Japanese Pork Katsu Recipes

PORK TONKATSU

Steps:

• Slash the fat rimming one side of the loin cutlet to keep the meat from curling when deepfried. Pound to flatten to about 1/4 inch. Salt and pepper both sides of each cutlet. Dredge each in flour, then dip into beaten eggs and press into bread crumbs to coat both sides.
• Heat a large skillet with about 1/2 inch of oil until hot. Lay 1 or 2 cutlets in the hot oil. Deep-fry until golden brown, about 5 to 7 minutes, turning them once or twice. Drain the cutlets on paper towels and cut the pork into bite-size strips that can be eaten with chopsticks.
• Arrange the pork on a platter lined with the shredded cabbage, and garnish with lemon wedges. Serve the sauce on the side for dipping, or pour it over the pork and cabbage.
• Prepare the recipe for Pork Tonkatsu, using 4 turkey cutlets, each about 1/2inch thick, in place of the pork loin.

TONKATSU (JAPANESE-STYLE CRISPY FRIED PORK CUTLETS)

Steps:

• Place pork chops on a paper towel to absorb any excess moisture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Whisk egg and soy sauce together in a small bowl.
• Place flour on a small plate and panko in another. Dredge a pork chop in the flour, pressing it in using your fingertips to cover all crevices along the surface. Turn to evenly coat all sides.
• Dip the pork into the egg mixture, coating completely. Transfer immediately to the bowl of panko, pressing in to evenly coat. Repeat process with the second pork chop.
• Heat oil in a wide pan or wok on medium-high heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lower a pork chop into the oil. Fry until bottom side is golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn; cook until other side turns golden and pork is slightly pink in the center, 2 to 3 minutes more. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 145 degrees F (63 degrees C). Pick up the cutlet and hold it on its side for a few seconds to let the oil drip off. Drain on a paper towel. Repeat with the second pork chop.

TONKATSU (JAPANESE PORK CUTLET)

Steps:

• Gather all the ingredients. For Tonkatsu, I highly recommend getting fresh panko (we call it nama panko) from a Japanese grocery store. If you can't get it, follow my instructions to make fresh panko. Make sure to use a Japanese brand of panko from Japan. Western "panko breadcrumbs" are a bit different from authentic Japanese panko.

TONKATSU (JAPANESE FRIED PORK CUTLET)

Steps:

• If there is connecting tissue separating red meat and a band of fat, cut the tissue every 2-3cm (1"). This will prevent the meat from curling when cooked. Lightly pound the pork to tenderise.
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper on both sides of meat.
• Coat the meat with flour, egg, then breadcrumbs.
• Heat oil to 170C (338F) (note 2) and fry the meat for 2 minutes. Turnover and fry further 1.5 - 2 minutes (note 3) until it becomes golden brown.
• Turn over again and fry for about 1 minute until deep golden brown, then put aside on kitchen paper.
• Cut each tonkatsu into 2cm (¾") wide strips.
• If you are making tonkatsu for katsu-don, go to Katsu-don instructions.
• Serve with shredded cabbage and Bulldog tonkatsu sauce.

TONKATSU JAPANESE FRIED PORK

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Cut the edge of the pork chops in several places. Season with salt and pepper.
• Set up a breading station with 3 shallow dishes. Place flour in the first dish, lightly beaten egg in the second dish, and panko breadcrumbs in the third dish.
• Coat each pork chop generously with flour, shaking any excess off.
• Dip pork into beaten egg.
• Coat pork with panko breadcrumbs and set aside on a platter.
• In a deep pan, heat the canola oil to around 340 F as measured on a frying thermometer.
• Deep-fry breaded pork for 5 to 6 minutes.
• Turn pork over and fry about 5 more minutes or until cooked through and browned.
• Remove pork from oil and drain on paper towels.
• While pork is resting, finely shred green cabbage and soak in ice-cold water.
• Drain shredded cabbage well.
• Cut each tonkatsu lengthwise into small pieces and serve on plates with a side of the shredded cabbage. Drizzle some of the tonkatsu sauce over tonkatsu before eating. Serve karashi (hot Japanese mustard) on the side if you prefer. Enjoy.

