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.