. I buy
myself an occasional loin lamb chop—a treat for a night when I dine alone. But
this recipe called for a small, boneless leg of lamb. Trust me, if I can afford
a leg of lamb, I am not disguising it under barbacoa flavorings. I grew up in a
household where roast leg of lamb was frequently on the table, and there is
nothing better than a cold lamb sandwich with mayonnaise the next day.
Similarly, I came across a recipe
for lobster with firecracker sauce. You can buy bottled firecracker sauce
(maybe you already know this) or make your own. Basically it consists of
siracha, garlic, brown sugar, and soy sauce. Why in heaven’s name would you
hide the delicate taste of lobster with siracha sauce? I admit I’m prejudiced—you
say siracha to me, and I say too hot. I can even see brown sugar and soy, used sparingly,
on lobster. Last week I had a lobster roll at Fort Worth’s Lucile’s Bistro,
with their own sauce on it, and it was just right—delicate yet flavorful. But
siracha?
Finally, I am weary of all the
recipes that char everything. For instance, I love a good Caesar salad, crisp
leaves of Romaine with that robust, anchovy-spiked dressing. But why char it? Yet
charred Caesar salad is a popular recipe? Just search for it. Once I made a dip
recipe that incorporated charred scallions—I didn’t like it, but one of Jordan’s
friends ate almost the whole thing. To me, why hide the fresh flavor of
scallions. These days just the word charred can stop me from reading a recipe, unless
it’s steak.
Okay. Rant over. Here’s
something I just learned to do and thought it was really good: next time you
make a tuna fish salad sandwich, put a layer of potato chips in it. The crunch
is terrific. In a few minutes, I’m making a chicken salad sandwich and plan to
try it. I think I got the idea from Sam Sifton of the New York Times, but
I know I’ve seen it suggested several times. Just took me a while to try it.
I have a fairly rigid rule
that I don’t share on this blog a recipe I haven’t tried, but I just came
across this one and couldn’t resist. So I’m breaking my rule. Tonkatsu sauce is
a traditional Japanese condiment, most often used on breaded and fried pork or
chicken cutlets, and served with grated cabbage on the side. The sauce is basically ketchup, Worcestershire, and soy,
though some versions add mirin and other ingredients. I don’t keep mirin on
hand, but I always have ketchup, Worcestershire, and soy. I think this would be
good on grilled chicken or beef, lots of things. Even vegetables. Here’s a
basic version:
¼ cup ketchup
1 tsp. mirin
1 tsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. soy sauce
Bottled versions are available
online, though when I checked with my go-to grocery, Central Market, they only
offered several packaged dishes, like ramen, with tonkatsu flavoring. You can find
tonkatsu ramen recipes online.
Want to try an original recipe
for the dish? Martha Stewart’s fried pork cutlets is a good place to start: Tonkatsu Recipe
(marthastewart.com) If you don’t like to fry, there are recipes
online for making tonkatsu in your air fryer. And there’s always the grill.
Fire up the grill, Christian!
We’re making tonkatsu!
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