Not only famous mayonnaise but do you know the Japanese culture has also “Worcestershire sauce”???
The Japanese have been twisted (a lot!) the original flavor in authentic British “Worcestershire sauce”, and finally made the unique condiment called “Worcester Sauce”, which has been getting popular as Tonkatsu sauce in the US.
Japanese Worcester sauce and also Tonkatsu sauce obviously have a different taste from the Worcestershire sauce that you have known, which is packed with rich Umami flavor and natural sweetness from vegetables, fruits, fermented ingredients, and amino acids.
So, Japanese Worcester sauce can be eaten as it is.
Japanese people are obsessed with Japanese Worcester sauce since it became the pantry staple, and is mainly used as a dipping sauce for deep-fried food such as Tonkatsu, Ebi-fry, and Tempra.
It’s also a popular sauce for Japanese street food such as Takoyaki, Yakisoba, and Okonomiyaki.
Today, we will focus on Tonkatsu sauce, which is a type of Worcester sauce that also became famous throughout the world.
What’s Tonkatsu Sauce Made Of?
According to Bull-Dog Sauce Comestible Co, Tonkatsu Sauce is mainly made from vegetables and fruits: such as tomatoes, prunes, dates, apples, lemon juice, carrots, onions, and celery.
Also, it consists of a variety of spices: chili pepper, clove, ginger, cinnamon, bay leaves, thyme.
Moreover, 30% of the raw materials of tonkatsu sauce are vinegar
Is Tonkatsu Sauce The Same As Worcestershire Sauce?
First of all, there are many types of Worcestershire sauce but called Worcester sauce (u-su-ter sauce) in Japan.
Tonkatsu sauce is categorized in the Worcester sauce family, which has mainly three categories depending on consistency, viscous, flavor, and sometimes purposes.
| Flavor | Viscous | Purposes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Worcester Sauce | Tangy, refreshing | Not thick | For deep-fried dishes, As salad Dressing For the additional flavor for fried rice For Yakisoba |
| 2. ‘Chuno’ Semi-Sweet Sauce | Tangy, semi-sweet | Thick | For deep-fried dishes, As salad Dressing For the additional flavor for fried rice For Yakisoba |
| 3. Tonkatsu Sauce | Sweet, tangy | Very thick | For deep-fried dishes, For Yakisoba/ okonomiyaki |
| Yakisoba/ Okonomiyaki Sauce | Sweet | Very thick | For Yakisoba/ okonomiyaki |
The Difference Between Okonomiyaki, Takoyaki, And Yakisoba Sauce
The Okonomiyaki sauce contains meat and seafood broth in addition to the Worcester sauce.
Takoyaki sauce often contains soy sauce in okonomiyaki sauce, making it even reducing viscous.
The yakisoba sauce is spicy and less viscous, with plenty of meat and seafood broth.
What Does Japanese Worcester Sauce Taste Like
Worcester sources are one of the essential condiments in Japan, and the taste quite differs from Worcestershire sauce.
The basic flavor is similar to Worcestershire sauce, however, Japanese Worcester sauce tastes more complex flavors such as “sweet, spicy, and tangy” since the sauce contains a variety of raw materials as I mentioned-such as vegetables, spices, vinegar, water, and sugar.
Even Japanese Worcester sauce is tasty as itself.
How Do You Use Tonkatsu Sauce
Basically, as the name suggests, Tonkatsu sauce is served with Tonkatsu which is a Japanese-style pork cutlet.
Besides, you can use any type of deep-fried food, especially, breaded fried dishes.
Since the sauce is very thick, it can keep the coating crunchy without being absorbed and can be perfect for drizzling.
Tonkatsu sauce is specially made to sweet and fruity flavor, so you can add hot spiciness if desired.
We call Japanese aurora sauce, which is the mix of Tonkatsu sauce and Japanese mayo, and sometimes tomato ketchup.
Japanese aurora sauce is a very popular dipping sauce among kids.
Besides, Japanese aurora sauce will add a unique delicious hints to your burgers.
As Yakisoba/ Okonomiyaki/ Takoyaki Sauce
As I said, these three special sauce is mainly made of Worcester sauce, so you can use Tonkatsu sauce to make Okonomiyaki, Takoyaki, and Yakisoba noodles.
In fact, I have never bought these three sources in my life, nor did my mother.
My mom always uses regular Worcester sauce for her making Yakisoba noodles.
How To Make Tonkatsu Sauce
Homemade Japanese "Tonkatsu" sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp Heinz Ketchup
- 1 tbsp Soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Mayonnaise *Or add 1 tbsp of butter
- 1 tbsp Sake or red/ white wine
- 2 tbsp Honey
- 1 tbsp Fruit Jam (any kind)
- Sesame seeds *Optional
Instructions
- You can make ½ us cup of the sauce in this recipe.
- Add all ingredients to a small saucepan.*You may want to whisk them before cooking since the mayo is hard to dissolve while cooking.
- Bring to a boil over low heat while stirring occasionally.
- Simmer the sauce for about 10 minutes until Mayo completely dissolves.
- *Add toasted sesame seeds if desired.
- Transfer the sauce to a clean jar, and let it cool.
- Let the sauce rest in a refrigerator overnight.
- *when a fruit jam is not available, you can use another 1 tbsp of honey/ maple syrup instead.
- I recommend consuming homemade Tonkatsu sauce within 1 month. Keep it in a fridge all the time.
Notes
Recipe Variations
- Simmer each same amount of soy sauce, sugar, red/ Yellow miso paste, rice/apple cider/ white wine vinegar in a bowl. Add toasted sesame seeds if desired.
- Simmer each same amount of soy sauce, sugar, oyster sauce, rice/apple cider/ white wine vinegar in a bowl. Add toasted sesame seeds if desired.
- Simmer 1/2 cup of tomato ketchup and honey, 1/4 cup of soy sauce and Worcester sauce, 1/4 cup of sweet chili sauce, and 1 tbsp of rice/apple cider/ white wine vinegar
- If you like to make it spicy, adding Korean gochujang is the ideal idea.