I had been thinking about making a Japanese Tonkatsu Pork Cutlet for a while. I’m so glad I thought long and hard because this Miso Infused Pork Cutlet was the total bomb. Crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, infused with organic white Miso paste that with the sweet pork gave it the perfect umami flavour. Paired with a Japanese inspired slaw with a dressing of Kewpie mayo, pickled ginger and wasabi and some buttery steamed sweet corn seasoned with Furikake seasoning, this was fusion at its absolute finest. Think Japanese American Barbecue. Damn good.
Prep time: 30 Minutes
Cooking time: 30 Minutes
$$ Medium Budget
Serves 4
For the Tonkatsu Pork Cutlet:
Oil for frying
4 x 250gm Good Quality Pork Cutlets, rind removed
2 eggs
1 tbs of water
1 tbs of White Miso Paste
2 tbs of plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
2 cups of panko crumbs
For the Japanese Slaw:
1/2 a small savoy cabbage, very finely shredded (remove hard core)
1 lebanese cucumber, finely sliced (A mandolin is handy for cucumber and radish, otherwise as thin as you can with a sharp knife)
4 red radishes, finely sliced
4 spring onions, finely sliced (some reserved for garnish)
2 tbs of kewpie mayonnaise
2 tsp of wasabi paste
1 tbs of Japanese pickled ginger, finely chopped
1 tbs of Japanese pickled ginger juice
Sesame seeds for sprinkling (I used a mixture of black and white, just white is fine)
For the Buttery Sweet Corn:
2 large corn cobs, peeled and cut in half
40gm of butter
Japanese Furikake seasoning for sprinkling
To prepare the Tonkatsu Pork Cutlets, whisk the eggs, water and miso paste in a shallow bowl until well combined. Set yourself up an assembly line and place the seasoned flour on a lined tray, then the egg wash and then the panko crumbs on another lined tray. Pat the pork cutlets dry with some paper towel and then lightly dust them in the flour, then dip in the egg/miso mixture and then lay the cutlets in the crumbs, pressing with your fingers until all sides of the cutlets are well coated in the crumbs. Do this one at a time. Place the crumbed Tonkatsu Pork Cutlets on a plate or tray and pop them in the fridge for about 30 minutes. I find this helps the crumbs to stick better.
While the cutlets are in the fridge, place the cabbage, cucumber, radish and about 2/3rds of the spring onion in a large bowl and cover with iced water. This will give you the crispiest slaw.
To make the dressing place the kewpie mayo, wasabi, pickled ginger and juice in a small bowl and whisk until the wasabi is fully dissolved in the mayonnaise.
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Heat a large fry pan and add enough low smoke point oil (canola, veg, rice bran, peanut) to cover the base of the pan. To test if the oil is hot enough, drop a couple of breadcrumbs in and if it sizzles straight away, it is ready. Fry the cutlets for 3-4 minutes on either side until golden brown and then place them on a rack in a lined baking tray. Place them in the oven for 10 minutes to continue the cooking process.
While the cutlets are in the oven, steam the corn either on the stove or in the microwave until tender. I find about 6-8 minutes is perfect.
Drain the slaw really well and then toss through the dressing until the slaw is evenly coated.
To serve, place the Tonkatsu Pork Cutlets, a nice pile of slaw and the corn on each plate. Place a dob of butter on the corn and sprinkle with the Furikake seasoning. Scatter over sesame seeds and the remaining sliced spring onion and serve.
Do you like Japanese inspired food? You may like this one……