Pork Tonkatsu with Fruit And Cucumber Salad

Pork Tonkatsu with Fruit And Cucumber Salad

Ingredients

Sauce

  • 1 tsp. dry mustard (Colman’s or Japanese dry mustard)

  • 1 tsp. granulated garlic

  • About 3 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

  • About 1 tbsp. shoyu or soy sauce

  • 1 tbsp. mirin or honey

  • 1 cup ketchup

Salad

  • 4 small seedless cucumbers or 1/2 large, thinly sliced

  • 1 tsp. salt

  • 1 tsp. sugar

  • 1 green apple or 1 green (unripe) tomato—quartered, cored, and thinly sliced

  • 2 large radishes or 1 watermelon radish, very thinly sliced with a mandoline or sharp knife

  • 3 scallions, thinly sliced on an angle

  • About 2 tbsp. thinly sliced shiso leaves or basil leaves

  • About 1 tbsp. rice vinegar

  • 1 tsp. shoyu or soy sauce

  • 1 tsp. toasted sesame oil

Pork

  • 4 boneless center-cut pork loin chops (4 to 6 oz. each)

  • Salt and pepper

  • ¾ cup flour

  • 2 large eggs

  • 1 ½ cups panko breadcrumbs

  • Peanut or safflower oil, for frying

Directions

Step 1

In a small bowl, whisk the dry mustard and granulated garlic. Whisk in the Worcestershire, 1 tbsp. shoyu, and mirin. Whisk in the ketchup for the sauce

Step 2

In a large strainer, sprinkle the cucumbers with the salt and sugar; toss until coated. Let drain for 20 minutes. Press on the cucumbers to remove any excess liquid. In a medium bowl, mix the cucumbers, apple, radishes, scallions, and shiso. Just before serving, mix in the vinegar, 1 tsp. shoyu, and sesame oil.

Step 3

Meanwhile, using the bumpy side of a meat mallet, pound the pork to 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. (If you have a flat meat mallet, pierce both sides of the cutlets with the tines of a fork after pounding them.) Season both sides of the cutlets with salt and pepper. In 1 shallow dish, place the flour. In a second, beat the eggs. In a third, place the panko. Line a rimmed baking sheet with paper towels or parchment paper; set a wire rack inside.

Step 4

Pour enough peanut oil into a large skillet to measure about 1/4 inch. Working with 1 cutlet at a time, dredge the pork in the flour, shaking off any excess. Coat the pork in the eggs, letting any excess drip into the dish. Place the pork in the panko; turn until coated, pressing so the crumbs adhere. Working in batches, cook the pork, turning once, until crisp, golden, and just cooked through, about 5 minutes per batch. Add more peanut oil to the pan as needed between batches. Place the cutlets on the wire rack to drain.

Step 5

Slice the cutlets. Top with the sauce. Serve with the salad.