Tonkatsu

My husband about had a heart attack for joy when he found out I was making this for him. I even made it a complete "Asian" meal by serving some "Miso Soup" at the begining. He spent two year serving an LDS mission in Japan, and he loves Asian food. A couple weeks ago, we ate out at an Asian restaurant. The food was so good (this was one of the things I ordered), but pretty expensive, so I decided I would give it a try at home. I was excited to find that I would I made the whole meal and a bit for left-overs for about $8. That was half the cost of one plate at the restaurant. They weren't perfect, but they could definitely compete! Doug was delighted! I have to admit that they were a bit more labor intensive- maybe that's because I'm not used to frying things, but I thought it was well worth it. I also think now that I know how this works, I could easily make a good country fried steak as well. It is about the same process. I didn't realize how important the "tenderizing" was. Anyway- this one sounds fancy, but it is pretty simple and VERY delicious- especially if you like Asian food. We both really like the "Katsu" sauce- it is like Japanese A1 sauce- I think I like it better. Just a fun unique flavor- but it is esential if you are making this. You might have to shop for a few unusual ingredients for this one, but it will be worth it! :)

Lyd's Tip: I purchased an inexpensive, fairly lean pork roast for about $1.38 per pound. That is pretty cheap meat (from Winco). Then I cut it up at home and was able to make it stretch a little further and do the "portion size" I wanted. I think that is a whole lot cheaper then buying pork chops for over $2 a pound, and not much more work.

I got this recipe from "Sook the Cook" She makes some great Asian dishes! I really enjoy her site! Her is what she had to say about the dish:
Tonkatsu is a very popular lunch among younger folks in Korea. Tonkatsu is originated from Japan, meaning "Pork cutlet". It is super easy to make as long as you have "panko". Panko is a little bit different from the normal bread crumbs. It's got a little more flavor, I think. I use panko for everything. I usually buy a Korean brand panko but you can get Japanese ones at any local grocery stores. They usually come in a little box. Another great thing about this dish is the katsu sauce. We get Kikoman's katsu sauce and it tastes wonderful. Just drizzle it over fried pork cutlet and you will be able to enjoy an authentic Japanese tonkatsu at your home. If you don't like pork much, you can use chicken instead. Just make sure to tenderize the meat before cooking.

Tonkatsu

Ingredients:

4 pieces of pork loins
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup panko
Canola oil (about an inch thick in the frying pan.)
Cabbage or lettuce to garnish

Directions:

In a large ziplock, place the pork loins one by one, and pound the meat on both sides with a tenderizing hammer. (*Or buy a pre-tenderized pork meat. Any local grocery store should tenderize it for you if you ask.)

In separate bowls, place the flour, eggs, and panko.

Coat the meat lightly in flour, then dip in eggs, then cover in panko.

In a large skillet or a frying pan, heat the oil over medium heat. (Drop a small amount of panko in the oil and if it bubbles, it is ready.) Place the breaded pork in the pan and fry until the edges of the breaded pork are golden brown, flip it to cook the other side. Remove the pork from the pan when it's cooked through. (It usually takes about 3-5 minutes to cook it.)

Drain oil on a paper towel.

Serve the pork on a bed of chopped cabbage or lettuce to remove extra oil. Serve with rice and tokatsu sauce.

Enjoy!