Ton means pig/pork and Katsu is a cutlet – so Tonkatsu is deep fried breaded pork.

This dish is easy to make and the pork can be substituted with chicken or beef to make Chicken-Katsu or Beef-Katsu.

Ingredients:
4 slices pork loin or fillet (each slice should be about 5” X 3” X ½” thick)
1 beaten egg (the fresher the egg the better the result)
1 cup of breadcrumbs (Katsu is best prepared with home made breadcrumbs using slightly stale bread and simply whizzing it in a processor very roughly)
A little plain flour
Vegetable oil for deep frying
Salt & Pepper

Method:
Remove any fat, pound the pork fillets lightly to tenderise
Season the pork with Salt & Pepper to taste
Lightly coat the pork with plain flour and pat down
Dip the pork in the egg
Coat the pork with the breadcrumbs and pat down. This may be easier if you place the breadcrumbs in a large plastic bag and then simply add the egg coated pork into the bag and patting down the breadcrumbs so the pork is well and firmly covered.
Refrigerate the breaded pork for at least 30 minutes before cooking.
Heat the vegetable oil in a deep pan to 320F – A piece of bread, if dropped into the oil, should bubble immediately and rise to the surface quickly.
Fry the pork until golden brown.
Drain on a wire rack or paper towel and slice thinly to serve on a bed of shredded cabbage

Tonkatsu Sauce
This can be purchased at specialist Japanese supermarkets or via JKC. If this is not available a good alternative is to mix Worcester sauce with a little ketchup.

Garnish
Tonkatsu is generally served on a bed of finely sliced cabbage with a wedge of lemon and karashi (Japanese mustard) – use strong English mustard if you cannot get the Japanese variety.
**Remember it is important to soak the cabbage slices in cold water and drain well before making the bed.
As with a lot of Japanese dishes, this dish is normally accompanied by boiled sticky white rice.

TIP
Make small vertical cuts all the way around the Pork cutlet – this will stop it curling up.