The products we used:
The Other White Meat Cutlet
When you think of Japanese food, you probably think of rice, sushi, tempura, ramen, etc. But do you think about tonkatsu? Tonkatsu, or “fried pork cutlets” in English, is a staple of the Japanese diet. They’re on sandwiches at the neighborhood 7/11. They’re on menus at family restaurants. They’re married with curry (“katsu karei”) for the perfect university cafeteria food.
If you’re interested in learning to make Japanese food, but want to start with a food more accessible to the western palate and easier to learn to cook than something like sushi, tofu, or soba, then tonkatsu may just fit the bill. It’s a versatile food perfect for a Japanese food appreciator.
A Versatile Pot for a Versatile Food
To fry the tonaktsu, we’re using some pots by Arnest. The pots are designed to be easy to store. The handles are shortend to open up space for other kitchen goods, and they are designed to stack to store oil for repeat use. This set comes with a special net for draining fried food of excess oil, and to filter burnt bits of food out of the oil after you’re done cooking. If you’re like me, cleaning the oil has always been the second worst part of deep frying food. The first worst part is stepping on the scale after voraciously devouring. I can’t help you with matters of metabolic fitness, but our friends at Arnest can help you keep your oil clean.
Recipe
Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 2 slices of pork loin for tonkatsu
- 1 egg
- 3 leaves of cabbage (150g, or about 5.5 oz)
- 4cm (about 1.5 inches) of carrot (40g, or about 1.5 oz)
- 1/2 lemon, cut into wedges
- A pinch of Ajinomoto umami seasoning
- A pinch of salt
- A pinch of pepper
- All-purpose flour, as needed
- Dried breadcrumbs, as needed
- frying oil, as needed
- Tonkatsu sauce, as needed
Slice cabbage
Cut the cabbage in half vertically and slice it thinly. You can also use a specialized cabbage slicer by our friends at Nonoji.
Slice cabbage
Cut the cabbage in half vertically and slice it thinly. You can also use a specialized cabbage slicer by our friends at Nonoji.
Cut pork sinew
Make 4-5 small cuts with the tip of the knife along the border between the lean meat and fat of the pork to cut through the sinew.
Season
Sprinkle both sides with Ajinomoto umami seasoning, salt, and pepper. (Using Ajinomoto as a pre-seasoning enhances the natural flavor of the meat.)
Coat pork
Beat the egg in a shallow dish. Lightly coat the pork with flour, then pat off any excess.
Dip the pork in the beaten egg, then coat with breadcrumbs.
Cook tonkatsu
Heat the oil to medium temperature (170-180°C). Add the breaded pork and fry for about 3 minutes, turning with cooking chopsticks. Increase the heat and fry for another minute. Remove and drain excess oil with the included net from Arnest.
Serve
Cut into easy-to-eat pieces and arrange on a plate. Pour tonkatsu sauce over it. Serve with the cabbage and carrot mixture, and garnish with lemon.
Eat Responsibly
This recipe is perhaps the most powerful and dangerous one ever released by Globalkitchen Japan. Deep fry and eat responsibly. And please invite us over before you do.
