Thick-Cut Rosu Katsu, Double-Fried

Method

1. Pat the 2 piece(s) of pork dry and nick the sinew along the fat side every 2 cm. Do not pound thick cutlets, or you will lose juice. Sprinkle the salt evenly over both sides and the edges, set on a wire rack and refrigerate uncovered for 60 minutes. The salt seasons the meat right through and keeps it moist.

   Add in this stepPork loin with its fat cap, cut 3 cm thick 440 gSalt (for the dry brine) ¾ tsp

2. Sauce: put the Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, oyster sauce and brown sugar in a small pan and simmer over low heat for 3 min, stirring, until slightly thickened; let it cool. Shred the cabbage 1 mm thin, soak in ice water for 5 min, drain thoroughly and chill. Put the sesame seeds in a small mortar for the table.

   Add in this stepWorcestershire sauce 3 tbspKetchup 2 tbspOyster sauce 1 tspLight brown sugar 1 tspWhite cabbage 140 gToasted sesame seeds (to grind at the table) 2 tbsp

   low heat

3. Take out the pork, blot away the moisture drawn to the surface and season with pepper. Whisk the egg, batter flour and water into a smooth batter with no lumps. Dust the pork lightly in flour and shake off the excess, dip it in the batter so the sides are coated too, and lay it in the panko. Mist the panko with water two or three times first so the crumbs stand up like petals when fried. Cover with more panko and press only lightly (do not squash), then rest on the rack for 5 minutes.

   Add in this stepCoarsely ground black pepper 2 pinchEgg (for the batter) 1Plain flour (for the batter) 3 tbspWater (for the batter) 1½ tbspPlain flour (for dusting) 1½ tbspCoarse panko breadcrumbs 65 g

4. Put the oil and lard in a heavy 22 cm pot and heat over medium heat for about 11 min, until the lard melts and the oil reaches 150°C. Check with a thermometer in the centre of the pot. Turn the handle inwards and clear away any water.

   Add in this stepOil for deep-frying 1.2 LLard 300 g

   medium heat

5. First fry, low: slide the pork in gently, away from you, in 1 batch(es). Keep the oil at 145–155°C over medium heat and fry each batch for 8 min, turning every 2 minutes. The colour should still be pale gold at this stage. Lift out and stand on the rack to rest for 4 min; the carry-over heat cooks the inside gently.

   medium heat

6. Second fry, hot: raise the oil to 180°C over high heat and return the rested pork in the same batches for 1 min per batch, until the crust is deep golden and sounds crisp as you lift it. The thickest part should read at least 63°C; at that temperature a faint rosy blush in the centre is normal and safe.

   high heat

7. Stand on the rack for another 2 min to settle the juices, then slice 1.5 cm wide by pressing a sharp knife straight down in one motion. Serve with the cabbage, rice, lemon and mustard; let everyone grind the sesame in the mortar and stir it into the sauce. Try the first slice with just a pinch of flaky salt to taste the pork itself.

   Add in this stepHot cooked short-grain rice 400 gLemon ½Japanese mustard (karashi) or English mustard 1 tspFlaky sea salt to taste