Recipe Index

Ingredients

• 1 (1-lb.) loaf soft white bread, such as pain de mie or sandwich bread
• 1 head green cabbage
• 2 quarts canola or other neutral oil, for frying
• 1 boneless pork loin (about 1½ lb.)
• Sea salt
• 1 garlic clove
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2½ cups Nama Panko
• Snowy cabbage
• Tonkatsu sauce
• Japanese mustard

Method

1. Trim the crusts from the loaf of soft white bread, cut the loaf into roughly 1-inch cubes, and pulse the cubes a handful at a time into shaggy fresh breadcrumbs for the nama panko.
2. Shave the cabbage half very finely on a mandoline from the cut edge until only the core and a small wedge remain, soak the ribbons in cold water for ten minutes, then drain the snowy cabbage well.
3. Heat the canola oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat to 310°F and set a wire rack over a rimmed sheet pan.
4. Trim the fat on the pork loin to no more than 1/2 inch, slice the loin into cutlets about 1/2 inch thick and 5 inches long, salt them lightly on both sides, and rub each cutlet with the cut face of the halved garlic clove.
5. Set out shallow dishes of the flour, the beaten egg and the nama panko, and coat each cutlet first in flour, then in egg, then in panko pressed firmly over the whole surface.
6. Slide two cutlets into the hot oil, skim off loose panko at once, and fry them for 7 to 8 minutes in total, flipping every 2 minutes and holding the oil near 310°F, until the crumbs are golden brown and the katsu rides higher in the oil.
7. Drain the fried cutlets on the wire rack, let the oil return to temperature, and fry the remaining cutlets the same way.
8. Slice each tonkatsu into six to eight pieces and serve it with the snowy cabbage, tonkatsu sauce and Japanese mustard alongside.

Nutrition (per serving, where published)

Estimated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient data