Homemade Japanese tonkatsu sauce at its best. This easy restaurant style recipe includes the all important toasted sesame seeds for the perfect pairing with any katsu cutlet.
Dry roast white sesame seeds over low heat for a few minutes, continuously moving around the pan until they turn a nice golden brown.
Transfer to suribachi or mortar and pestle and grind finely.
In a small bowl, add the ground sesameseeds, soy sauce, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, and optional hot mustard.
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Notes
Sesame Seeds - The integral ingredient for the restaurant version of this sauce. Dry toasting the seeds adds another layer of roasted nuttiness. The key is low heat - if the pan is smoking, you've got it too high! Use the smallest burner available. Otherwise, you can skip this step if you prefer and sub with tahini in a pinch.
Soy Sauce - Use a Japanese soy sauce brand such as Kikkoman if you can, otherwise, any soy sauce will still work!
Worcestershire Sauce - This brings in the spices to mimic the store bought version. If you like a strong sauce, double the amount.
Sugar - A kick of sugar helps to round out the saltiness from the soy.
Tomato Sauce - Also known as good ol’ ketchup. Regular tomato sauce works well, as the salt and sugar balances out the other flavours.
Hot Mustard - For those who like it spicy, add a little hot English mustard. Add a little at a time and test, as this flavour can quickly take over.
Tweak the Flavours - Feel free to tweak ingredient amounts to suit your own flavour profile!
Thin the Sauce - For a thinner consistency, add a ½ tbsp of water at a time until you reach the desired consistency and flavour.