![\"chickenkatsup\"](\"http:\/\/www.withaglass.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/chickenkatsup.jpg\")
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Japanese cuisine can be divided roughly into washoku<\/em> \u548c\u98df, traditional\u00a0Japanese food, and yoshoku<\/em> \u6d0b\u98df, which defines dishes inspired by Western cuisines. Unsurprisingly, the former is healthy and light, while the latter contains many deep-fried, rich dishes. I quickly realised my heart goes very often (maybe too often) to the westernised cuisine and such deep-fried delicacies as korokke\u00a0\u30b3\u30ed\u30c3\u30b1(potato croquettes)<\/a>, ebi fry (breaded shrimp) or tonkatsu \u8c5a\u30ab\u30c4\u00a0(breaded pork loin<\/a>)\u00a0are among my favourite Japanese dishes. The fact that these dishes were the only ones I could read on menus in Japan (they are in majority written in one of the two Japanese syllabaries, much\u00a0easier to decipher than Chinese characters) makes me love them even more.<\/p>\n Breaded chicken cutlets, or chicken katsu, (\u201ckatsu\u201d is a Japanised version of the word \u201ccutlet\u201d or \u201cc\u00f4telette\u201d), are at least as excellent as tonkatsu<\/a>, their close cousins, but in my opinion they are easier, quicker and more crowd-pleasing. Some of my friends call them Japanese chicken nuggets. The main difference in the preparation is that, unlike pork loin, chicken breast is often cut\u00a0into smaller pieces and briefly marinated before being fried. (Although I have seen also bigger chicken katsu versions too).<\/p>\n I know I’m repeating myself, but I have to emphasize that Japanese breaded dishes are not mere copies of their Western counterparts. First of all, Japanese flaky panko creates a lighter, crunchier result than simple dried bread crumbs. Moreover, thanks to deep-frying, the dishes cook quicker, absorb less oil and are juicier. (Of course, if you prefer shallow-frying, you can easily shallow fry chicken katsu).<\/p>\n As a big fan of Nami’s blog (Just One Cookbook<\/a>), an infinite source of well-explained and beautifully photographed Japanese recipes, I naturally chose her\u00a0Chicken Katsu recipe<\/a>\u00a0and wasn’t disappointed. The result was perfect, as every time I follow Nami’s instructions and advice. Thank you so much, Nami, for one more infallible recipe!<\/p>\n If you prefer pork, you might like my Thin version of Tonkatsu, or Breaded Pork Cutlets<\/a>\u00a0(as you see this is one of my favourite bowls…):<\/p>\n TIPS:<\/p>\n Traditionally both tonkatsu and chicken katsu are served with a dark, thick sauce called “Tonkatsu sauce”. It is available in Japanese grocery shops, but is too sweet and too heavy to my taste. Thanks to Hiroyuki\u2019s kind advice (Hiroyuki\u2019s Blog on Japanese Cooking<\/a>), I make my own version mixing ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce.\u00a0I also serve chicken katsu with mayonnaise and hot chili oil sediments you see above or with hot chili paste, such as Korean gochujang.<\/p>\n Deep-frying scares many people, but becomes easy and quick with time. Everyone has different preferences of course, but the basic rule to observe is to make sure the food is completely dry before it\u2019s fried (or breaded) to minimise the risk of oil splashes. Personally I prefer deep-frying in a small cooking pan (I have one which is only for deep-frying) using a small amount of oil. I also place the pan as far as possible from myself, just in case the oil splashes. If you are really not comfortable with deep-frying or don’t have enough oil, you can of course shallow fry this dish.<\/p>\n Deep-fried food should \u201cswim\u201d easily, so do not overcrowd the pan (otherwise the temperature becomes lower, the food fries slowly and absorbs more oil).<\/p>\n You will probable have to fry in several batches (unless you have a big deep-frying dish or make a small batch). In order to make sure all the chicken pieces are hot when served, I place a baking dish in the oven at 100\u00b0C\/212\u00b0F, line it with paper napkins and put there deep-fried bits, one by one, until the whole frying process is finished. This way they keep warm and if you serve them in the same hot baking dish, they will stay warm on the table too.<\/p>\n Frying oil can be used as long as it doesn\u2019t darken and is always filtered after each use (I usually throw it away after three times, but it depends on what you fry… Fish for example can make the oil smell strong, so keep it only for fish or seafood frying).<\/p>\n Preparation: about 30 minutes<\/em><\/p>\n Ingredients (serves two):<\/em><\/p>\n 2 medium chicken breasts<\/em><\/p>\n![\"thintonkatsupj\"](\"http:\/\/www.withaglass.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/thintonkatsupj.jpg\")
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