Menchi-katsu facts for kids
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Menchi-katsu (メンチカツ) is a yummy Japanese dish. It's like a crispy, deep-fried patty made from ground meat. People usually make it with beef, pork, or a mix of both. You often find it in affordable Japanese meals called bento (lunch boxes) and teishoku (set meals).
How Menchi-katsu is Made
To make menchi-katsu, chefs mix ground meat with chopped onions, salt, and pepper. They shape this mixture into flat patties.
Next, they cover the patties with flour. Then, they dip them in beaten eggs. Finally, they coat them with special bread crumbs called panko. Panko is dried and has a rougher texture than regular bread crumbs. This makes the menchi-katsu extra crispy!
The patties are then deep-fried until they turn a beautiful golden-brown color. Menchi-katsu is often served with a special Japanese Worcestershire sauce or tonkatsu sauce. It also comes with fresh, sliced cabbage.
Where the Name Comes From
The name Menchi-katsu comes from two English words. Menchi is a Japanese way of saying "mince," which means ground meat. Katsu comes from the word "cutlet." So, menchi-katsu literally means "minced cutlet."
The word katsu can refer to any deep-fried meat cutlet. It's a type of yōshoku, which means Japanese food that has been adapted from Western dishes. When people just say katsu, they usually mean tonkatsu, which is made with pork.
In eastern Japan, people mostly say menchi-katsu. But if you go to western Japan, you'll hear it called minchi-katsu (ミンチカツ) more often.
Menchi-katsu in Stories
- In the Isekai Shokudo light novel series, menchi-katsu becomes a favorite food for a character named Sarah Gold. She found the Nekoya restaurant while looking for her grandfather's secret treasure. It turned out menchi-katsu was her grandfather William Gold's favorite food too!
See also
In Spanish: Menchi katsu para niños
