*crispy waffle*

The other day I was filling in some profile information on Chowhound, such as location, website, blah blah blah, but because it's a foodie message board, it had some interesting ones like "The best meal you ever had." I had to think for a second on the one labeled, "Favorite comfort food." What is my favorite comfort food? I guess for me, what it ultimately means is not just what gives me comfort to eat, but what dish am I happy to cook, and what does my family like to eat over and over again.

My friends Melinda and Mark just moved to Hawaii recently. After the envy subsided, I started--of course--thinking about lunch. Hawaiian plate lunch, specifically. Oh, you don't know what plate lunch is? Let me tell you-- it is basically the ultimate comfort food for an Asian. It's typically some sort of meat (you choose) served with heaps of rice and a huge scoop of mac salad. Double starching it-- oh yeah! (I love the double starch. At home whenever I make mashed potatoes, we end up eating it with rice.) The Filipino version of the ABC motto should be "Always Be Carb-loading".

I realized then that actually my favorite home-cooked comfort food is something that definitely falls into plate lunch world: Katsu chicken. This is totally my kids' favorite dish and about the easiest thing in the world to make. Basically it's chicken cutlet, but with panko breadcrumbs and served with rice and tonkatsu sauce. It's like, Asian chicken fingers or something. And it is delish. We eat so much katsu at home that when we moved to Holland, I was really worried about something that seems relatively minor to most anyone else: Where would I get tonkatsu sauce? My four-year-old basically needs to drown his rice in the sauce when we eat katsu, so you can't underestimate the importance of the sauce. (Otherwise, it's just fried chicken and rice, right?) I had an elaborate plan of asking all visitors from the States to bring us a bottle each time they visited, and then we would build up a stockpile. But no need, in the end I randomly found the famous Bulldog label glowering at me from the shelf at a Chinese grocery in the Hague. Yes, it was like 5 euros for a small bottle. But who cares at that point?

So pour on the Bulldog, and maybe even make some macaroni salad. Put on some Iz and at least you can pretend you're in the islands. And Mark and Melinda: eat some malasadas for me-- those donuts beat Crispy Creme any day!

Katsu Chicken
serves 4
Don't bother if you don't have panko breadcrumbs; it absolutely will not be the same. If you can, try honey panko. It has a very subtle sweetness to it (and smells lovely when you pour it into the bowl.)

Ingredients
1-1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 large eggs
1 cup Japanese panko breadcrumbs
2 cups canola oil (or any other light-colored oil, such as sunflower oil, which is what I prefer)

With a sharp chef's knife, split the chicken breasts lengthwise so you have two equal pieces. (this will make the chicken flatter so it cooks faster when you deep fry it.) Pound (but not too thin) to equal thickness all over. Pat dry with a paper towel.

Combine the flour, salt and pepper in one bowl. Beat the eggs lightly in a second bowl. Place the panko in a large, shallow bowl or pie plate.

Bread the chicken in the typical assembly line: flour first, then eggs, then panko. Shake off excess after each step. Place the breaded pieces on a plate.

Heat the oil in a heavy 3 or 4-quart saucepan to 325 degrees (I always use a candy thermometer.)

Fry the chicken in batches, 1-2 minutes on each side. Place the finished pieces on a cooling rack to stay crispy (I noticed that they get a bit soggier if you put them on paper towels, so a cooling rack does a better job.)

Serve with tonkatsu sauce and heaps and heaps of steaming white rice.

Don't forget the Bulldog!

Labels: recipes, the savory and salty, travel

posted by sheryl | 7:44 PM |

Sheryl...that looks great!!!

That Bulldog sauce is available here in Manila as well...will give it a try...I love katsus =)
By

Jen Tan 9/6/07 7:35 AM

i love katsu chicken! and so do my kids! i have yet to find a good sauce, though, to make it at home - i have a japanese store nearby, but nothing carries english labels, so i rely on the stafff... a bit trial and error really. will find "my" sauce soon!
By

thepassionatecook 9/7/07 10:48 AM

Sheryl,

I just stumbled across your awesome website when I was looking for a certain waffle recipe.

I love it!

And that chicken recipe sounds incredible! I did a quick google to see where it might be available in the U.S. and saw right off the bat that Amazon.com sells it. I'm in Anchorage, Alaska and we have a speciality store that sells sauces from all over the world, so I'll have to swing over there and see if they sell it!

Anyway, love your website!!

Hockeygirl in Anchorage (libby) :O)
By

Anonymous 9/9/07 12:33 AM

Thanks so much for your comments and good luck everyone finding the sauce! Here the label is usually in Japanese, but the bottle shape and the label are usually a giveaway when it comes to tonkatsu!
By

sheryl 9/11/07 10:25 AM

That looks totally delicious! Happen to have some panko - think I may have to make this chicken this weekend. Never heard of that sauce though ... will have to be on the hunt for it.
By

Cate 9/13/07 7:54 PM

Sheryl, it's funny that you missing Hawaii prompted this recipe. My wife grew up in Hawaii and I spent two years there and we both would kill (ok WANT REALLY BAD) for katsu.

One of the sauces that my wife discovered - and it tastes just like L&L's! ready for this difficult recipe?

Ketchup + Soy Sauce = Katsu Sauce

Sounds stupid but try it. Guess I'm going to have to make katsu tonight :)

Love your blog!
By

Lewis 1/21/08 10:04 PM

OOPS!

I mean Ketchup + Worcestershire sauce = Katsu sauce

sorry :)
By

Lewis 1/21/08 10:28 PM

Lewis- This is funny that you posted this comment the other day because we just had katsu last night! I will try the ketchup plus worcestershire today-- that would definitely save me some money on the sauce! Thanks for the tip.
By

sheryl 1/23/08 9:13 AM

Guess who made Katsu tonight? ;) Guess who also found Honey Panko crumbs? :)

I have made katsu before but hadn't thought about it in years and definitely never tried honey panko -- it was a bestseller in the house. My wife, who went to high school in Hawaii, was in heaven.

Thanks for brining this old time favorite back to the front of the mind and on to the table :)
By

Tablebread 1/25/08 2:18 AM

My husband and I went to Hawaii on our honeymoon last year and plate lunches were my favorite meals (and cheapest!). I'll have to make this to bring back those memories, and double-starch it w/ some macaroni salad as well!
-carmen
By

Anonymous 2/27/08 9:57 PM