Tonkatsu

Ingredients

• 4Pork cutletabout 140 g each, from loin or neck, pounded flat
• 1¾ ozWheat flourfirst coating stage
• 2Eggbeaten, second coating stage
• 3½ ozPanko breadcrumbscoarse Japanese breadcrumbs, press on firmly
• 2⅛ cupsFrying oilneutral oil for deep-frying
• saltfor seasoning the meat
• pepperfor seasoning the meat
• 14⅛ ozcabbageshaved paper-thin as a side, crisped briefly in cold water
• 4 tbspTonkatsu saucestore-bought, for drizzling
• 5¼ ozKetchupbase of the homemade sauce (optional)
• 7 ozPlumsdiced fresh or as plum butter for the sauce (optional)
• 3 tbspsoy saucefor the sauce or the egg wash (optional)
• 2 tbspWorcestershire sauceseasons the sauce (optional)
• 1lemoncut into wedges for squeezing (optional)
• Japanese mustardhot, served alongside (optional)
• 1 clovesgarlichalved, rub over the cutlets (optional)

Method

1. Pat the pork cutlets dry, score or trim the rim of fat, and pound the meat to an even thickness.
2. Season the cutlets with salt and pepper on both sides and, if you like, rub them with the halved garlic clove.
3. Set out three shallow dishes with the flour, the beaten eggs and the panko. Turn each cutlet in the flour, tap off the excess, pull it through the egg, then coat it in panko, pressing the crumbs on firmly all over.
4. Shave the white cabbage paper-thin, let it crisp briefly in cold water, then drain it well.
5. For the homemade sauce, bring the ketchup, plums or plum butter, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce to a boil, reduce briefly and season to taste. If you're in a hurry, use store-bought tonkatsu sauce.
6. Heat the frying oil in a deep pot and fry the cutlets in batches until golden brown, turning them once; they need room to float freely, or the oil temperature drops too far.
7. Drain the cutlets on paper towels or a rack so the crust stays crisp.
8. Cut the meat crosswise into finger-wide strips and serve with the cabbage, the sauce, Japanese mustard and lemon wedges.

Tips and variations

Cornstarch works as the first coating instead of flour, with the egg beaten together with sweet soy sauce; thinned with two tablespoons of water, the coating clings in a thinner layer. You can make panko yourself from crustless white bread in a food processor (nama panko), and ordinary breadcrumbs will do at a pinch. If you'd rather not deep-fry, pan-fry the cutlets in a little oil or clarified butter. The same coating works with chicken breast (chicken katsu) or prawns (ebi fry). Besides rice, serve a cabbage salad with a sesame-orange dressing or Japanese potato salad with Kewpie mayonnaise, carrot and cucumber.