A Japanese dish usually made with chicken or pork cutlets, katsu is super crispy, easy to make, and always comforting. Serve it alongside a bowl of rice, cabbage salad, and the requisite sweet-savory sauce to check all the boxes.

Get the recipe for Tofu Katsu with Tangy Cabbage:

Tofu Katsu with Tangy Cabbage

Author: Misfits Market

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Ingredients

Scale

Sauce:

3 tablespoons ketchup
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons molasses (honey or maple syrup)
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
½ teaspoon ginger, peeled and grated

Tofu katsu:

1 block firm tofu
½ cup all-purpose flour
1½ cups Panko
2 eggs, beaten
Kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
Vegetable oil, for frying

Cabbage salad:

½ head green cabbage, finely shredded
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon ponzu
½ teaspoon honey
Kosher salt

To serve:

Rice
Lemon wedges

Instructions

For the sauce: Combine ketchup, Worcestershire, molasses, soy sauce, sugar, and grated ginger in a small bowl.
For the tofu katsu: Fill a heavy-bottomed skillet (like a cast-iron pan) with enough oil to come ½-inch up the side. Heat over medium until oil begins to shimmer and bubbles form when you stick a chopstick into the pan.
Drain tofu and press it to remove the extra liquid by sandwiching the block between paper towels with something heavy (like cutting boards) on top for at least 15 minutes. Then, slice the tofu in half lengthwise.
Season both sides of the tofu with salt and black pepper. Working with one tofu half at a time, dredge tofu in the flour to fully coat. Shake off the excess flour, then dunk into the egg, coating both sides. Press tofu into the panko and cover all sides, set aside, and repeat with the second half of tofu.
Carefully lower both tofu pieces into the oil and fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip tofu and continue to fry until the second side is golden, about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer tofu to a plate lined with a paper towel.
For the cabbage salad: Add shredded cabbage to a large bowl and season with rice wine vinegar, ponzu, honey, and a pinch of salt. Massage until cabbage is well coated.
To serve, slice tofu katsu into ½-inch slices and transfer to a plate with the cabbage salad. Drizzle sauce over top of tofu and serve with a bowl of rice and some lemon wedges.