Olive Oil Tonkatsu とんかつ

Olive oil…

Oishii ! おいしいですよ ! is how everyone describes my Tonkatsu とんかつ , and all it will take is one bite before you will be speaking Japanese too.

If you have not yet tried a traditional 19^th century Japanese breaded pork cutlet, what are you waiting for? Tonkatsu is crunchy, tender, filling, and delicious. Oh …and by the way, using olive oil for frying you not only end up with a crispier crusted cutlet, you are also treated to the added benefit of monounsaturated fat (that’s  the good, heart-smart stuff ).

Serve it as a single dish, a sandwich filling, or alongside curry. Either

Serves 6

Prep time 25 minutes

Cook time 10 minutes

Ingredients

6 ½ inch slices pork chops (fat trimmed)

Japanese cooking rice wine*

Soy Sauce*
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Flour for coating
3 eggs, lightly beaten
4 cups homemade bread crumbs*
Extra virgin olive oil for pan frying
Tonkatsu sauce* (optional)

Roasted sesame seeds

Preparation

1. Tenderize chops by pounding them to about 1/4 inch, and drizzle with rice wine and soy sauce. Sprinkle salt and pepper both sides of each cutlet; rest for 10 minutes

2. Coat each chop in flour, dip into beaten eggs and press into bread crumbs to coat both sides.

3. Pour about 1 inch of olive oil into a large skillet and heat over medium high until hot. Place 1 to 3 cutlets at a time in the hot oil. Deep-fry until golden brown, about 5 to 7 minutes, turning them only once.

4. Drain on paper towels and cut the pork into bite-size strips.

5. Arrange on individual plates. Drizzle katsu sauce on cutlets, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and serve with white sticky rice* and salad.

*found online and at Asian grocery stores.