Description

This recipe was produced by The Culinary Institute of America as an industry service, thanks to the support of the Mushroom Council.

Katsu is a beloved Japanese comfort food, traditionally made with breaded chicken or pork, but today we’re going to use meaty portabellas for a plant-based version! Vegetarians and meat-eaters alike will love the perfectly crispy and hearty mushroom katsu finished with a drizzle of sweet and savory katsu sauce.

Ingredients

Scale

Portabella Mushrooms

2 pounds, or 4 large portabella mushrooms, stemmed & gilled
non-stick cooking spray as needed

Marinade

3 Tbsp. ginger, grated on a microplane
3 ea. garlic cloves, grated on a microplane
3 Tbsp. Japanese soy sauce
1 ½ Tbsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
½ cup, or as needed tonkatsu Sauce (store-bought)

OR: Katsu Sauce

5 Tbsp. worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. sugar
5 Tbsp. ketchup
2 Tbsp. oyster sauce

Katsu Breading

2 cups tempura mix
2 cups water, iced
4 cups panko Japanese breadcrumbs
4 cups vegetable oil or peanut oil for frying
2 cups cooked Japanese rice

Garnishes

1 ea. green cabbage, small, super fine shred
4 ea. lemon wedges
4 ea. green onions, cut on a deep bias

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Instructions

For the Portabello Mushrooms: Preheat a 400° F oven.
Snap off the mushroom stems and run a small spoon across the underside to remove the gills, taking care not to break the rim of the mushroom.
Mix all ingredients for the marinade.
Line a sheet pan with foil and spray with oil. Place the cleaned mushrooms, cavity side up on the sheet tray and brush the inside of each mushroom with the marinade.
Roast in the hot oven until caramelized and cooked through, approximately 15-20 minutes.
If making your own Katsu sauce: Mix all ingredients and divide between small dishes for serving.
For the Breading: Prepare tempura batter using the tempura mix and iced water according to the package instructions. Fill a 2”deep ½ hotel pan with panko.
Dip the mushrooms in tempura batter and dredge in panko, pressing lightly to ensure the panko sticks to tempura batter.
Arrange on a parchment lined sheet pan and refrigerate until ready to fry.
For the Cabbage: Cut cabbage head in quarters and using a mandolin or a sharp knife shred as thinly as possible. Soak in ice water and spin dry before using.
For the Green Onion: Cut the green tops only on a very fine and elongated bias. Soak in ice water and drain on paper towels before using.
Fry the portabella cap until golden brown, and remove from the oil. Slice on the bias into ½ inch slices.
Serve the portabella Katsu next to a generous pile of shredded cabbage, a dish of Katsu sauce, lemon wedges and a side of steaming Japanese rice garnished with green onion curls.

Notes

Note: The mushroom katsu is also great sliced in a sandwich.