Pork Katsu

Recipe at a glance:

6 boneless pork loin chops, center cut if possible
2 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
3 large eggs (for dredging)
~ 1 1/2 cup flour (for dredging)
2 tbs Chinese five spice (optional)
salt and pepper
peanut oil for frying
1 head of cabbage shredded (optional)
Katsu sauce
2 cups brown rice

Prep time: about 20 min
Cook time: about 15 min
Utensil/bowl use: Many- sharp knife, cutting board, three bowls for dredging, skillet for frying, tongs, plate, rice cooker
Difficulty: Intermediate
Serve for: a slightly out of the ordinary dinner. Makes great leftovers for sandwiches

When Chris and I were in Japan, our guidebook (Lonely Planet, Kyoto – it rules!) recommended a Katsu restaurant for travel weary tourists. The main selling point for this place was the all-you-can-eat rice, miso soup, and cabbage slaw. And by main selling point, I mean anything could have been advertised after all-you-can-eat, and we were there. We were starved since our main mode of transportation around Kyoto was bike.

As is the tradition in Japan, the menu items are displayed outside the restaurant deliciously wrapped in plastic. This is quite convenient for the grunt-and-point method of ordering food that we adopted.

Now, pork katsu (or tonkatsu, in Japanese) has the interesting quality of being both familiar, yet oddly not. It was wholly different from the other meals that I had enjoyed in Japan. Most of my other meals there were definitely tasty, but so unrecognizable to anything I had ever eaten before. Even the sushi was quite different. There were no rolls or tasty little green balls of wasabi paste. Instead, the fish was the foremost flavor in every bite and each bite was magnificent, yet still unlike the sushi I was used to (it was so much better!). And the unagi! Let’s not get started on that.

In fact, tonkatsu started appearing on tables in Japan around the mid to late 19th century which coincides with the arrival of western influences on Japan’s culture. Katsu is even an abbreviation of the word English word cutlet. Additionally, it is most commonly served with a Worcestershire-based sauce that you can find in most grocery stores next to the soy sauce. There are recipes for the sauce floating around on the web, but I have yet to find one that is as good (or as easy) as Kikkoman’s.

Anyways, back to my reverie. When a fried pork cutlet was placed in front of me, there was no question as to what it was or how to eat it and every bite was better than the one before it, I felt the purest bliss. Or some sort of similarly addictive effect. The entire meal was utterly breath-taking and I don’t think a single meal has ever made me happier.

We definitely ate there again. And I have spent many an hour since trying to replicate the dish according to my memory and a few pointers from the internet.

The ingredient list is a bit more obscure than most things that you will find on Supper Before Grace. Thankfully most of them have other uses as well and none are especially expensive. Panko for one, is my favorite bread crumb and I never use any other type now.

Wash the cabbage well with cold water. The cold water will also crisp up the cabbage a bit. I usually let the cabbage rest a bit in cold water but I am sure this step could be skipped.

I happened to be hosting a small dinner party this evening so I had alot of pork. The pork needs to be trimmed of any extra fat. A sharp knife makes this job easy.

The pork also should be about 3/4ths of an inch thick. Since my cutlets were pretty thick, I cut them in half. I have found that the easiest way to do this is to place the cutlet on its edge and cut downward. They can also be tenderized with a mallet or knife, but I have never done that.

Cut through the entire cutlet.

Once all cutlets are prepared, get the dredging station ready. In the first bowl, put flour and spices. For this amount of meat, I use about 2 cups of flour and 2 tbs of Chinese Five Spice blend. This spice is optional because the pork will have quite a bit of flavor on its own. I never omit the salt and pepper though. Usually about a teaspoon of salt and a few turns of the peppermill is enough.

In the second bowl, beat 3-4 large eggs. This will depend on how much meat you have.

Put about 2 cups of Panko in the third bowl.

Before you dredge the meat, pour oil into the skillet at a depth of about 1/4th to 1/2 of an inch. Turn the heat to medium to preheat the oil.

To dredge the pork, first cover the sides of the meat in flour. It does not need to be thick, just a quick pat on the major sides of the cutlet will do. Immediately after dredging in the flour, dunk the cutlet in the beaten eggs and let the egg briefly drip off the sides back into the egg bowl. The cutlet should be wet now. After the cutlet is coated in egg, coat the sides of the cutlet in Panko crumbs. The crumbs should adhere to the meat rather thickly.

When you are finished dredging, the oil should be hot enough for frying. I always fry a small test cutlet first to make sure that the oil is actually hot enough. The cutlet should crackle and sizzle in the hot oil. Once the oil is hot, fry a few cutlets at a time, about 3-4 minutes a side until the Panko is a deep golden-brown.

When the cutlets are done cooking, let them drain on a plate with paper towels.

While the pork is cooking or draining, slice the head of cabbage finely. This can be done with a mandolin if you have it.

Cut the pork into thin strips before serving.

The cutlet is fantastic with Katsu sauce. Spread the sauce on the cutlet. Serve the cutlet with rice and cabbage.

If you want, you can dress up the cabbage with a little bit of Ponzu sauce.

I personally like to cook the rice in the rice cooker with 2 tbs of sesame oil and 1/2 cup of mirin. I would tell you how to make rice in a pot but I was a complete failure when I tried cooking it that way. I would get distracted doing something else and I would end up with rice kernels cemented to the bottom of the pan. Then I bought a rice cooker that actually encourages me to be negligent. My bad behavior is rewarded with perfect rice every time.

And because I was fixing this meal for a hungry dinner party, I barely got to snap a picture of the finished product before the plate was taken away. I can’t blame them. I snuck a few bites of pork before it was even plated.

Looks like I came pretty close!

Pork Katsu (Tonkatsu):

6 boneless pork loin chops, center cut if possible
2 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
3 large eggs (for dredging)
1 1/2 cup flour (for dredging)
2 tbs Chinese five spice (optional)
salt and pepper
peanut oil for frying (about 3 cups for a large skillet)
1 head of cabbage shredded (optional)
Katsu sauce
Ponzu sauce
2 cups brown rice (1tbs of sesame oil and 1/4 cup mirin are used to cook rice)

Cook rice in rice cooker with 4 cups of water, 1 tbs of sesame oil and 1/4 cup of mirin.

Wash cabbage and let rest in ice cold water.

Trim pork of fat and cut to a thickness of about 3/4ths of an inch. Mix spices, salt and pepper with flour in one medium sized bowl. Beat eggs in a second bowl, and pour Panko into a third bowl.

Pour peanut oil into a large skillet to a depth of about 1/4th of an inch and heat oil on medium heat.

Dredge cutlets in flour. Dip floured cutlets into egg and let any large clumps of egg drip off. Drop cutlet into bowl of Panko and cover the cutlet with the Panko crumbs. Place breaded cutlet into hot oil and let fry for 3-4 minutes per side or until each side is a deep golden-brown. Let fried cutlet drain on a paper towel lined plate. Before serving, slice cutlet into 1 inch thick strips.

Pat cabbage dry and thinly shred.

When serving, pour a small amount of Katsu sauce on the pork strips. Serve with a serving of rice and cabbage. Drizzle Ponzu sauce on cabbage if desired.