Tonkatsu Sauce

Tonkatsu (Japanese pork cutlets) is usually served with a special tonkatsu sauce. The sauce is like a Worcestershire sauce, but with vegetables and fruits added, such as tomatoes, apples, prunes and dates.
 
The Bull-Dog brand has made a Worcestershire-like sauce since 1905. In 1951, Bull-Dog’s Tonkatsu Sauce was introduced. Bull-Dog’s best-selling sauce is often claimed to be the original tonkatsu sauce, although other sauces were used before 1951. Tonkatsu sauce has been sold in American supermarkets since at least 1961. “Our choice (at San Francisco’s Cho-Cho restaurant—ed.) is Katsudon (prime rib slice, deep fried in batter, finished in casserole with Katsu sauce)” was printed in the San Mateo (CA) Times on January 6, 1961.
 
Tonkatsu sauce, although originally intended for tonkatsu, katsudon (tonkatsu in a rice bowl) and torikatsu (chicken katsu), has been used with steak, Japanese hamburger, ebi furai (Japanese fried prawn) and even lasagna.
 
     
Wikipedia: Tonkatsu sauce
Tonkatsu sauce is a thick sauce commonly served over tonkatsu (breaded deep-fried pork cutlets).

It is a high concentration version of Worcestershire sauce in Japan. It is determined by the JAS standard, over 2.0 Pa.s. The first Tonkatsu sauce was made in 1948 by Oliver Sauce Co., Ltd. of Hyogo Prefecture. While generally similar to a traditional brown sauce, it is vegetarian. The Bull-Dog brand of tonkatsu sauce, for example, is made from malt vinegar, yeast, and vegetable and fruit purees, pastes, and extracts.
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Tonkatsu sauce is derived from Worcestershire sauce, with additional vegetables and fruits, such as tomatoes, prunes, dates, apples, lemon juice, carrots, onions, and celery, to better suit the Japanese palate.
   
Bull-Dog—About Tonkatsu
Tonkatsu sauce is crafted by stewing vegetables and fruits, then mixing in vinegar and sugar, salt, and spices. While the sauce has its origins in English Worcestershire sauce, the flavor was changed to better suit the taste of the Japanese people, and it became its own original Japanese condiment, with a special sweetness and full-bodied flavor, sourness, and thickness.
 
The primary ingredients in Japanese sauce are vegetables and fruits, to which vinegar and many spices are blended. This had the effect of deepening the richness and increasing the appetite. Japanese tonkatsu sauce uses a lot of vegetables and fruits like tomatoes and apples, which make it a highly viscous sauce well suited for deep-fried foods, without getting them greasy or soggy.
   
Bull-Dog—Sauce
1905
Manufacturing and selling of
Bull-Dog Sauce starts.
1951
Tonkatsu Sauce is released.
       
6 January 1961, San Mateo (CA) Times, “Bright Lights” by Lloyd Johnson, pg. 34, col. 6:
Our choice (at San Francisco’s Cho-Cho restaurant—ed.) is Katsudon (prime rib slice, deep fried in batter, finished in casserole with Katsu sauce).
 
24 August 1961, Amarillo (TX) Globe-Times, pg. 16, col. 1 ad:
Tonkatsu Sauce
(Vetesk Market.—ed.)
     
19 December 1961, Honolulu (HI) Star-Bulletin, pg. 21, col. 1 ad:
TONKATSU SAUCE ... 12 oz. 35c
(Big-Way Super Markets.—ed.)
 
11 January 1962, Amarillo (TX) Globe-Times, pg. 24, col. 5 ad:
Tonkatsu Sauce
(Special Steak Sauce)
(Vetesk Market.—ed.)
 
10 November 1965, Hyde Park Herald (Chicago, IL), pg. A10, col. 2 ad:
Tonkatsu Sauce, Meat Sauce
(Co-op.—ed.)
 
17 February 1966, New York (NY) Times, “A Japanese Version of Swiss Fondue Is Okonomiyaki, or What—You—Will” by Craig Claiborne, pg. 24, col. 7:
Japanese soy sauce or Ikari sauce or Tonkatsu sauce
   
15 September 1977, Los Angeles (CA) Times, pt. 6, pg. 28, col. 1 ad:
Ikari 12 oz. btl.
TONKATSU SAUCE .99
(Hughes Markets.—ed.)
       
Google Groups: alt.cooking-chat
Tonkatsu Sauce recipe
J B Lee
9/9/96
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I’ve seen only simple recipes for Tonkatsu sauce like, 4 parts worcestershire sauce to 1 part ketchup.  Another is use your favorite steak sauce and mix with ketchup to sweeten. You can also mix in lemon juice, to add a touch of sourness.  These are preparations for pork prepared katsu style (i.e., breaded and fried).
 
My church ladies’ cookbook tonkatsu sauce recipe for pork and fish follows:
 
3 tbsp. Ketchup
2 tbsp. Shoyu (soy sauce)
1 1/2 tbsp Vinegar
2 tsp. Sugar
Dash Tobasco
 
Combine ingredients well.
 
Their recipe for sauce for chicken prepared katsu style follows:
   
1/4 cup Shoyu
1/4 cup Water
1/4 cup Ketchup
3 tbsp. Brown sugar
Grated ginger, to taste
 
Combine ingredients well.
 
Google Groups: rec.food.recipes
Tonkatsu Sauce
Terry Pogue
6/18/07
Tonkatsu Sauce
Recipe By: Diane
 
1 cup chili sauce
1/2 cup fish sauce or worsteshire sauce
1/2 cup sake
3 tablespoons ginger
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup mirin
 
Put all above ingredients in sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat stirring occasionally.  Reduce to a simmer for 25-30 minutes skimming any foam that rises to the top. Will keep refrigerated for 4 weeks
Yield: 3 cups
 
Japan Talk
Tonkatsu Sauce: For Lasagna?
posted by John Spacey, January 27, 2014
Tonkatsu sauce is a popular condiment in Japan commonly found on restaurant tables. It is so widely used that Japanese simply call it sauce (sosu, ソース).
 
Tonkatsu sauce is made from fruit and vegetable purees such as apple and tomato puree, sugar, salt, spices, starch and caramel. The ingredients are similar to western Worcestershire sauce but tonkatsu sauce is far thicker with a sweeter taste.
     
YouTube
How to Make Tonkatsu and Tonkatsu Sauce (Easy and Quick Recipe) 豚カツの作り方
MrsLinsKitchen
Published on Sep 29, 2016
Tonkatsu is a popular Japanese dish that can be accompanied by curry and is very simple to make! This same recipe can be used for making chicken katsu as well.
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Homemade Tonkatsu Sauce:
1 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Oyster Sauce
1/2 tsp Minced Ginger
4 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 tbsp Ketchup
1/2 tsp vinegar
 
Contemplating Sweets
JANUARY 10, 2018
HOMEMADE TONKATSU SAUCE
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Ingredients
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup ketchup
1 Tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1 t soy sauce
pinch garlic powder