Ham Katsu is a deep-fried panko coated cutlet made with thinly sliced ham. It is made the same way as Tonkatsu, but a thick slice of pork is replaced with a very thin, round piece of processed ham.
Cook Time assumes that one Ham Katsu is deep-fried at a time. If you fry two or four pieces at a time, the Cook Time will be halved or quartered respectively.
Don't forget to see the section 'MEAL IDEAS' below the recipe card! It gives you a list of dishes that I have already posted and this recipe that can make up a complete meal. I hope it is of help to you.
- 8 slices thinly sliced ham (80g/2.8oz, note 1)
- 2 pinches pepper
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 egg
- 1⅓ cups panko breadcrumbs
- Oil to deep fry
- Cabbage shredded
- Cucumber julienned
- Mini tomatoes
- Karashi mustard (note 2)
- Tonkatsu sauce (note 3)
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Put two slices of ham together so that you can handle them as if it is one slice of ham. You will have 4 sets of ham.
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Sprinkle pepper on both sides of each set of ham.
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Take one set of ham at a time, coat the ham with flour then pat to shake off excess flour. Place the floured ham in the egg and coat all over (note 4). Transfer to the breadcrumbs and thoroughly cover the ham with breadcrumbs.
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Heat oil in a frying pan or a shallow saucepan to 170-180°C/338-356°F. You only need 2-2.5cm/1” deep of oil.
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Gently put hams in the oil without overlapping (note 5), and fry for 1-1.5 minutes. Turn them over and cook for another minute or so until the surface becomes golden brown.
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Transfer the Ham Katsu onto a tray with a rack, or lined with a couple of layers of paper towel to drain excess oil.
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Cut each Ham Katsu in half, making two semi-circle pieces (note 6).
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Place shredded vegetables on one side of a serving plate and place 4 semi-circle Ham Katsu next to it. Put a knob of mustard on the side of the plate and serve with a sauce of your choice in a small jar or a bowl.
1. I used smoked leg ham, which weighed 10g/0.4oz per slice. It was round and about 9cm/3 9⁄16" in diameter. The thickness was less than 2mm/3⁄32". I used thinly sliced ham today so that I can make an authentic version of Ham Katsu.
You can use thicker ham to make the dish more substantial. You will need to deep-fry the thick Ham Katsu for a slightly longer period.
2. You don’t have to use mustard, but I think that it goes well with Ham Katsu. You can substitute Japanese karashi mustard with English mustard.
3. I like to use fruity thick tonkatsu sauce when I eat deep-fried crumbed dishes such as Ham Katsu, Tonkatsu, and Korokke. But you can also use a less fruity sauce such as chūno sauce and Worcestershire sauce.
4. The egg sometimes does not stick on the flour, especially when there is too much flour on the ham. It is important to coat the ham with the egg thoroughly so that the breadcrumbs can stick to the ham better.
5. Do not overcrowd the oil with too many Ham Katsu pieces. My pot could not take more than one, but if you have a large pan, you can fit more.
If you are frying the Ham Katsu in batches, remove the breadcrumbs in the oil using a fine skimmer before putting the next batch in the oil.
6. If you prefer, serve Ham Katsu without halving them.
7. Nutrition per serving. It is assumed that the oil absorption rate is 20%.
serving: 127g calories: 437kcal fat: 27g (35%) saturated fat: 3g (15%) trans fat: 0.2g polyunsaturated fat: 5.1g monounsaturated fat: 17g cholesterol: 119mg (40%) sodium: 683mg (11%) carbohydrates: 30g (11%) dietary fibre: 1.8g (6%) sugar: 2.7g protein: 17g vitamin D: 1mcg (4%) calcium: 81mg (6%) iron: 2.7mg (15%) potassium: 249mg (5%)