Tonkatsu（Japanese pork cutlets, 豚カツ）

Tonkatsu is one of the most popular Japanese deep-fried dishes.
It is normally served with shredded cabbage. Tonkatsu has a crispy texture. Tonkatsu sauce has thick savory and sweet flavors. Tonkatsu looks similar to breaded and deep-fried pork tenderloin in the United States. But Tonkatsu tastes very different from it.

Ingredients (2 plates):

• 2 cut of pork loin
• 1/5 of cabbage
• Vegetable oil (less volume than a half height of your deep-frying pan)
• 4 tablespoons of flour
• 1 egg
• 1 cup of *Panko
• 1 teaspoon of salt & pepper
• 2 tablespoons of *Japanese vegetable & fruit sauce (Tonkatsu sauce)
• Cooked rice for 2 people (If you like)

*Panko is bread crumbs.
*Japanese vegetable & fruit sauce (Tonkatsu sauce) is made of vegetables and fruits like tomatoes, onions, carrots, apples lemon, prunes and so on. It has sweet and sour flavors.
-> See picture A.

Here is how to make it at home. Cooking time is about 30 - 40 minutes.

1. Shred cabbage. Preheat vegetable oil in a deep-frying pan with medium heat until the oil’s temperature is 170 degree Celsius (340 Fahrenheit).
2. In the meanwhile, whisk an egg in a flat bottom container, put flour and *Panko in each different flat bottom containers. -> See picture B.

3. Press the pork loin many times with back of the knife to flatten. Add salt and pepper on the pork loin.
4. After the oil temperature is high enough, dip the pork loin in the flour, then in the egg, finally in the *Panko. Repeat it for 2 pork loin. -> See picture C.

5. Put breaded pork loin in the deep-frying pan and deep-fry this side for about 3 minutes or until the breaded pork loin is brown. Flip over the pork loin and deep-fry for another 3 minutes or until it turns brown. -> See picture D. Remove from heat and leave for 1-2 minutes. Cut the pork cutlets into small pieces in order to eat them easily. (Cut them carefully, since the pork cutlets are hot.)

6. Put the shredded cabbage, Tonkatsu, and cooked rice (if you like) in a plate. Add the Japanese vegetable & fruit sauce (Tonkatsu sauce) on top.