Chefs Binge · Japanese · Serves 8 servings
Japanese Tonkatsu Sauce (Apple & Ginger)
Rich Japanese tonkatsu sauce with diced apple, ginger, and mirin. Balanced, fruity, and perfect for chicken or pork katsu.
Prep
5 min
Cook
12 min
Total
17 min
Serves
8 servings
Per serving
25 kcal
Ingredients
120 g Ketchup - I used Heinz
60 g Worcestershire sauce
30 g Light soy sauce - I used tamarind soy sauce for a fruitier profile
25 g Light brown sugar
20 g Rice vinegar - white wine vinegar is an acceptable substitute
15 ml Japanese mirin - Japanese wine
10 g Dijon mustard - any smooth mustard works
1 Garlic clove - finely grated
10 g Fresh ginger - very finely diced
1 Small apple - peeled and cut into 2-3 mm cubes
50 ml Water - add to adjust consistency
Equipment
Small Saucepan · Fine Grater · Wooden spoon
Method
1
Mix all ingredients. Put the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, mirin, mustard, grated garlic, finely diced ginger, peeled diced apple and water in a small pan. Dice the apple 2 to 3 mm and the ginger finer, so they soften in time.
2
Simmer gently. Bring to a gentle simmer over low heat and keep stirring. It is mostly ketchup and sugar, so it catches on the base of the pan the moment it is left alone, and a scorched base turns the whole batch bitter.
3
Cook until fruit softens. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until the apple cubes are soft enough to crush against the side of the pan and the raw bite of the ginger and garlic has gone.
4
Adjust thickness. Loosen with water, a splash at a time, until it pours thickly. Stop while it still looks a shade looser than you want, because it thickens as it cools.
5
Mash a few apples (optional). Optional: crush some of the apple against the side of the pan with the back of a spoon in the last few minutes. Leave them whole for a rustic sauce, or crush most for a smoother one.
6
Cool before serving. Cool completely before using. Warm, it tastes sharp and thin, cold it tastes like tonkatsu sauce, and it is better again the next day.
Chef’s notes
- Keep the heat low and keep stirring. This is mostly ketchup and sugar, so it catches on the base of the pan the moment it is left alone, and a scorched bottom turns the whole batch bitter.
- Dice the apple 2 to 3 mm and the ginger finer. They have a quarter of an hour to soften and nothing longer to fall back on.
- Stop while it still looks slightly too loose. It thickens noticeably as it cools, and it is far easier to thin than to thicken back up.
- Cool it completely before tasting properly. Warm it tastes sharp and thin; cold it tastes like tonkatsu sauce, and better again the next day.
- Keeps 1 to 2 weeks in the fridge - shorter than the shop bottle, because of the fresh apple, garlic and ginger in it.
Per serving Calories 25 kcal · Protein 0.4 g · Carbs 5.7 g · Fat 0.1 g · Fibre 0.4 g · Sugar 4.8 g · Sodium 290 mg
Recipe © Chef Łukasz Babral · chefsbinge.com · for personal use only
chefsbinge.com/japanese-tonkatsu-sauce-apple-ginger
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