Air fryer menchi katsu
Juicy Japanese beef patties in a crunchy golden panko crust, air fried instead of deep-fried and served with tangy katsu sauce and cabbage.
- 50 min total
- 35 min hands-on
- A little more hands-on
- Serves 4
- About $2.50 a serving
- 490 calories
Dolly says: Read the steps once before you start. Everything goes smoother after that.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- ½ yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 lb 85/15 ground beef
- 1¼ cups panko breadcrumbs, divided
- 2 tbsp milk
- 2 large eggs, divided
- 3 tbsp ketchup
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 3 cups coleslaw mix
From your pantry
- 1 tsp salt, divided
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
Each serving has about 490 calories, 28 g protein, 31 g carbs and 27 g fat, and costs about $2.50 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No 85/15 ground beef? 90/10 ground beef works.
- No milk? Half-and-half works.
- No coleslaw mix? Green cabbage or red cabbage works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Mix the beef, onion, ¼ cup panko, milk, 1 egg, ¾ teaspoon salt and the pepper with your hands, and shape into 4 patties ¾ inch thick.
Food safety: Wash your hands, the board and the knife with hot soapy water after touching raw meat, and don’t rinse raw chicken in the sink.
Set out 3 shallow plates: the flour in one, the other egg beaten in the next, and the remaining 1 cup panko in the last.
Coat each patty in flour, dip it in the egg, then press it into the panko on all sides.
Dolly’s tip: Use one hand for the flour and panko and the other for the egg, and your fingers won’t turn into breaded clubs.Heat the air fryer to 380°F. the oil over the patties, turning them so the panko is lightly coated all over.
Drizzle. Drizzling means pouring a thin, slow stream over the top of something. A thin stream spreads a little flavor a long way.
How you’ll know: You see thin lines across the food, not a puddle collecting underneath.
Dolly’s tip: Dry panko stays pale. The oil is what turns it golden and crunchy.Air fry 12 to 14 minutes, flipping halfway, until deep and 160°F in the middle.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Timer: 13 min
Food safety: Ground beef, pork and lamb are done at 160°F. When it’s cooked through there’s no pink left anywhere in the pan.
While they cook, stir the ketchup, Worcestershire and sugar together for the sauce, and the coleslaw mix with the vinegar and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Let the patties 3 minutes, then serve with the cabbage and a of sauce.
Rest. Resting means letting cooked meat sit for a few minutes before you cut it. It keeps cooking gently, and more of the juice stays in the meat instead of running onto the board.
How you’ll know: Loosely covered with foil, it stays hot, and very little juice runs out when you slice it.
Drizzle. Drizzling means pouring a thin, slow stream over the top of something. A thin stream spreads a little flavor a long way.
How you’ll know: You see thin lines across the food, not a puddle collecting underneath.
Timer: 3 min
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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