Chef notes
Our culinary pièce de résistance on our bar menu at Katana Kitten is the Mortadella Katsu Sando. The inspiration here is hamu katsu, a panko-crusted ham steak that is enormously popular in Japan. We thought why not substitute ham with mortadella, one of the ultimate expressions of porky deliciousness? It worked like a charm, and we sell a ton of the sandwiches that are dressed with Dijon mustard and a house-made traditional tonkatsu sauce.
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons Japanese karashi mustard
- 2 cups ketchup
- 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 2½ tablespoons soy sauce
- frying oil, preferably canola
- 1 (1/2-inch-thick) slice mortadella
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 cup Japanese panko breadcrumbs
- 1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 slices Japanese milk bread
- 1 tablespoon Tonkatsu Sauce (recipe above)
Preparation
For the Tonkatsu Sauce:
Combine the mustard, ketchup, Worcestershire and soy sauce in a blender and blend until fully incorporated.
Pour into an airtight 2½-cup glass container. Seal the container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
For the sando:
1.Fill a high-sided saucepan with frying oil to a depth of 2 to 3 inches and heat over high heat to 350 F.
2.Dredge the mortadella in the flour, dip it in the beaten egg and dredge in panko breadcrumbs.
3.Add the mortadella to the hot oil and fry until golden brown, about 1½ to 2 minutes for each side, flipping once.
4.Spread the mustard over one slice of Japanese milk bread and the tonkatsu sauce over the other.
5.Place the fried mortadella between the two bread slices, then cut the edges of the crust to form a square. Cut into four square pieces and serve.
