This vegan version of the Japanese tonkatsu sandwich looks nearly identical to the original and tastes just as satisfying.

I recently made a tofu katsu sandwich topped with a variety of vegetables, and many readers asked for more plant-based katsu recipes. I wanted to more closely recreate the classic Japanese tonkatsu sandwich, which traditionally features a deep-fried, crispy pork or chicken cutlet, tonkatsu sauce, and a generous pile of cabbage, sometimes plain, sometimes seasoned with vinegar for quick pickling.

Since I recently visited Japan, the taste of tonkatsu is still fresh in my memory. It was often served with ponzu sauce, a citrus-based soy sauce, that helped balance the richness and saltiness of the cutlet. Because of that, I felt it was important to incorporate ponzu sauce into this recipe, along with traditional Taiwanese flat cabbage for the slaw. Taiwanese flat cabbage is lighter and more tender than American cabbage, though it is more expensive in the U.S. due to limited availability. I highly recommend using it if you can find it, but American green cabbage works just as well as a substitute.

Katsu is traditionally deep-fried, but if you know me, one my least favorite things to do is to deep fry. It's messy and leaves you with a lot of excess oil. I try to avoid it as much as I can and use alternative cooking methods like baking or air-frying to achieve the crispness that deep-frying achieves. I found that sautéing the panko breadcrumbs before baking is the key to achieving ultimate crispiness. Although this recipe is fully plant-based, it’s satisfying even for non-vegans. Pressed firm tofu has a texture similar to fish, and marinating it adds a rich umami flavor that makes this sandwich just as enjoyable as the traditional version.