Katsu ramen is a creamy noodle dish topped with a crunchy meat cutlet that's full of umami. The combination of crispy fried cutlets, savoury, rich broth, and bouncy noodles will satisfy any ramen enthusiast. Although it's not traditionally served in Japanese ramen shops, it's a unique twist worth trying.
Our katsu ramen recipe will show you how to make it at home with a delicious miso-based broth or curry. Instead of frying it as shown in our video tutorial, you can bake your breaded cutlet in the oven or air fry it.
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Ingredients
You'll need the following ingredients to make our crunchy breaded cutlet with a miso-based noodle soup.
- Onion
- garlic
- ginger
- chicken broth
- coconut milk
- soy sauce
- miso paste
- ramen noodles
- spinach
- sesame oil
- egg
- Toasted sesame seeds (for garnishing)
- Nori seaweed (for garnishing)
For the katsu:
- Chicken breast (about 150 g)
- Egg
- all-purpose flour or cornstarch
- panko breadcrumbs
- vegetable oil for frying
- Salt and pepper
Ramen noodles
For our recipe, we'll be using dried egg noodles. They have a firm yet bouncy texture and pick up the broth well, making them great for slurping. You can also find these quite easily.
However, when it comes to noodles, you can also choose to use fresh or instant. Fresh noodles are the best to incorporate into your dish in terms of texture and taste, but they can be hard to find at small Asian grocery stores.
Instant noodles are the most convenient and cheapest type of noodles. Their versatility has led to various unique dishes, such as tantanmen and kewpie mayo ramen. While they are easy to cook and time-saving, we do think the texture is better with dried or fresh noodles. But again, using plain instant noodles isn't a bad idea for a quick craving fix.
Broth
We're using chicken broth to make our miso katsu ramen. If you can't find this, you can also use cubed stock powder. Please note that using stock will make the soup thicker. On the other hand, broths are usually thinner and more flavourful.
Miso
We love making a miso-based broth as the paste gives the soup a lovely salty-sweet taste with a subtle tanginess. It pairs well with the noodles and fried cutlets.
If you want to make Japanese curry ramen with katsu instead, skip the miso paste, coconut milk, and soy sauce in our recipe and use a ¼ curry roux block instead.
Coconut milk (optional)
We like to add a small amount of coconut milk to add creaminess and thicken the broth without overpowering the overall dish. However, you can also skip this ingredient and make our recipe without it too.
Meat
In choosing your cutlets, pork, beef, or chicken will go well with the dish. For our recipe, we're using chicken breast to make our katsu ramen meal healthier. However, tofu or plant-based meat are also great substitutes to turn the meal vegetarian.
Chicken Katsu Ramen Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- ½ medium onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic grated
- 1 inch ginger thinly sliced
- 500 ml chicken broth
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon miso paste
- 1-2 ramen noodles
- 2 cups baby spinach washed and dried
- 1 ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 4 tablespoon coconut milk optional
- 1 egg soft-boiled
- toasted sesame seeds garnish
- nori seaweed garnish
For the katsu:
- 1 chicken breast 150g
- 1 egg whisked
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour or cornstarch
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup vegetable oil for frying
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Prepare a soft-boiled egg by boiling an egg for 6 minutes. Once it's done, place it in an ice bath to prevent overcooking. Then, peel for serving later.
- Add garlic, onion, and ginger in a pot or deep pan. Stir and cook on medium-high heat for 2 minutes or until the onions wilt and caramelise. Then, pour in the chicken broth, coconut milk, and soy sauce. Lower the heat to medium-low and whisk in the miso paste until completely dissolved. Let it simmer for 10 minutes.
- To make the katsu, first season the chicken with salt and pepper. Then, cover the chicken cutlet with cornstarch and dip it in the whisked egg. Dredge it with the breadcrumbs and place it on a plate. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet under medium heat until it reaches a temperature of about 170°C (340°F). Fry each side of the chicken for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown. Once fried, slice it into thin strips.
- Add the noodles, spinach, and sesame oil into the soup. Leave them to cook for a few minutes until the noodles are soft.
- Place the noodles in a bowl and pour in the soup. Add the fried chicken cutlet and top with the soft-boiled egg and other preferred toppings. Serve your chicken katsu ramen.
Notes
- Add some chilli flakes or paste into the broth to make it spicier.
- While dredging the cutlet, gently press the panko down onto the meat to make it stick better.
- If you prefer a less oily version of chicken katsu, you can also cook it in the air fryer or oven. Prepare as per our recipe above up till the point of frying. For the air fryer method, cook it at 200°C (400°F) for 20 minutes. For the oven method, bake it in a preheated oven for 30 minutes at 210°C (410°F). For both methods, drizzle a bit of oil over the katsu before cooking and flip it over at the halfway mark.
