T O N K AT S U JUSTIN TRAN SERVES 4
PREP: 30 MIN COOK: 15 MIN
EASY
LOW
Although my family is Vietnamese, I enjoy cooking meals from other cultures, such as Tonkatsu pork. When I went to Japan last year, I was amazed with the different flavours of food that I ate, and I must say that Tonkatsu was my favourite dish. When I came home, I tried to replicate the beautiful flavours I had experienced, and am happy to say I think I have perfected this recipe over some months.
INGREDIENTS
METHOD
4 boneless pork sirloin steak
1 Either with a meat tenderiser or a rolling pin, pound or roll out pork until each piece is about 1cm thick. Be careful not to work the meat too much, as the pork is only being shaped, not tenderised.
Pinch of salt 1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup potato starch 2 eggs, beaten Canola or vegetable oil Steamed rice, to serve
1/4 cabbage, shredded, to serve Tonkatsu sauce, to serve
TIP Tonkatsu sauce is readily available at supermarkets
2 Season both sides of the pork with a pinch of salt but be careful not to over season. 3 Prepare three bowls, one with potato starch, another with bread crumbs and the final with egg. Start the batter process by first coating pork in a thin layer of potato starch. Then coat pork in egg wash making sure to let the excess drain back into the bowl. Finally, coat pork in panko bread crumbs. 4 Pour oil into a large stock pot up to approximately 2 1/2 cm high and turn on the heat to medium high. To test if oil if hot enough, take a bit of panko bread crumbs and drop it into the pot. If oil is ready, panko bread crumbs should sizzle immediately. 5 Carefully drop pork into oil for approximately 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. If the tonkatsu begins to develop colour too quickly, reduce the heat. 6 Serve with rice, cabbage and tonkatsu sauce. 27