Monday, January 18, 2010

TONKATSU



In a perfect world where I am forever a size 4 and the food we eat has absolutely no impact on our health, I will eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a tall glass of cold milk before bedtime every night. I will also serve breaded and fried cutlets more than two or three times a year.

Browsing over at Foodbuzz last week I happened upon Las Vegas Food Adventures and a post on tonkatsu. Reading it produced one of those ah ha moments that you accompany with a slap to the side of the head. While I love veal and chicken cutlets, I hold a special place in my culinary heart for pork cutlets, a rarity in my local supermarkets. The ah ha moment came when I read the recipe and saw that Kathy had simply cut a pork loin into one inch slices and pounded them out. The sheer genius of it all! Since I'd finally managed to track down some whole wheat panko bread crumbs, I decided to add tonkatsu to this week's rotation.

Tonkatsu

1 lb boneless pork loin, cut into 1 inch slices and pounded out to 1/2 inch thickness
1 cup flour (you'll use just a little more than 1/4 cup)
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups Japanese panko bread crumbs
salt and pepper
oil for frying (peanut, canola or vegetable)

Gently pound the pork between two slices of plastic wrap to a thickness of ½ inch. Season with salt and pepper. Dust lightly with flour and shake off excess. Dip in the beaten egg and then coat well in the panko crumbs.

Preheat the oil in a large sauté pan pan over medium heat to 350 degrees. When the oil is hot, fry the cutlets without crowding them until golden brown on each side. Drain on a wire rack to maintain the crispness on the bottom. Serve with the tonkatsu sauce.

Tonkatsu Sauce
½ cup ketchup
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup sake (I used sherry)
¼ cup dark soy sauce
½ tsp sugar

Stir all of the ingredients until the sugar is dissolved, Serve on the side in dipping bowls or drizzled over top of the cutlets.






TASTE NOTES
I was sure that I was not going to like the whole wheat panko bread crumbs, but I was wrong. If anything, they seemed to crisp even better than the regular kind. I was very happy with my "homemade" pork cutlets. I was able to cut off all visible fat, as little as it is, and I got 8 good-sized cutlets from my one pound boneless pork loin. Half the cutlets remain; they will make very good sandwiches, I'm sure. While I didn't serve the tonkatsu over shredded cabbage, I did make and use the accompanying sauce. DSO and I both loved the flavor. The worcesteshire sauce gave it just enough kick. With some sauteed escarole on the side for me and some leftover spaghetti for DSO, this was a very tasty meal. I know I'll be making more pork cutlets in the future to use in other dishes. Thanks, Kathy, for a great idea.

16 comments:

  1. wow what magnificant color and looks so tender and delicious! love the panko~

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  2. Good golly... these look amazing.

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  3. These look so tender! I want to try this one out! I hope my sister would help me.

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  4. That sauce sounds so much nicer than the bought katsu sauce! They look wonderful.

    Alas - not being in the perfect world I don't even want to tempt myself with cooking these at home!

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  5. Oooo this look like fun!!! Back when I lived in Iowa we ate breaded and fried pork cutlets ALL. THE. TIME. Lately its always chicken or beef. AND! I just happen to have a small bottle of sake at home....might just have to try this!

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  6. Ha ha,i love pb jeely sandhwhich too and loads of butter ,cheese and jelly too....
    I love ur recipe here-wanna have one rite away dear...looks so so appetizing.

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  7. Love breaded and fried pork! Such a great change from chicken. I like the idea of this sauce too because it seems rather zesty and tangy, which is a favorite for me. Your story about slicing pork loin reminds me of a time I went to the store looking for pork medallions. Disgruntled over not ever finding pork medallions, I finally saw a chef slice up a pork tenderloin and I was thrilled. I've been slicing it up ever since ;D

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  8. Ah Ha for sure! All in moderation and an occasional pork chop. Arlene, this looks absolutely delicious. I like your changes to the sauce, too.

    Great recipe to have on hand. Thanks...

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  9. Arlene...George Gaston told me about your site....your Pork recipe will be a keeper for my kitchen!

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  10. Oh I love tonkatsu!! Yum!! Thanks for the reminder...it's easy and quick for an after work supper! Now...if I can only find that recipe for Bolognese....*grin*

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  11. This tonkatsu looks just so perfectly crisp and delicious, love it!

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  12. Foodycat, the sauce was really good and, Kim, quite tangy. Can't believe it never occurred to me to make my own cutlets from the tenderloin. Mr. Bill, any friend of George's...glad to make your acquaintance. Glennis, I do love a good Bolognese and hope you can find some veal to try the DB one.

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  13. Your site is lovely, enjoyed visiting and will be sure to return back again for more. Many thanks for sharing. Cheers, PT
    You may visit me at http://ptsaldari.posterous.com

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  14. The tonkatsu look fantastic! Where do you get the whole wheat panko crumbs? I'm trying to sneak in whole grains and whole grain flours wherever I can.

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