Tonkatsu sauce is Japan’s answer to barbecue sauce, and Bull-Dog is one of the most popular bottled brands. The sweet, tangy fruit-and-vegetable-based condiment is most commonly used as an accompaniment to the crumbed, deep-fried pork cutlet dish known as tonkatsu, but works just as nicely as a dipping sauce for meats, or as an alternative to tomato sauce on burgers.
Melbourne chef Andrew McConnell is a fan. “Just as all barbecue sauces vary subtly from recipe to recipe, so do many of the Japanese tonkatsu sauces,” he says. “We use it in a tonkatsu pork sandwich at Supernormal.” You’ll find Bull-Dog tonkatsu sauce at good Asian supermarkets and Japanese grocers.
Here are some recipes you can use Bull-Dog sauce on: