Pork Tonkatsu

In Japanese restaurants, I always order sushi and never anything else from the menu…except for pork tonkatsu. This is stuff is better than any chicken fried steak or chicken nuggets or whatever breaded fried meat you eat in the Western hemisphere. The panko bread crumb crunch is already great, but it’s really the tangy tonkatsu sauce that makes it a winner.

Pork tonkatsu has a special place in my heart since it’s what I ate on my first date with B. He knew I liked Asian food and sneakily took me to a Japanese restaurant (he did his homework!)

Mom (in all her Asian mom wisdom) always told us, “Don’t eat too much or too fast when dining out, or people will think you don’t have enough food at home.”

So when on our first date B told me, “You know, I’m going to judge you by how much you eat…” I definitely felt nervous until B then continued, “… and the more you eat, the better.”

Well, then, I certainly demolished my tonkatsu (and sushi and gyoza and tempura). I ate a LOT. More than him actually. I still judge him to this day for letting a tiny Asian girl half his size beat him in eating (he claims he was sick and had an “off day”).

Anyways, this tonkatsu recipe is adapted from Rasa Malaysia. Since we couldn’t find tonkatsu sauce, we made it using this AMAZING recipe from Serious Eats. I might never buy bottled tonkatsu sauce again.

Pork Tonkatsu

Ingredients
TONKATSU:
2 boneless pork chops
Salt and pepper
Flour for dredging
1 egg
1/2 tbsp oil
Panko bread crumbs

TONKATSU SAUCE:
1/3 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon teriyaki sauce

Directions
TONKATSU: Preheat ove to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheet with foil

Cut meat into thin slices and rub with salt and pepper. Rub flour until the meat is just coated, shaking gently to remove excess flour. In a bowl, whisk oil and egg together, and dip your pork in the egg mixture. Dredge the pork in panko, pressing gently and removing excess panko. Place all the meat on the baking sheet.

Heat oil in a wok over medium high heat. When oil is very hot pan, sear for 30 seconds to 1 minute on one side and flip, so both sides are golden brown. Place the pan seared pork on the baking sheet and place in oven for 15-20 min, until meat is cooked.

TONKATSU SAUCE: In a small bowl, stir together ketchup, Worcestershire, soy sauce, mirin, sugar, mustard, and garlic powder. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator up to a month.