- If you want to make a Japanese curry ramen with katsu instead, skip our recipe's miso paste, coconut milk and soy sauce. Instead, use a ¼ Japanese curry roux block.
Nutrition
Calories have been calculated using an online calculator. Nutritional information offered on Honest Food Talks is for general information purposes and is only a rough estimate.
Cooking Tips
Preparing the meat
Pounding the meat before coating it with panko breadcrumbs will help make it more tender and create a more even fried cutlet. However, if you prefer meatier and juicer bites, you can skip the pounding.
Oven bake or air frying the meat
Other than deep frying, you can also prepare the breaded cutlet in an oven or air fryer. Pay close attention to not overcoating the meat in panko breadcrumbs for the air fryer and oven method. Otherwise, you might end up with some raw, drier breadcrumbs in each mouthful.
Here are the temperatures and timings to follow.
For the air fryer method, drizzle a generous amount of oil over your breaded cutlet. Then place it in the air fryer to cook at 200°C (400°F) for 20 minutes. Make sure to flip it over at the halfway mark.
For the oven method, preheat your oven. Then drizzle oil over the katsu and bake it for 30 minutes at 210°C (410°F). Similar to the air fryer method, make sure to flip it over at the halfway mark.
Making it more fragrant
When making the soup from scratch, caramelise the onions for natural sweetness. Cook the garlic and ginger until aromatic before pouring in the broth.
You can use full-fat milk for a creamier broth besides coconut milk.
How To Assemble Katsu Ramen
To assemble your noodle bowl, place your noodles in the bowl and then any hardy toppings you like, such as spinach or mushrooms, on the sides. Then pour over your broth before gently laying on your crispy katsu, optional nori and egg.
The biggest tip we can give you for assembling this dish is to only assemble it when you want to eat it. If the breaded katsu sit in the soup too long, the crust will soak up the broth and become soggy. The same goes for the noodles, where they'll become mushy. Therefore, you should store the noodles and soup separately before serving them in a bowl.
Meanwhile, the noodles and soup can be prepared instantaneously or from scratch. Once cooked, they are poured into a bowl and topped with the katsu and other garnishes.
Toppings
We love to top off a steamy bowl of katsu ramen with soft-boiled eggs and scallions. Even so, this should not stop you from creatively making your meal a feast for the eyes and tastebuds. There is no specific rule on garnishing your dish, so you can include whatever you like.
Make it spicy with chili flakes or add some zest with a slice of lime. You may even add a hint of Korean taste with some kimchi or go bold with some Sriracha sauce. Other toppings perfect for this soupy dish include sesame seeds, seaweed, mushrooms, tofu, and sweet corn.
Sides
While you can enjoy it just by itself, there is no harm in having a side dish or two with it. Usually, katsu ramen and gyoza are our go-to combination. However, tons of other side dishes make it a complete meal. Just like the toppings, you can never go wrong with the side dishes as long as they satisfy your appetite.
Other great additions to the noodles are spring rolls, takoyaki, edamame, and aburaage (fried tofu). A salad is always a good and healthy choice for a lighter side dish. Plus, the classic leafy greens will add more crunch to your meal. Japanese salads like wakame and hijiki can also add to the Japanese vibe of your feed.
What is katsu?
For those who are curious, 'katsu' is short for 'katsuretsu' (カツレツ), which is a transliteration of the word cutlet. Interestingly, restaurant chefs in Tokyo invented it in the late 1800s to offer Japanese dishes with Western-style meat chop.
Like the German schnitzel, it is a fried meat cutlet (chicken, pork, or beef) covered with Japanese panko breadcrumbs. Therefore, this comfort food is, in fact, ramen with fried breaded meat.
Popularity
Crunchy and crispy katsu is the epitome of comfort food for many in Japan. Similarly, nothing beats a hot, comforting bowl of ramen after a long day. It is a warm hug in the form of food and rarely disappoints. Moreover, many claim that katsu ramen is a terrific combination that gives you the best of both worlds.
In modern Japan, ramen has become a staple dish that can go from simple to out-of-this-world. Chicken Katsu Ramen is one of Japan's extraordinary food innovations, and its unique taste makes it so popular. There are just so many things that a bowl of it can offer, so there's no reason to say no to it.
It is big on flavour and offers layers of textures with creamy broth, gooey soft-boiled egg, and crispy fried cutlet.
Tonkatsu (pork cutlet) is the country's speciality. However, many choose chicken katsu made with tender chicken breast as a healthier option. Therefore, chicken katsu ramen is one of the famous Japanese foods children and adults love.
However, this one will make you want to go the extra mile in preparing your next hot bowl of comfort.How did your homemade cutlet ramen turn out? We would love to see them! So tag us on Instagram @honestfoodtalks and share with us your masterpiece.
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