JAPANESE PORK KATSU

Steps:

• Make the dipping sauce:.
• Stir together 1 T. of hot water and the soy sauce, mirin, worcestershire sauce, ketchup and mustard. Set aside.
• Prep the pork:.
• Place the pork cutlets between 2 sheets of waxed paper or plastic wrap and pound them with a meat pounder until about 1/4 inch thick. In a shallow bowl, lightly beat the egg. Spread the flour and panko on 2 separate plates. Season the flour with the salt and pepper. Also, season the pork cutlets with salt on both sides. Then dip the pork first into the flour, then the egg and last the panko (coating both sides). Press the panko into the pork so it stays put.
• Panfry the pork:.
• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just hot and then add the oil. Add the cutlets and fry, turning once, until golden brown on both sides and just opaque at the center (you don't want to overcook pork) - this should take approximately 5 minutes on each side.
• Tranfer the cutlets to paper towel to drain briefly, then cut across the grain into strips 1/2 inch thick.
• Serve with the dipping sauce and rice.

TONKATSU (DEEP FRIED PORK)

Steps:

• Make small cuts all over pork chops with tip of knife. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of meat.
• Coat the meat with flour, dip in eggs, then cover with bread crumbs.
• Heat deep frying oil to 350 F, and deep fry crumb-covered meat. You can check the temperature by dropping a bread crumb. If it comes up to the oil surface right after it's dropped, it's good.
• Fry until color turns golden brown and meat floats in the oil, about 5-8 minutes, turning once or twice.
• Set the meat on a cooling rack for a minute. Cut into 5-6 pieces.

TONKATSU

Steps:

• To prepare the cabbage salad, separate the leaves from the head, and trim off the tough stems.
• Roll a few leaves together and use a sharp knife to slice the cabbage into thin threads. Soak the cabbage in cold water while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
• Prepare two trays, one with a well-beaten egg and the other with the panko. Prepare a wire rack to drain the Tonkatsu Add 1 1/2-inches of oil to a heavy bottomed pot and heat the oil to 320 degrees F (160 C).
• Salt and pepper both side of the pork cutlets.
• Dust the pork with an even coating of flour.
• Dip the cutlets in the egg and coat evenly.
• Transfer the pork to the panko and mound the breadcrumbs around the meat, pressing down gently on the cutlet to ensure you get a good coating of breadcrumbs on all sides.
• Fry the Tonkatsu until golden brown, flipping every few minutes to ensure even browning. Use a skimmer to remove any foam that accumulates on the surface of the oil. Depending on how thick your chops are they will take anywhere from 10-15 minutes to cook through.
• You can test to see if they're done by removing one from the oil and inserting an instant-read thermometer into the center. It should register 140 degrees F (63 C).
• When the Tonkatsu is done, drain it on a wire rack and let it rest for a five minutes before you cut into it.
• While the pork rests, drain the cabbage and use a salad spinner to remove any excess moisture. Place big mounds of cabbage on each plate.
• Slice the cutlets and plate with the cabbage. Serve with Tonkatsu sauce and Japanese mustard.

JAPANESE AIR-FRIED PORK TONKATSU

Steps:

• Preheat an air fryer to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) according to manufacturer's instructions.
• Stir together eggs, avocado oil, and salt in a small bowl. Place panko crumbs on a separate plate.
• Set a length of parchment or waxed paper about 15 inches long on a platter or cutting board.
• Dip each pork chop into the egg mixture, allowing excess to drip back into the bowl, then turn chops in panko crumbs. Cover the top of the chop with crumbs and press down to encourage them to stick. Place coated chops on the prepared parchment or waxed paper. Repeat until all chops are coated with panko crumbs on both sides.
• Spray both sides of each pork chop with cooking spray and place 2 or 3 chops into the air fryer basket, depending on the size of the basket.
• Air fry for 6 minutes. Flip and cook until golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 145 degrees F (63 degrees C), about 5 minutes more. Transfer chops to a plate and keep warm. Repeat with remaining chops.
• Serve chops with rice, shredded Savoy cabbage, and tonkatsu sauce.

BAKED TONKATSU

Steps:

• Gather all the ingredients. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC). For a convection oven, reduce the temperature by 25ºF (15ºC). Prepare a rimmed baking sheet with an oven-safe wire rack or line it with parchment paper. I prefer using the wire rack as it allows hot air to circulate around the cutlets and prevents the panko underneath from getting crushed.

TONKATSU (JAPANESE PORK CUTLET)

Steps:

• Heat corn oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Season pork chops with salt and pepper, to taste. Working one at a time, dredge pork chops in flour, dip into egg, then dredge in Panko crumbs, pressing to coat. Working in batches, add pork chops to the skillet, 2 or 3 at a time, and cook until evenly golden and crispy, about 3-4 minutes on each side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Serve immediately with rice and tonkatsu sauce, if desired.