Ingredients

The Pork Cutlet:

• 4 Pork Chops
• 3g (1t) Kosher Salt
• 1g (½t) ground Black Pepper
• 63g (½ cup) All-Purpose Flour
• 64g (½ cup) Corn Starch
• 2 large Eggs
• 90-120g (1½-2 cups) Panko Crumbs
• Vegetable/Canola/Grapeseed Oil, for frying

For the Plate:

• Shredded Cabbage
• Lemon Wedge
• Tomato Slices
• Tonkatsu Sauce
• Kewpie Mayonnaise
• Rice

Procedure

• Take a pork chop (preferably boneless) and place it between two large sheets of plastic film or waxed paper on a cutting board. Take your meat tenderizer and pound the pork to ⅜-½-inch thickness. Repeat the process for the other 3 chops.
• Season the chops with salt and pepper. In a large shallow bowl, mix the flour and corn starch together. Crack the eggs into a pie plate, and whisk to homogenize. Place the panko in a separate pie plate.
• Dredge the chops in the flour mix, then give them an even coating of egg, and finally a layer of crumbs.
• Fry the tonkatsu at 325-350°F in a Dutch oven or a cast iron pan, until both sides are evenly browned, about 3 minutes on each side.
• Remove from the oil and let them drain on a layer of paper towels or a wire rack.
• Once drained, slice into strips, serve with cabbage, and with any combination of items listed under "For the Plate"**.

*Bunny Wisdom*

• If it's difficult to source pork chops without the bone, simply run the knife down the length of the rib and discard the bone.
• Salt and pepper both sides. If you have any leftover seasoning, throw it into the flour mixture.
• It's possible that you may need another egg to coat the tonkatsu. Same goes for the panko crumbs; a good layer of crumbs is necessary for a crunchy exterior.
• I like to dredge the pork and keep them in the flour for 5-10 minutes. Any moisture on the meat will be absorbed by the flour, which will help in the frying process and make for a crispy tonkatsu. Just remember to shake the excess flour off of the pork before coating it in egg.
• Any flat, but lipped plate can be used to contain the flour and eggs. I use pie plates because they're shallow with sides.
• Shallow pan-frying or deep-frying the tonkatsu both work. Just make sure the neutral oil (any oil that has a high heat point, and doesn't impart flavor) isn't too hot, as it can brown the exterior before the meat can cook on the inside.
• The coating should be browned throughout, with little to no pale spots.
• I like to place my finished tonkatsu on a wire rack, to allow maximum exposure to the air. It's no fun when you eat soggy fried food.
• **One of the most common ways to plate this dish is with thinly shredded cabbage, a lemon wedge, karashi (a mustard), and a side of tonkatsu sauce. The shredded cabbage and tomato slices are supposed to help in cleansing the palate from the grease. If you would like, use a mayo-based dressing, or a light vinaigrette for the cabbage. Pickled vegetables are also common to eat with this dish (like cucumber or radish). To make it into a meal, some people have this with a bowl of rice and some miso soup. I've also enjoyed this with Japanese curry.
• Kitty likes this with some kewpie mayo, so we have this on the side along with the tonkatsu sauce.