Soybean Menchi Katsu (Breaded Ground Pork Patties)
大豆のメンチカツ · Daizu no Menchi Katsu
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Menchi katsu is a Japanese favorite: a seasoned ground meat patty coated in panko and deep-fried until crisp, the kind of thing you find at butcher shops and in lunchboxes all over Japan. In this preschool version, roughly chopped boiled soybeans go into the pork mixture, adding gentle texture and plant protein without changing the flavor kids already love. Children who push beans around their plate happily eat them tucked inside a crunchy golden cutlet, which is exactly why it works so well in school lunches.
Added. Open the recipe helper (bottom right) → ☰ Menu → 🛒 Shopping list to see the ingredients for your family size.
Printing uses the number of adults and children set under Ingredients, so set those first.
Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 13.5 gboiled soybeans (canned or vacuum-packed)Plain cooked whole soybeans sold in cans or pouches, ready to use. Substitute: Canned chickpeas or white beans.
- 27 gground pork
- 33 gonion
- 8.3 gegg
- 4.5 gflour
- 9 gegg
Seasonings
- 1.5 gvegetable oil
- 6 gpanko
- 0.3 gsalt
- 4.5 gwater
- 7.5 gpanko
- 6 gvegetable oil
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- boiled soybeans (canned or vacuum-packed) (大豆水煮)
- Plain cooked whole soybeans sold in cans or pouches, ready to use. Substitute: Canned chickpeas or white beans.
Directions
Video is in Japanese and may show a different version of this dish (other ingredients or steps). Follow the ingredients and steps on this page, especially when cooking for allergies.
- 1
Roughly chop the soybeans.
- 2
Finely chop the onion. Heat the oil in a frying pan and sauté the onion.
- 3
Add the chopped soybeans (step 1), the sautéed onion (step 2), the beaten egg, panko, and salt to the ground pork and mix well until the mixture becomes sticky and holds together.
- 4
Mix the flour, beaten egg, and water together to make a batter.
- 5
Shape the mixture from step 3 into patties, dip them in the batter from step 4, then coat with panko, and deep-fry in oil at 170°C (340°F).
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 244.5 kcal | 489 kcal | 244.5 kcal |
| Protein | 11.6 g | 23.1 g | 11.6 g |
| Fat | 16.2 g | 32.4 g | 16.2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 14.7 g | 29.4 g | 14.7 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.6 g | 1.2 g | 0.6 g |
| Calcium | 33 mg | 66 mg | 33 mg |
| Iron | 1.2 mg | 2.4 mg | 1.2 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 244.5 kcal | 11.6 g | 16.2 g | 14.7 g | 0.6 g | 33 mg | 1.2 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 489 kcal | 23.1 g | 32.4 g | 29.4 g | 1.2 g | 66 mg | 2.4 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
