Tonkatsu (Japanese Pork Cutlet)

Method

1. Cut the core out of the cabbage, stack and roll the leaves and slice them as finely as you can (about 1 mm). Soak in ice water for 5 min to make it crisp, then drain, shake very dry and keep in the fridge.

   Add in this stepWhite cabbage 120 g

2. Pat the 2 pork chop(s) dry with kitchen paper. Pierce the white sinew between the fat and the meat with the tip of a knife every 2 cm, about 5 mm deep, so the meat does not curl as it fries. Tap both sides lightly with the back of the knife, push it back into shape with your hands, and season both sides with salt and pepper just before coating.

   Add in this stepBoneless pork loin chops, 1.5 cm thick 260 gSalt ½ tspBlack pepper 2 pinch

3. Whisk the eggs with the water until smooth. Dust the pork in flour and tap off the excess so only a thin film remains, dip it in the egg and let the excess drip off. Lay it in the panko and press firmly with your palm so both sides and the edges are fully covered. Rest on a wire rack while the oil heats so the coating sets.

   Add in this stepEggs 1Water (for the egg) 1 tspPlain flour 2 tbspPanko breadcrumbs 45 g

4. Pour the oil into a heavy 22 cm pot (at least 3 cm deep, never more than half full). Heat over medium heat for about 9 min to 170°C. No thermometer? Drop in a few crumbs of panko: at 170°C they sink halfway, then rise straight back up with lively bubbles. Turn the pot handle inwards and keep water well away.

   Add in this stepOil for deep-frying 1.2 L

   medium heat

5. Slide the pork into the oil gently, away from you, so it does not splash. Fry in 1 batch(es): leave it untouched for the first minute so the coating sets, then turn once with tongs, frying over medium-high heat for 5 min in total per batch. It is done when the crust is deep golden, the bubbles become smaller and the sizzling sounds lighter. Skim out floating crumbs between batches.

   medium-high heat

6. Lift out and stand the cutlets upright on a wire rack for 3 min (lying on paper traps steam and softens the underside). The carry-over heat finishes the centre, which should reach at least 63°C at the thickest point. Slice into 2 cm strips by pressing a sharp knife straight down in one firm motion so the crust stays on.

7. Pile the cabbage on each plate, lean the tonkatsu against it and add lemon and mustard. Serve with rice, and pour the sauce over or dip into it just before eating. Once the oil is completely cold, strain and store it; it can be reused 2 to 3 times.

   Add in this stepLemon ½Japanese mustard (karashi) or English mustard 1 tspHot cooked short-grain rice 400 gTonkatsu sauce 4 tbsp