Instant Pot Katsu Curry (Japanese Curry with Tonkatsu)

In our recent trip to Japan, our plan was to have Tonkatsu Pork Cutlets for dinner on the same day we had the glorious sushi breakfast.

We’ve been awake for more than 15 hours with just 2 hours of sleep after an 11-hour flight. You can probably imagine how exhausted we were. I seriously felt like a zombie that day!

The Tonkatsu restaurant was quite far from our hotel. Plus, they don’t take reservations while being wildly popular among the locals.

We struggled whether we should go. Well, our inner foodies screamed at us. 😀

We were extremely glad we went. It was THE BEST tonkatsu we’ve ever had!

The buttery pork was so flavorful, tender and juicy. It blew my mind as it literally melted in my mouth. YES! Pork melted in our mouths!! Oh, the breading was so light and fluffy yet fresh and crisp. Everything was just deliciously perfect.

We bought a variety of Japanese curry home from Japan.

Japanese curry speaks love to my heart. I’m sooo hooked on the thick & complex combinations of sweet, savory, and spicy flavors. It’s quite different from all the other curries I’ve tried.

You have to try it if you’ve never tasted it before. You won’t regret it! 😀

So, after finding the best cooking method and time to make tender and juicy pressure cooker pork chops, we were super eager to make this baked version of Katsu Curry recipe!

Ingredients for Instant Pot Katsu Curry (Japanese Curry with Tonkatsu)

• Pork loin chops
• Olive oil
• Butter
• Panko breadcrumbs
• Small onion
• Carrot
• Potatoes
• Garlic
• Japanese curry roux cubes (remember to pick your preferred level of spiciness)
• Unsalted chicken stock or water
• Kosher salt and ground black pepper
• Egg wash (breading for the Tonkatsu Pork Cutlets): Flour, Extra large egg, Toasted Panko breadcrumbs

Instructions for Instant Pot Katsu Curry (Japanese Curry with Tonkatsu)

Step 1
Prepare Pork Chops

Make few small cuts around the sides of the pork chops, so they will stay flat and brown evenly.

Season the pork chops with generous amount of kosher salt and ground black pepper.

Step 2
Heat Up Pressure Cooker

Heat up your pressure cooker (Instant Pot: press Sauté button and click the adjust button to go to Sauté More function).

Make sure your pot is as hot as it can be when you place the pork chops into the pot (Instant Pot: wait until the indicator says HOT). This will prevent the pork chops from sticking to the pot.

Step 3
Brown Pork Chops

Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil into the pot. Ensure to coat the oil over the whole bottom of the pot.

Add the seasoned pork chops into the pot, then let it brown for roughly 2 – 3 minutes on each side (don’t need to flip it continuously).

Remove and set aside.

Step 4
Sauté Onion and Garlic

Reduce the heat to medium (Instant pot: press cancel button, then press sauté button).

Add the sliced onions and stir. Add a pinch of kosher salt and ground black pepper to season if you like. Cook the onions for roughly 1 minute until soften.

Then, add garlic and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant.

Step 5
Deglaze the Pot

Add potatoes and carrots into the pot.

Then, add chicken stock and fully deglaze the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.

Step 6
Pressure Cook Pork Chops

Place the pork chops back with all the meat juice into the pot.

Close lid and pressure cook at

• Pressure Cooking Method: High Pressure for 1 minute, then Full Natural Release (roughly 10 minutes).

Open the lid carefully.

Check the pork chops’ internal temperature with a food thermometer and make sure it’s at least 145°F.

*Pro Tip – Check Temperature: It’s important to check the pork chops’ internal temperature with a food thermometer and make sure it’s at least 145°F. We have no intentions of killing anyone with our 1-minute pressure cooker pork chops! 😛

Step 7
Prepare Coating

While the pressure cooker is cooking, first preheat the oven to 400°F.

Then, heat a skillet over medium heat.

Add butter, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and 1 cup panko breadcrumbs to the skillet. Toast the breadcrumbs until golden brown.

Taste and add a small amount of kosher salt for seasoning.

Step 8
Simmer, Shake and Bake

Remove the pork chops from the pressure cooker.

Continue to simmer the remaining ingredients over medium low heat (Instant Pot: press Sauté button and click the adjust button twice to go to Saute Less Function).

Lightly Coat the pork chops with flour, then dip the pork chops into the beaten egg and cover the pork chops with the toasted breadcrumbs.

Place the pork chops on a wired rack and place into the oven for roughly 5 minutes until the breadcrumbs stick onto the pork chops.

*Pro Tip: It’s important to place the pork chops on a wired rack in the oven (as shown in picture below), so the breading will turn out crispy and crunchy.

Step 9
Make Japanese Curry

Turn off the heat of your pressure cooker and add in 2 Japanese curry roux cubes.

Mix until the roux cubes have fully melted. Taste and adjust (add more salt if necessary).

Step 10
Serve Instant Pot Katsu Curry

Serve this delicious Instant Pot Katsu Curry immediately with Japanese rice!

Tips for Instant Pot Katsu Curry (Japanese Curry with Tonkatsu) Recipe

Buying pork chops: Try to choose pork loin chops with some marbling of fat. We love to use bone-in pork chops because the bone serves as an insulator for the meat around it and adds flavors to the cooking liquid. *We’ve used boneless pork chops for food photography purposes. 🙂

Pressure Cooker Pork Chops Experiment: Since pork chops cook in a flash in the pressure cooker, we did an experiment to find the best cooking time and method to make pressure cooker pork chops.

Quick Experiment Recap – pork chops were cooked at High Pressure with the following methods:

• 12 minutes, Natural Release – the pork chops were overcooked.
• 10 minutes, Quick Release – the pork chops were overcooked.
• 5 minutes, 5 minutes Natural Release – the pork chops were still overcooked.
• 5 minutes, Quick Release – the pork chops were fully cooked, the results were not bad. However, the meat was a bit dry due to using quick release.
• 1 minute, Natural Release – the pork chops were flavorful, tender, moist, and juicy.

Now it’s YOUR turn to take out your pressure cooker and make some Instant Pot Katsu Curry (Japanese Curry with Tonkatsu)!