HireKatsu (Japanese Pork Cutlets)

Published: 01/30/2016
Updated: 12/20/2019
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Hirekatsu - Japanese Deep Fried Pork Fillets

There are many different types of Japanese fried meats, the most famous probably being chicken or pork katsu, which are all super delicious and popular. With Japanese panko (bread) crumbs (that you can buy in most grocery stores nowadays), you can easily make this amazing dish at home for yourself. Hirekatsu, is one type of delicious Japanese fried dishes that uses pork fillets rather than the loin, which is usually used in Tonkatsu. Hirekatsu is more tender than Tonkatsu, and with the secret ingredient of Japanese mayonnaise, you can make it even juicier and crispier! It’s a great Japanese dish to make one night for dinner or lunch!

Hirekatsu - Japanese Deep Fried Pork Fillets

I used to live near Nagoya in Japan, which is famous for Miso Katsudon (fried meat on top of rice with a miso sauce topping), and I whenever I went to Nagoya I always had to have Miso Katsudon because I love it so much. I tried to copycat the sauce they always served on top of the katsudon, which has a sweet miso flavour, and it actually worked out really well and tasted really similar. Miso sauce tastes soooo good on top of katsu, I love it! I will share a recipe for this sauce soon so stay tuned!

Hirekatsu - Japanese Deep Fried Pork Fillets

Japanese panko crumbs are the best to use when making Japanese fried dishes but if you can’t find it, you can used whatever bread crumbs you can find at your local store or you can just food process some frozen white bread and use that. This recipe also uses Kewpie mayonnaise during the coating process. Usually the pork fillets are coated in flour then egg and then the bread crumbs, but instead you can mix the flour and egg and also the mayonnaise together then coat the fillets in that before the bread crumbs. This cuts down the time and the mayonnaise makes it more crispier on the outside and keeps the meat juicy on the inside. And don’t worry if you don’t like mayonnaise because you can’t taste it at all. The crispy Hirekatsu is super delicious I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Hirekatsu - Japanese Deep Fried Pork Fillets
Hirekatsu - Japanese Deep Fried Pork Fillets

Japanese Deep Fried Pork Fillets ヒレカツ

4.29 from 7 votes
Hirekatsu is a delicious Japanese dish made from deep-fried pork cutlets! It’s so tender and crispy and with a secret ingredient, it’s even better! 
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings: 2 serves

Ingredients

  • 300 g pork fillet
  • 1 egg
  • 4 tbsp plain flour
  • 50 ml water
  • 1 tbsp Kewpie Japanese Mayonnaise
  • 2 cups Japanese Panko crumbs or any bread crumbs
  • Deep-frying oil
  • Finely shredded cabbage to serve
  • Sesame seeds to sprinkle
Metric – US Customary

Instructions

  • Cut the pork fillet it even-sized thick slices.
  • Mix the egg, flour, water, and mayonnaise in a small bowl to make a batter.
  • Coat each pork fillet slice into the batter then place into the Panko crumbs.
  • Coat all the fillets with the Panko crumbs.
  • Heat frying oil in a deep pan until it reaches around 180 c.
  • Fry each pork fillet slice until it’s crispy and golden brown on both sides.
  • Serve the pork fillets with cabbage or vegetables of your choosing!

Notes

*nutritional value is indication only as it is difficult to calculate deep frying oil absorption.  Cabbage is also not included in the value.
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Nutrition

Calories: 549kcal · Carbohydrates: 54g · Protein: 43g · Fat: 15g · Saturated Fat: 4g · Cholesterol: 182mg · Sodium: 593mg · Potassium: 737mg · Fiber: 3g · Sugar: 3g · Vitamin A: 120IU · Calcium: 131mg · Iron: 5.4mg
Author: Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Japanese
Did You Make This Recipe?I want to see it! Tag @chopstickchronicles on social media!
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Shihoko Ura of Chopstick Chronicles
About The Author

Shihoko Ura

Shihoko Ura is a Japanese home cook and cookbook author with a passion for food and photography. She shares her authentic and beloved recipes with step-by-step guides and helpful tips so you too can make delicious Japanese food at home. Her recipes have featured in The Japan Times, Buzzfeed, and Country Living.

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4.29 from 7 votes (6 ratings without comment)

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Questions and Reviews

  3. Hi, first timer here today and I’m happy I found your blog because I have been wanting to make some Hire Katsu for my wife. She loves it, but I usually get it wrong. I didn’t know about adding the Japanese mayonnaise. So you fry the meat in deep oil at 180 C for how long? About 6 minutes maybe?. I wanted to make the slices about 2 inch thick, so is 6 minutes about right? And should they be submersed in the oil, or fried on one side and then flipped over? Finally, what oil do you recommend? I was going to use Canola oil. And – really last question – what cabbage? Can I use the green cabbage sold here in Europe, or shoul I buy Chinese cabbage? Many thanks for your help

    Reply

    1. Hi Jerry, Thank you for visiting. I should have timed how long it takes. Usually if you use chopsticks when the meat is cooked, you can feel tiny vibration when you lift the Katsu out of oil on the chopsticks. Yes this is deep fry so you submerse the katsu in the oil and canola oil is fine. Yes green cabbage, not Chinese cabbage(though you can use this if prefer Chinese cabbage :D) Let me know how you went.

      Reply

      1. Thank you, Shihoko. You have made me a kitchen hero :-). For now, anyway. I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out great, we loved it. I will soon try some of the other great recipes on your site. Thanks again.

  5. This looks so yummy. Too bad I don’t eat pork. I always wonder if any other meat could satisfactorily replace pork in these type of dishes and everyone around me yells NO!! hahah… looks really good though

    Reply

    1. Thank you Renz 😀 I am yelling YES!! to your question. You can replace with any meat! Chicken is popular, you can do with beef too!

      Reply

  6. Oh wow, another fabulous recipe with gorgeous photos…I just want to grab a piece of that pork and dive right into the sauce…..I only recently discovered Kewpie mayonnaise – converted!

    Reply