Tonkatsu
Bubba Durand

1-pound pork tenderloin
Salt & pepper
All-purpose flour
1 egg, beaten
Panko bread crumbs
Cooked rice
Tonkatsu sauce (recipe follows)
Lightly pickled vegetables (recipe follows)

  1. Remove all fat and silver skin from the pork tenderloin.

  2. Slice the pork crosswise into 6 pieces.

  3. Stand each piece on one of the cut sides and push down to flatten.

  4. Cover with plastic wrap and light pound with the smooth side of a meat tenderizer until about 1/3 inch thick.

  5. Sprinkle with salt and pepper on both sides.

  6. Dip each pork cutlet into the flour, then the egg and then coat with the panko bread crumbs. Press the breadcrumbs lightly into the meat.

  7. Lay the breaded cutlets on a wire rack in a single layer and refrigerate for at least a half an hour (up to a couple of hours) so the coating adheres well.

  8. Heat enough oil to cover the meat to about 330 degrees. Slide in 2 or 3 pieces of breaded pork and fry until the underside turns golden brown, then turn over.

  9. Do not fry too many pieces together at one time. Drain on a rack or paper towels.

  10. Cut the fried cutlet into 3/4" strips and serve with sauce, rice, and lightly pickled vegetables.

Tonkatsu Sauce:
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup regular soy sauce
1 T DARK soy sauce (optional)
2 T sugar
2 T mirin (sweet rice wine)
3 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T fresh ginger, grated on a microplane
1 clove of garlic, grated on a microplane

Mix ingredients together and let stand at least 30 minutes.
The optional dark soy sauce gives the sauce a darker color. If you don't have it, skip it.

Lightly pickled Vegetables:
Sliced vegetables - cucumber, carrots, radishes, daikon radish, etc.
Seasoned rice vinegar

Cover sliced vegetables with seasoned rice vinegar.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1/2 hour.



The Johnson Family Cookbook