Air-fryer katsu sando
35 min · 44 g protein · 449 cals / serving
The Japanese convenience-store sandwich: a thick, juicy pork cutlet in a crackling panko crust, painted with fruity-tangy tonkatsu sauce and a dab of mustard mayo, pressed between soft white bread with a pile of finely shredded cabbage, then cut into neat halves so the crust shows. The cutlet crisps in the air fryer with a spray of oil instead of a pan of it.
Ingredients
Cutlets
- 4 boneless loin cutlets (1 1/4 lb) pork loin fillet, raw, fat trimmed, about 2 cm (3/4 inch) thick
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2/3 cup breadcrumbs, panko
- a few sprays cooking spray
Sandwiches
- 6 cups cabbage, very finely shredded
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
Mustard mayo
- 1 tbsp light mayonnaise
- 2 1/2 tbsp nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard, or Japanese karashi
Sandwiches
- 3 tbsp tonkatsu sauce
- 8 slices soft white bread white bread, crusts on or off
Steps
- Put the cutlets between two sheets of baking paper and pound to an even 5/8 inch. Snip the edge fat in two or three places so they stay flat, and season with salt and pepper.
- Toast the panko in a dry pan over medium heat for 2–3 minutes, stirring, until pale golden, and tip it onto a plate to cool; it is what makes the crust deep golden in the air fryer. Dust each cutlet in flour, dip in the beaten egg, then press firmly into the panko on both sides.
- Heat the air fryer to 400°F. Spray the cutlets well on both sides and air-fry 10–12 minutes, turning once, until deep golden and 145°F in the middle. Rest 3 minutes.
- Toss the cabbage with the rice vinegar and a pinch of salt. Stir together the mayonnaise, yogurt and mustard.
- Spread the mustard mayo on four slices of bread. Brush both sides of each cutlet with tonkatsu sauce and lay it on the mayo, pile the cabbage on top and close with the remaining bread. Press gently for a minute, then cut each sandwich in half with a sharp knife and serve.
Good to know
Pork or chicken?
Pork loin is the classic katsu sando. Chicken breast, flattened to the same thickness, works just as well, at about 53 instead of 57, and cooks to 165°F.
No tonkatsu sauce?
Stir together 2 tbsp ketchup, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce and 1 tsp soy sauce. It is close enough to fool most people.
Can I pack it for lunch?
Yes. Wrap the whole sandwich tightly in cling film before cutting and chill it; it slices cleaner cold and is very good at room temperature.
Per
- Calories
- 140
- Protein
- (40%)
- 14 g
- Fat
- (17%)
- 3 g
- Carbohydrates
- (43%)
- 16 g
- of which sugar
- 3 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 298 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 1795 kcal goes into the pot and 1419 g of ingredients comes out as about 1280 g of food: 140 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.