BONUS EPISODE! Gourmet Fast Food Episode 6: Katsu Sandwich 🐔

If you’re a fan of fried chicken (who isn’t), agree that a Japanese version of whatever you’re cooking always tastes better and can smash a sammie like the Sandwich King, Jeff Mauro, himself, this recipe was created for you. This BONUS Episode of Gourmet Fast Food is here to kick things up a notch, are you ready?

What’s your pick? American Fried Chicken / Japanese Katsu Chicken

When it comes to fried chicken, you just can’t help but love it! And if it’s a tender chicken cutlet, breaded in panko Katsu-style - there’s even more to love! At least that’s what we think over here at FoodBlog Network! For this week’s episode of Gourmet Fast Food, Chef Stephen La Rosa takes us on a trip to Japan with a Panko breaded chicken cutlet served with a carob tonkatsu for that Maltese flair, a dollop of spicy mayo, some shredded cabbage for bite and freshness all brought together between two slices of thick cut white bread. 

We couldn't hold back this recipe! This BONUS Episode brings you the Summer '21 bevvy; Kinnie Spritz that will be served as an aperitivo to our Katsu Sandwich. There’s nothing quite like a light alcoholic boost to give your sandwich fest that adult kick. Join us in our Fino kitchen for the full recipe! 

Recipe

Ingredients

Serves 2

Katsu

• 2 chicken legs, deboned
• Salt + pepper*
• 200g flour, sifted*
• 2 eggs, whisked
• Panko breadcrumbs*
• Vegetable oil

Tonkatsu

• 80g ketchup 
• 40g Worcestershire sauce
• 40g carob syrup
• 20g dark soy sauce
• 1 knob fresh ginger, grated and peeled
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves*

Mayo

• 1 egg
• 300ml vegetable oil 
• 1tbs lemon juice
• 5g salt*
• 2g MSG 
• FoodBlog Hot Basco

Toppers

• ¼ head of cabbage, shredded

* all sealed dried ingredients are sponsored Lamb Brand products, each redeemable on the Cook & Exchange Gift Scheme. 

Equipment

Small saute pan**

High sided skillet**

Thermometer

Ecotray Cfolds x2 

Baking Tray x3

Mixing bowl

Measuring cylinder 

Immersion blender**

Bread knife

** these select pieces of equipment were kindly sponsored by Crosscraft for Episode 4 of Gourmet Fast Food

Method

For the mayo:

1. In an immersion blender, add your egg, lemon juice and dry ingredients. Incorporate slightly to combine all the ingredients.
2. Gently drizzle in the oil to emulsify the fats and create a beautiful velvety consistency.
3. Add a few drops of our very own FoodBlog Hot Basco and blend for a final time.

You read that right, the FoodBlog Hot Basco is available from the FoodBlog Store for instant delivery through WOLT.

First things first, crack open a Kinnie Spritz - there's nothing wrong with jump-starting your aperitivo buzz!

For the tonkatsu:

1. Simply use a microplane to finely distribute your ginger into the sauce and mix all the wet ingredients in a bowl with the ground cloves. Mix thoroughly until everything is incorporated.

Spark off fireworks in your mouth with this umami-bomb of a sauce!

For the katsu:

1. In three separate baking dishes add your flour, egg and breadcrumbs, preparing your breading station for a quick and easy panko breading. Don’t forget to season each dish with salt and pepper, adding flavour to each layer of your breading. 
2. Flatten out the chicken to the thickness that you think will deliver the perfect sandwich bite. Go as thin as a Milanese or keep it chicken burger tal-gabbana, thickness, it’s totally up to you. You will need to adjust frying times depending on thickness. 
3. When breading your chicken cutlets, it’s always a great tip to keep one dry hand and one wet hand. So use one hand for the egg wash and the other for the flour and breadcrumb step. This is most effective when working with more than one chicken cutlet. 
4. Your next step is grab a sauté pan to fry your newly breaded chicken in a little bit of neutral oil. The trick here is to ensure that the chicken cooks through and the breadcrumb holds its golden brown colour. A thinner chicken cutlet would cook faster and more evenly, a thicker cut might need some more attention.
5. Once your chicken reaches a nice golden brown colour, add salt and hold in the oven till the rest of your dish is ready. Set oven at 100C. 

FoodBlog Tip: Did you know that salting fried foods helps to preserve their crispiness? Another great tip to give your fried bites some more punch is to blott them gently to remove any excess oil. Your freshly fried food is steaming hot inside, and all that, well… steam, will try to escape the interior and mushify your golden brown batter or breading. Nifty huh?

Season every layer of your food, ALWAYS, this adds depth and packs in the flavour!

Final Steps

Now that all the elements of your sandwich have been prepared, introduce your shredded cabbage and your white bread to the party to begin assembling your katsu sandwich! 

If your bread isn’t already cut into hearty slices, go ahead and slice two nice chunks. Slather some spicy mayo onto both sides of bread, place your crispy, seasoned katsu chicken directly onto the mayo and drizzle some tonkatsu onto the golden brown panko breadcrumbs. 

Top with shredded cabbage, crown your sandwich with the other mayo-ed slice of bread and cut in half for easy eats.

Entertain your cooking experience with a Kinnie Spritz and take a swig before you lean into your Katsu Sandwich, Guy Fieri style and take a bit out of your new favourite sandwich.

Let’s make the KS Double a thing: pre-meal drinkies with Kinnie Spritz + the crunchy Katsu Sandwich Orders up!

So there you have it! The incredible culinary journey of Gourmet Fast Food comes to an end on FoodBlog Network - a series that couldn’t have come together without the tireless efforts of our entire team, the insanely talented, creative and charismatic Chef Stephen La Rosa and of course our lovely sponsors.

A big shout out to Fino for the stunning kitchen we got to cook in, Crosscraft for their quality pots, pans, electronics and a whole lot more. And of course the ingredient providers that allowed us to make all these delicious dishes, Lamb Brand, Farsons and Vesuvio Bakery!

Always remember to #SupportLocal and stay tuned for more Gourmet Fast Food recipes in the near future! We hope you enjoyed it!