Walk into almost any British supermarket and you will find katsu flavoured crisps, katsu sandwiches and jars of katsu sauce. In Japan, none of those would make much sense. "Katsu" means something quite specific, and the British meaning has drifted a long way from it.
What katsu actually means
Katsu comes from the English word "cutlet". It describes a piece of meat that is coated in flour, egg and panko breadcrumbs, then fried until golden. The coating is always panko rather than fine breadcrumbs, which is why a good katsu crust is shaggy and light rather than sandy.
In Japan, katsu is usually served sliced, with a heap of finely shredded raw cabbage to cut through the richness, a bowl of rice and a fruity, tangy tonkatsu sauce.
Tonkatsu vs chicken katsu
Tonkatsu is the original. Ton means pork, so tonkatsu is a pork cutlet, usually loin. It arrived in Japan in the late nineteenth century and has been comfort food there ever since.
Chicken katsu is the poultry version, made the same way. We use chicken thigh rather than breast, because thigh stays moist through cooking, cooling and reheating.
What is katsu curry?
Katsu curry is a katsu cutlet served on rice with Japanese curry sauce poured alongside. It is a combination of two separate dishes, both hugely popular in Japan, which happen to go together brilliantly.
Japanese curry is thick, mild and slightly sweet, built on a roux. It is closer to a stew than to anything on an Indian menu. Our guide to Japanese curry versus Indian curry explains why.
Why "katsu" means the sauce in the UK
When katsu curry became popular in Britain, largely through restaurant chains, the curry sauce was the unfamiliar and memorable part. Over time "katsu" came to be used as shorthand for the sauce itself, so you now see katsu flavoured products that contain no cutlet at all.
There is nothing wrong with enjoying them. It is just worth knowing that if you order "katsu" in Japan, you will get a fried cutlet, not a curry.
Quick reference
| Name | What it is |
|---|---|
| Katsu | A breaded, fried cutlet |
| Tonkatsu | A pork katsu, served with cabbage and tonkatsu sauce |
| Chicken katsu | A chicken katsu, served the same way |
| Katsu curry | Katsu served with Japanese curry sauce and rice |
| "Katsu sauce" in the UK | Japanese-style curry sauce |
Katsu curry for the week
Katsu curry is one of the best things you can get from a meal prep visit, because you get the flexibility of both dishes. Book Japanese curry alongside tonkatsu or chicken katsu, and you can eat them together as katsu curry one night and separately the next.
Keep the two apart in the fridge, reheat the curry in a pan and the katsu in dry heat, then bring them together on the plate. Our guide to reheating katsu explains how to keep the crust crisp.
FAQ
Is chicken katsu the same as katsu curry?
No. Chicken katsu is the crumbed, fried chicken. Katsu curry is that chicken served with Japanese curry sauce.
What sauce is served with katsu in Japan?
Usually tonkatsu sauce, which is thick, fruity and tangy, a little like a Japanese take on brown sauce. Curry sauce is the other classic pairing.
Is tonkatsu the same as schnitzel?
They are cousins. The differences are the panko, which fries up much lighter than fine breadcrumbs, and the sauce, which is fruity and tangy rather than a squeeze of lemon.