Katsu

Katsu (short for katsuretsu, or “cutlet”) is Japanese for “I would like to wrap this protein in a fluffy duvet of panko breadcrumbs and deep-fry it into a golden, crunchy masterpiece.”

Often wrongly assumed to be the name of the curry sauce it hangs out with, katsu is actually just the crispy, shattered-glass-texture fried cutlet itself. It’s the undisputed star of the show—curry is just its very delicious plus-one.