Hamu katsu and tamago sandwiches were my absolute favorite 7-Eleven sandwiches in Japan, with Japanese egg salad sandwiches coming in a close second. One has to know that Japanese convenience store pre-made food—including sandwiches—is truly good. Not gourmet, but just as good as any fast food from a restaurant. It’s nothing like the crap they sell at US convenience stores.
You may ask: breaded and fried ham? Yup! In a sandwich? Yup! Trust me, it’s really good.
Any white bread would work for these, but if you’ve made Japanese shokupan, it’s perfect for these sandwiches. It’s preferred to remove the crusts from the bread slices, but you don’t necessarily have to.
This recipe includes making the fried ham and the Japanese egg salad. If you don’t have Japanese mayonnaise for the egg salad, regular mayo works, too. Of course, with this recipe you could just make hamu katsu sandwiches or just Japanese egg salad sandwiches. Either, alone, will be good, too.
Note that Japanese egg salad has a leg up on the Western version because Japanese mayo has a different flavor profile—making for outstanding egg salad!
Complete ingredient list for 2 sandwiches:
- 4 slices of ham—each about the size of a slice of bread. Use thicker slices—up to 2 mm
- About 0.25 cups of flour—or enough to dredge the ham slices
- 1 large egg, well beaten
- About 1 cup of panko, or enough to coat each ham slice on both sides
- Neutral oil for frying
- 3-4 large eggs, hard boiled, cooled and peeled
- 0.25t sugar
- Pinch of pepper
- Pinch of salt
- 2t tsp milk
- 2T+ Japanese mayonnaise
- 4 slices Japanese shokupan or other good white bread—preferably crusts removed, as childish as that seems
- Softened butter
- Tonkatsu sauce (or Worcestershire sauce, in a pinch)—optional but recommended
- Shredded lettuce—optional but recommended
What you’ll need for the hamu katsu:
- 4 slices of ham—each about the size of a slice of bread. Use thicker slices—up to 2 mm. You’ll have two left over that you can freeze for another time.
- About 0.25 cups of flour—or enough to dredge the ham slices
- 1 large egg, well beaten in a shallow bowl
- About 1 cup of panko, or enough to coat each ham slice on both sides
- Neutral oil for frying
What to do for the hamu katsu
Prep all your ingredients, and in whatever cooking vessel you’re using, begin heating enough oil for shallow (1-inch deep) frying. I used a 10-in frypan, which accommodated cooking two slices of ham at a time. You want the oil to be 350 degrees F. for cooking. A fry thermometer or instant-read thermometer is best for monitoring the temperature.
While the oil is heating, dredge a slice of ham into the flour, and shake off the excess. Next, dip the ham slice into the beaten egg, making sure it’s coated on both sides.
Dredge the ham slice into the panko, pressing slightly to ensure the panko sticks to the ham. Turn it over and repeat. Lay it in a separate plate and repeat these steps for all your ham slices.
To cook the breaded ham slices, gently slide batches of two slices into the hot oil, one at a time. Be careful not to dip your fingers into the oil! Let it cook for 1 minute, before turning over the slices with a pair of tongs and cooking for another minute. Keep an eye on the temperature, in that you don’t want the oil to get too far below 350.
After they’ve cooked, remove the slices from the oil and put on a paper towel-lined plate or a rack to cool. Cut them in half after they’ve cooled. Now they’re ready for sandwich assembly.
What you’ll need for the Japanese egg salad:
- 3-4 large eggs, hard boiled, cooled and peeled
- 0.25t sugar
- Pinch of pepper
- Pinch of salt
- 2t tsp milk
- 2T+ Japanese mayonnaise
What to do for the egg salad:
Put the cooked, cooled and peeled eggs in a medium boil and mash them up with a fork. Try to really mash them into very small pieces—like a course puree.
Add the salt, pepper, milk and mayo, mixing until evenly distributed.
With the ham and eggs ready, it’s time to assemble the sandwiches—for one full sandwich.
Place two slices of bread on a cutting board and slice each in half. Butter one side of the four pieces with soft butter. Sprinkle a bit of salt on the butter, if using unsalted butter.
For the sandwich bases, spread a layer of egg salad on two of the slices. Top the egg salad with a piece of fried ham, and add another layer of egg salad on top of the fried ham.
Top the second layer of egg salad with shredded lettuce.
Spread some tonkatsu sauce on the sandwich tops and flip them sauce-side down onto the lettuce layer.
Press on them gently so everything is adhered together.
Wrap with plastic film and refrigerate for at 30 minutes before eating.
Enjoy!
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