Tonkatsu (Japanese Fried Pork Cutlets) 豚カツ

Juicy and crispy panko-crumbed Tonkatsu

📝 Ingredients

• 3 pork sirloin steak (weigh about 400 g *1)
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tbsp Japanese mayonnaise
• 4 tbsp plain flour
• 3 cups panko crumb (*2)
• 50 g deep frying oil (*3)
• 200 g cabbage (I used sugarloaf cabbage)
• 6 cherry tomato (to serve)
• 3 shiso leaves (optional to garnish)

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Prepare the pork. Make small cuts at 2cm(0.78inch) intervals along the edge of the pork in order to avoid the pork curling up when its fried.
2. 2bash: Using a meat mullet, bash the meat to flatten to about 1cm(0.39 inch) thick.
3. 3Season the pork with salt and pepper
4. 4Prepare the batter. Combine egg, water and mayonnaise in a mixing bowl.
5. 5Add plain flour to the egg mixture bowl and mix them briefly with chopsticks. Be careful not to over mix it.
6. 6Prepare the batter bowl, a tray of panko crumbs, and another tray to place the coated pork.
7. 7Dip a piece of pork into the batter and coat well with batter. Remove excess batter and move it to the tray of panko crumbs.
8. 8Coat the pork with panko crumbs on both sides well by pressing down to adhere and also make sure that all sides of the pork are covered.
9. 9Place the panko crumbed pork to the last tray and repeat the process for the rest of the pork.
10. 10neat: Heat the deep frying oil in a deep frying pan or deep fryer (like I did) to 170 degree celsius(338F). At the same time line kitchen paper on a wire rack on a tray.
11. 11cook: When the oil reaches the temperature, gently put one pork in. Cook one at a time.
12. 12Deep fry the pork for a few minutes without moving it around, when the edge becomes golden brown, flip it over gently and carefully with chopsticks and heat up to 190 degree celsius (374F) to cook for a further 2-3 minutes till golden brown.
13. 13Drain the deep fried pork on the kitchen paper-lined wire rack. Cook the rest of crumbed pork in the same way.
14. 14Slice the deep fried pork into 1.5cm(0.59 inch) strips and move all pieces in one go by placing the knife underneath the cut pork. *4
15. 15Serve with finely shredded cabbage, shiso leaves and tomato.
16. 16Pour the tonkatsu sauce over the pork.