Japanese Pretzel Tonkatsu Burger

By lorik

Ingredients

• For the Burger:
• 1 lb. quality (not lean) ground beef
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup finely crushed pretzel meal (about 5 oz. packaged pretzels, ground to a powder in a food processor)
• 3 ⁄4 cup panko (2 1⁄2 oz.)
• 1 ⁄2 tsp. salt, plus more for the beef
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups peanut oil for frying
• For the Tonkatsu Sauce:
• 2 tbsp. butter (1 oz.)
• 1 ⁄3 cup ketchup (3 1⁄2 oz.)
• 1 2-inch piece fresh ginger (1 1⁄4 oz.)
• 2 tbsp. sake (1 oz.)
• Freshly ground black pepper

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from saveur.com

Preparation

Step 1

To make the tonkatsu sauce: Grate the fresh ginger into a small dish. Squeeze with your fingers to extract 1 tablespoon of liquid ginger juice (or, if you like, squeeze it through a moist paper towel). Heat a small sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the butter. Cook until it browns lightly, about 5 minutes, then add the ketchup. Cook, stirring, until it thickens and loses its raw taste, about 1 minute. Off heat, add the ginger juice, sake, and black pepper to taste and stir to combine. Set aside.

For the tonkatsu: Lightly season the ground beef with salt and black pepper, then shape it into four 4-ounce pucks about 3 ½ inches wide and 1 inch thick. Season both sides with more salt and pepper to taste. Prepare two bowls for breading: one with beaten egg, the second with the mixture of pretzel meal and panko. Season the panko mixture with 1⁄2 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper. Double-bread the patties: drop each burger into egg, and finally drop into the pretzel/panko mixture, pressing gently on the patty to make the coating adhere, and repeat: drop again into the egg and the panko mixture. Set them on a plate.

Pour 1⁄2 inch of oil into a heavy cast-iron skillet and preheat over medium-high heat. When the oil registers 350°F on a deep fry thermometer, carefully add the tonkatsu patties, leaving a little room around them. Fry quickly, about 2 minutes per side, until evenly browned and crispy. Blot on a paper towel-lined plate and serve with a ½ cup of marinated greens and a dollop of tonkatsu sauce.