Air fryer Spam katsu
Slices of Spam in a crunchy panko crust from the air fryer, with a quick tangy katsu sauce, crisp cabbage and rice, like a Honolulu plate lunch.
- 35 min total
- 25 min hands-on
- A little more hands-on
- Serves 2
- About $2.54 a serving
- 690 calories
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Read the steps once before you start. Everything goes smoother after that.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- 6 oz spam, half a can
- 1 large egg
- ⅔ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- ⅛ head green cabbage, about 2 cups, very thinly sliced
- 1 package microwave rice pouches
From your pantry
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp water
- 2 tsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- 1 pinch salt
Each serving has about 690 calories, 22 g protein, 77 g carbs and 33 g fat, and costs about $2.54 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No green cabbage? Red cabbage or coleslaw mix works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Slide the Spam out of the can, cut the block in half crosswise, and one half into 4 pieces a little under ½ inch thick. Wrap the rest for another day.
Slice. Slicing means cutting food into flat pieces of about the same thickness. Even slices cook evenly, so none are raw while others burn.
How you’ll know: Lay a few side by side: they’re close to the same thickness from one end to the other.
Dolly’s tip: Run a butter knife around the inside of the can and it slips right out.Set out three shallow bowls: the flour in one, the egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water in the next, and the panko mixed with the oil in the last.
Dolly’s tip: Rubbing the oil into the panko is what makes it turn golden in the air fryer instead of pale.Coat each slice in flour, dip it in egg, then press it firmly into the panko on both sides.
Dolly’s tip: Keep one hand for the dry bowls and one for the egg, or your fingers turn into breaded clubs.Heat the air fryer to 400°F. Lay the slices in one layer and air fry 8 to 10 minutes, flipping halfway, until deep and .
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.
Crispy. Crispy means the outside is dry, firm and crunchy. It comes from high heat, a little oil and room in the pan, because crowded food steams and goes soft.
How you’ll know: It sounds crunchy when you tap or bite it, and it doesn’t flop when you lift it.
Timer: 9 min
Food safety: For the safest eggs, cook until the whites are fully set and the yolks begin to thicken. Dishes made with eggs are done at 160°F.
While they cook, stir the ketchup, Worcestershire, soy sauce and sugar together for the katsu sauce.
Very the cabbage and it with the rice vinegar and a pinch of salt.
Thinly slice. Thinly slicing means cutting slices about an eighth of an inch thick, roughly two coins stacked. Thin slices cook in seconds and soften fast, which quick dishes need.
How you’ll know: A slice bends a little when you hold it by one edge, and slow, steady cuts beat fast ones.
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.
Heat the rice as the package says.
Serve the katsu with the rice and cabbage, and the sauce over the top or dip each bite.
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.
Food safety: Rotisserie chicken, deli meat, canned tuna and cooked shrimp are already cooked. Keep them cold until you use them, and heat them until steaming hot if the recipe warms them.
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.
More dinners like this
Air fryer eggplant katsu
45 min
Air fryer chicken nanban
50 min
Air fryer honey mustard kielbasa and potatoes
35 min
Hiyashi chuka (Japanese cold ramen salad)
35 min
Cozy comfort food ›Air fryer rice recipes ›What to make with eggs and rice ›What to make with rice and green cabbage ›