Sando is becoming the most popular sandwich from Japan. Crispy, fresh, greasy and sweet, this Japanese sandwich offers you toppings entirely to your liking. The combinations are endless, but the breaded piece of substitute for meat is not to be missed. This delicious Japanese fast-food snack with pork turned culi-editor Anne into a responsible vegan no waste variant. This Crispy no waste vegan Katsu sando was lovingly devoured at her home.
No waste vegan Katsu sando
‘Tonkatsu’ is a breaded piece of fried pork based on the Austrian Schnitzel. ‘Sando’ is Japanese for sandwich. Tonkatsu is served with the sauce of the same name, which in turn is based on English Worchestershire. So when you make Katsu sando, you are eating a sandwich with breaded meat. But no Austrian Schnitzel for me. For this sando, I wanted to try the vegan schnitzel from Albert Heijn. If you want something healthier, you could also get going with breadcrumbs for tofu. I chose the easy way this time.
Classic Japanese sandwich
You normally use white bread for this Japanese sandwich. I took corn bread because white bread is usually not vegan. Usual when making Katsu sando is that you toast this soft bread and remove the crusts, but I love toast so I toasted my slices of bread with crust and all. Nice and extra crispy and no waste. Tada! Two birds with one stone. Should you still go for the soft sliced bread, you would get rid of the crusts croutons can make.
A well-filled vegan Katsu sando
I filled my sandwich with vegan mayonnaise, a mix of crisp iceberg lettuce, organic sprouts, avocado, kimchi and homemade tonka sauce. I looked up the ingredients of this Japanese barbecue sauce and got to work. It is very easy to make. All the ingredients can be bought in the supermarket and this sauce will also taste super delicious alongside your vegan avocado toast. Sustainable avocados, do they exist? Find information and tips on how to use the avocado here. You could make sure you buy an organic version from Europe, for instance. You can also substitute the avocado slices for cucumber slices, I occasionally make an exception because my son likes avocado so much. So do I!
Kimchi?
Kimchi is actually a Korean sauerkraut. It is fermented vegetables and herbs. In fermentation, bacteria, fungi or yeasts convert substances in a product, changing its acidity, taste, smell or appearance. We also call this process fermentation. Kimchi contains bacteria that promote your gut health, the cabbage in Kimchi helps the body detoxify and promotes bowel movement. Kimchi is very healthy and a fresh and sour addition between your Japanese sandwich.
Katsu sando as street food in the Netherlands
Katsu sando is a mobile lunch and is therefore very common on the streets of Japan. In the Netherlands, you can now also get your takeaway Katsu sando. Two brothers deliver the best Japanese sandwiches and are located at Albert Cuypstraat 260h. Rachi Amsterdam was recently opened by them. They thought of making the Sando known in the Netherlands. Rachi Amsterdam offers the Plant-based chicken katsu in addition to all the meat sandwiches. So if you live in (the vicinity of) Amsterdam, you can get your vegan Katsu sando even faster.
Katsu sando sandwich with super flavour thanks to the worcestershire sauce and kimchi.
Recipe: Crispy no waste vegan Katsu sando (Japanese sandwich)
Kitchenware
- toaster
- frying pan
Ingredients
- 4 slices of corn bread
- vegan mayonnaise
- 2 vegan schnitzels
- 1 avocado
- mix of crisp (iceberg) lettuce
- organic sprouts
- kimchi
Homemade tonka sauce
- 6 el ketchup
- 2 el worcestershire sauce
- 1 el soy sauce
- 1 el sweet rice vinegar
- 1 el agave syrup
- 1 fluorescent mustard
- 1 fluorescent garlic powder
Instructions
- Mix the ingredients for the tonka sauce.
- Toast the corn bread, if necessary, or remove the crusts from the unroasted bread.
- Meanwhile, slice the avocado and brown the vegan schnitzels in the pan on both sides according to the instructions on the packet.
- Spread two (toasted) slices of corn bread with vegan mayonnaise and the other two with homemade tonka sauce.
- Place the fried vegan schnitzel on the mayonnaise sandwich.
- Top with the kimchi, avocado slices, lettuce and sprouts and press the sandwich with tonka sauce on top. Cut in half and eat the sandwiches with the remaining tonka sauce. Enjoy your meal!
Looking for more Asian goodies? Take a look here:
- Tasty happie: vegan Gyoza.
- Oelala: bao buns with jackfruit.
- Quick and easy: vegan nasi goreng.
- For those of spicy holds: Chinese aubergine in szechwan sauce.
Photo credits: Anne van Twillert.
