Tokyo Stories: fried pork chop recipe

All tonkatsu recipes are basically the same – pork, breadcrumbs, frying – so making a good one really is about selecting the best possible ingredients, and cooking them with care.

Tim Anderson6 March 2019

MAKES TWO CUTLETS

Ingredients
*400 really good-quality, well-marbled, skinless and boneless pork loin, cut into two cutlets a minimum of 2 cm thick
*salt, as needed
*1 egg
*1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus more for deep-frying
*about 25 g strong white bread flour, as needed
*150 g light, long, good-quality panko (or more, as needed)
*¼ hispi or similar sweet cabbage, finely shredded
*tonkatsu sauce (optional)

Method

1. Season each cutlet liberally with salt and rub it into the meat. If you have time, leave the pork to rest for an hour (or overnight) so the salt can really permeate the meat.

2. Beat the egg with the vegetable oil – this helps create a watertight barrier around the meat, trapping in moisture. Dredge the cutlets in the flour, and then dunk in the egg mixture. Leave the pork in the egg for a few minutes so the flour absorbs the egg and forms a kind of glue, then dredge in the panko, ensuring that the cutlet is thoroughly and completely coated.

3. Heat the oil to 160°C, then lower the pork into it and cook for about 5–6 minutes. Probe the centre of the meat – when it is about 60°C, remove from the heat, drain on paper towel, and leave to rest on a wire rack for at least 5 minutes.

4. Slice into chopstick friendly pieces. Serve with the cabbage and tonkatsu sauce, if you like.

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