Recipes

Breaded Pork Steaks (Tonkatsu)

• 1 Tbs Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbs soy sauce
• 1 Tbs mirin or honey
• 2 tsp rice or other mild vinegar
• 4 boneless pork steaks, preferably cut from the shoulder, about 6 ounces
• each
• Salt
• pepper
• Grapeseed or corn oil for frying
• Flour for dredging
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten in a broad, shallow bowl
• 2 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs), or other bread crumbs
• 4 cups shredded cabbage
• Lemon wedges

1. Combine first 4 ingredients, and set aside. Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper. Put a 6-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, and add at least an inch of oil. (If you want to cook more quickly, use a broad saucepan that can accommodate all 4 steaks at once; it will take considerably more oil, however.) When oil is about 350 deg F—a pinch of flour will sizzle—begin to prepare pork: dip a piece in flour, then egg, then bread crumbs; the more that adheres, the better. Put pork in pan.

2. Adjust heat so meat cooks rapidly but coating does not burn. Rotate pieces so they brown evenly, and turn each as the first side becomes deep golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Cook about same amount of time on the second side. If you are working in batches, repeat with remaining pork.

3. Make a mound of cabbage on each of 4 plates. Drizzle cabbage with a bit of sauce, then top with a steak. Serve with lemon wedges and any remaining sauce.

Time: 30 minutes, Yield: 4 servings.

NY Times, 15 December 2004