Japanese Tonkatsu Sauce Burger
Japanese-inspired beef burger with tonkatsu sauce, a sesame cabbage slaw, and Kewpie mayo on toasted brioche.
- Prep
- 15min
- Cook
- 12min
- Total
- 37min
- Serves
- 4
- Calories
- 810per serving, est.
By Time for Burgers, updated
Tonkatsu sauce is the thick, fruity brown sauce normally poured over breaded pork cutlets, and finely shredded raw cabbage is its usual partner on the plate. This burger keeps that pairing and moves it onto a beef patty. The cabbage gets a 10-minute dressing of rice vinegar, sesame oil and salt, just enough to soften and season it.
Kewpie mayo goes on the bottom bun. It's made with egg yolks rather than whole eggs, so it's richer than standard mayo and holds its own against the sweet, tangy sauce.
Japanese Tonkatsu Sauce Burger
Prep 15 min, cook 12 min, total 37 min. About 810 calories per serving.
timeforburgers.com/recipes/japanese-tonkatsu-sauce-burger
Serves 4.
Ingredients
Instructions
Tap a step to keep your place.
Prepare the cabbage slaw: Toss 1 cup shredded cabbage with 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp sesame oil, and a pinch of salt. Let sit for 10 minutes while preparing the burgers.
Form ground beef into 4 equal patties, about ¾ inch thick. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook patties for 4-5 minutes per side, until an instant-read thermometer in the center of a patty reads 160°F (71°C).
Toast buns cut-side down in the same skillet until golden, about 1-2 minutes.
Assemble burgers: Spread ¼ cup Kewpie mayonnaise on bottom buns. Place beef patties on buns, drizzle generously with ½ cup tonkatsu sauce, top with cabbage slaw, sprinkle with sliced green onions and 1 tsp sesame seeds. Crown with top buns.
Tips
- Shred the cabbage as fine as you can. Thin shreds soften during the 10-minute rest; thick ones stay tough and fall out of the bun.
- Squeeze the cabbage lightly before piling it on so the vinegar doesn't run into the bun.
- Drizzle the tonkatsu sauce onto the hot patty rather than the bun. It loosens on the warm meat and coats it evenly.
- Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan for a minute or two, until they smell nutty.
Substitutions
- Homemade tonkatsu sauce: whisk 60 ml ketchup, 40 ml Worcestershire sauce, 10 ml soy sauce and 10 g sugar.
- Regular mayo with a few drops of rice vinegar and a pinch of sugar can stand in for Kewpie.
- Gluten-free: many bottled tonkatsu sauces contain wheat, so choose one labeled gluten-free and use a gluten-free bun.
Make ahead & storage
The dressed cabbage is best within a few hours and keeps up to a day in the fridge, though it softens. Cooked patties keep 3 to 4 days; reheat in a skillet to 165°F (74°C), and add the sauce after reheating so it doesn't scorch.
