Lutong Bahay: Menchi Katsu with Cheese

Lutong Bahay is a short tag on the title which I use to feature home-cooked food, either in our own home or at a friend's house, either my own cooking or not.

You all know how much I love Japanese food. And one of which I've always enjoyed is katsu or breaded cutlet, especially ones from Yabu. However, as much as I love eating out, it wouldn't be too practical to head to Yabu every time I have a katsu craving, which is almost every other day. So for a quick fix, I decided to make my own katsu. And not just the usual pork cutlet, but a Menchi Katsu (minced meat cutlet) with cheese at that!

Normally, I cook by myself. But to keep me company in the kitchen was my little sis whose fave item from Yabu is also the Menchi Katsu with Cheese, so what better way to learn cooking your favorite food than to actually try cooking it? And I'd have to thank our single electric cooker, it makes bonding with my little sis possible. For some reason, deep frying on our gas stove is more difficult. The oil can quickly become too hot which can easily burn the katsu. Electric cookers on the other hand, don't heat up rapidly, which makes cooking with a companion easier and safer. So, let our katsu-making begin!

Ingredients:

For Menchi Katsu

• 300g ground pork and/or ground beef
• 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 large onion, minced
• 1/3 medium carrot, minced (optional)
• 4 thin slices of cheese (Use whatever you like. I used Kraft Eden.)
• 2 eggs (1 for the meat mixture, 1 for dredging)
• salt and pepper
• flour for dredging
• Panko bread crumbs
• oil for frying
• spring onion for garnish (optional)

For Katsu Sauce

• 2 1/2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp. ketchup
• 1 1/2 tbsp. oyster sauce
• 1 tsp. sugar or honey

Procedure:

1. Sauté onions in some oil on medium heat and set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine ground pork and/or ground beef, salt and pepper, cooled sautéed onions, carrots (optional), 2 tbsp. Panko, 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce and 1 egg, and mix well.
3. Make 4 pieces from the mixture by shaping them either into balls or patties. Be mindful not to make them too big or thick or they won't cook all the way through.
4. Place a thin slice of cheese per ball or patty, making sure the cheese is in the center and thoroughly covered with the meat mixture.
5. Prepare 3 separate bowls for dredging -- flour, beaten egg and Panko. Then, dust the menchi patties with flour, coat them with the egg, cover them with Panko.
6. Heat the oil to 350°F or 180°C and deep fry the menchi katsu until golden brown.
7. Place the menchi katsu on a paper towel or rack to remove excess oil.
8. In a bowl or saucepan, combine all the ingredients for the sauce. You can adjust it to your liking, or even add other seasonings or condiments if you want.
9. Serve the menchi katsu with rice (or shredded cabbage), drizzle with the katsu sauce and top with spring onions. Enjoy!

This Menchi Katsu with Cheese is a great dish sure to impress your family and friends. It looks good, and more importantly, it tastes great! To be honest, for our own take on Menchi Katsu with Cheese, we only used ground pork. If you get the chance to combine ground pork and ground beef, do it. I'm sure it'd taste more awesome!

Anyhow, my little sis preferred to enjoy her katsu without the sauce. But of course, eating it with katsu sauce (which recipe came from Just One Cookbook, one of my favorite blogs) makes every bite even more enjoyable. Or, you can also just add sea salt or Himalayan salt to your katsu. Whatever way you choose to enjoy your Menchi Katsu with Cheese, it's sure to put a smile both on your tummy and your palate!