Pork tonkatsu with slaw

Name: Pork tonkatsu with slaw
Cook time: 1 h
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: ½ savoy cabbage, core removed; 4 x 150g free-range-pork neck steaks; sea salt and freshly ground black pepper; ½ cup plain flour; 2 eggs, beaten; 2 cups panko crumbs; vegetable oil for deep-frying; 4 tsp Japanese karashi mustard; ½ cup tonkatsu sauce; steamed rice, to serve; microcress or fresh herbs to serve, optional

Neil Perry

Updated August 13, 2017, first published March 20, 2017

Time:30 mins - 1 hourServes:4

The Panko crumbs in this recipe make the pork super-crunchy. The tonkatsu sauce is easy to find – you can buy it at any Asian food store these days. Try serving this with steamed rice, or it makes a cracking white bread sandwich with some salted chilli thrown in – so good!

Ingredients

½ savoy cabbage, core removed
4 x 150g free-range-pork neck steaks
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup plain flour
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups panko crumbs
vegetable oil for deep-frying
4 tsp Japanese karashi mustard
½ cup tonkatsu sauce
steamed rice, to serve
microcress or fresh herbs to serve, optional

Method

1. Slice the cabbage as thinly as possible and set aside.
2. Place each pork steak between 2 pieces of freezer film and, using a meat mallet, flatten to about 1cm thickness. Season fillets on both sides with salt and pepper. Working one steak at a time, dredge pork with flour and shake off excess. Coat in beaten egg and crust evenly with panko.
3. Heat vegetable oil to 170°C in a heavy frypan. If you don't have a thermometer, heat the oil until a pinch of excess panko floats and turns golden brown in about 30 seconds.
4. Cook the pork in batches, without overloading your frypan, for about 4 minutes, turning once until the fillets turn golden brown. When they are ready, transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain.
5. Slice the pork into 2cm-wide strips. Place each portion on a plate, along with a heap of sliced cabbage and a dab of mustard. Serve topped with about 2 tablespoons of tonkatsu sauce, steamed rice, and microcress or fresh herbs if using.