Classic Tonkatsu (Japanese Fried Pork Cutlets

• Meat

  • 4 Filets boneless pork loin

• Produce

  • 1/2 Cabbage

• Refrigerated

  • 1 Egg

• Condiments

  • 2 tsp Karashi mustard
  • 1/2 cup Tonkatsu sauce

• Baking & Spices

  • 1/4 cup Flour
  • 1 Salt and pepper

• Oils & Vinegars

  • 1 Vegetable oil

• Bread & Baked Goods

  • 1 cup Panko

Found on amandasninjakitchen.com

Description

Ingredients

• ½ cabbage, cored
• 4 filets boneless pork loin, sliced about ¾ inch thick
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup flour
• 1 cup panko
• Vegetable oil for deep frying
• ½ cup tonkatsu sauce
• 2 tsp karashi mustard

Directions

• Slice the cabbage as thinly as possible. Submerge shreds in an ice bath and set aside.
• Make small notches on the side of the pork filets where the fat layers are (this will help prevent the cutlet from curling up in the fryer). To tenderize the meat, pound each filet with the back (non-sharp side) of your knife, and then slap it a few times with the broad side of your knife. Season the cutlets with salt and pepper.
• Bread the cutlets in flour, then egg, then flour and egg again. Finally, coat them with panko.
• Fill your cast iron skillet with oil at least one inch of oil, and try to leave two inches from the top of the pan to reduce the chances of a grease fire burning your house to the ground (see the USDA’s complete guide for safe deep-frying). Turn the heat on high and wait for the oil to reach 360° F.
• Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pan to monitor the temp. If you don’t have a candy thermometer (who am I, Willy Wonka?), use the rice test: throw a single grain of rice in the oil. If it pops to the top and starts fizzing, the oil is ready. If it sinks to the bottom, the oil is not hot enough.
• When the oil is ready, fry the cutlets two at a time, or however many take up half the surface area of the oil. (Frying too many cutlets simultaneously will lower the temperature of the oil, and also raise the chances of a grease fire, so take care.) Fry each filet for about 4 minutes, turning it halfway through to get golden browning on each side. Carefully remove the filets and lay them on a plate layered with paper towels. Cut into the biggest one to check that it’s done.
• If possible, prop up the filets so that air can circulate above and below. This will maximize the crispiness of the breading.
• Repeat frying until all cutlets have been cooked. Let them cool for a few minutes to achieve max crunchiness. When you can handle them with your fingers, slice them widthwise into ½ inch strips.
• Serve with tonkatsu, karashi mustard, cabbage, and white rice.
• Enjoy!